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Long Gone Attractions


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#201 Lilith

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Posted 29 May 2017 - 08:40 AM

  • Fable Cottage, Cordova Bay
  • Wooded Wonderland, Beaver Lake
  • Sealand of the Pacific, Oak Bay
  • JayCee Fair, Memorial Arena
  • Frontier Village, Langford
  • Fun City, Saanich
  • Land of the Little People, Belleville St.
  • Haunted Mansion, Belleville St.
  • Classic Car Museum, Douglas & Burdett
  • Cobra, Soviet submarine, Inner Harbour
  • BC Experience, Crystal Gardens
  • Fun Zone, View Royal
  • Royal London Wax Museum, Inner Harbour

 

 

If I may?

 

The Glass Castle

The Undersea Gardens

Rudy’s Pet Park

The Victoria Drive In

22-foot tall neon flame a top the Rockland Water Tower

The FREE Victoria Museum

The Original Tally Ho horse drawn rides - though they now bring it out at Christmas time, they used to be drawn by a team of 6 horses, then reduced to 4, but when it was reduced to 2 but the #'s of persons being pulled wasn't lowered, the Horses were being hurt.



#202 AllseeingEye

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 11:36 AM

 

  • Fable Cottage, Cordova Bay
  • Wooded Wonderland, Beaver Lake
  • Sealand of the Pacific, Oak Bay
  • JayCee Fair, Memorial Arena
  • Frontier Village, Langford
  • Fun City, Saanich
  • Land of the Little People, Belleville St.
  • Haunted Mansion, Belleville St.
  • Classic Car Museum, Douglas & Burdett
  • Cobra, Soviet submarine, Inner Harbour
  • BC Experience, Crystal Gardens
  • Fun Zone, View Royal
  • Royal London Wax Museum, Inner Harbour

 

 

If I may?

 

The Glass Castle

The Undersea Gardens

Rudy’s Pet Park

The Victoria Drive In

22-foot tall neon flame a top the Rockland Water Tower

The FREE Victoria Museum

The Original Tally Ho horse drawn rides - though they now bring it out at Christmas time, they used to be drawn by a team of 6 horses, then reduced to 4, but when it was reduced to 2 but the #'s of persons being pulled wasn't lowered, the Horses were being hurt.

 

An interesting convo that comes up from time to time on FB, usually by old-timer Victorians pining for the 'good old days'.

 

I am not at all intending at all to be dismissive here but as someone born, raised and educated here and who has lived here 47/56 years in Greater Victoria, I have a pretty good idea why at least some if not many of the "attractions" on this list are no longer with us.

 

You can quickly discern a pattern, and I suspect I am not alone re:

 

•Fable Cottage, Cordova Bay - Never visited it; never held any interest for me frankly...

•Wooded Wonderland, Beaver Lake - visited many times as a small child; this is the one attraction on the list I do have fond memories of....

•Sealand of the Pacific, Oak Bay - Visited once as a teen; never felt like I had to go back. In any event it compared very poorly to other similar aquatic facilities in the US & Hawaii. Did one last "tour" about a year before they shut down - it was really mickey mouse and run down by then and not remotely worth the price of admission. Good riddance especially to this one...

•JayCee Fair, Memorial Arena - Enjoyed it a few times as a teen, never attended as an adult. Don't miss it particularly.

•Frontier Village, Langford - Never visited it; I don't think I ever actually knew it existed

•Fun City, Saanich - Never visited it

•Land of the Little People, Belleville St. - Never visited it; no interest.

•Haunted Mansion, Belleville St. - Never visited it; no interest.

•Classic Car Museum, Douglas & Burdett - Never visited it.

•Cobra, Soviet submarine, Inner Harbour - Did the tour once, very interesting; no need however to re-visit after doing it the one time...

•BC Experience, Crystal Gardens - Never visited it, no interest.

•Fun Zone, View Royal - Never visited it, never heard of it...

•Royal London Wax Museum, Inner Harbour - Did the tour once, never bothered again. Like all imitations it compared very poorly with the original. Once you've seen the "real London" wax museum - in, you know, London - this was clearly the hick cousin version...



#203 G-Man

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Posted 03 June 2017 - 05:28 PM

I liked the JayCee Fair. In particular I remember going to an amazing carnie party in the early 1990s.

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#204 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 15 December 2017 - 03:20 PM

Fable Cottage is on Work-Away.

 

https://www.workaway...8142795-en.html

 

 

Had the opportunity to have my first work away in Denman Island with Wes. During my time that I spent there , I was amazed with the variety of projects that he has on the go. From local organic small farming, to fixing water pumps around the property, his property has plenty of opportunities for those that are willing to learn new concepts and assist him on these projects. Wes was a great host with an open mind that is always looking to find practical ways to solving issues that arise from living in a semi off grid property. I would definitely recommend any one who is looking for a great learning experience.

 


Edited by VicHockeyFan, 15 December 2017 - 03:21 PM.

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#205 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 22 February 2020 - 04:08 PM

Outside Ken Lane’s Saanich home, the Monarchist League of Canada’s crown-emblazoned golden flag blows in the wind. Inside, Princess Diana rubs elbows with Charles Dickens over an imaginary cup of tea.

 

https://www.vicnews....nich-mans-home/

 

200217-VNE-Wax-Royals_3.jpg



#206 Rob Randall

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Posted 22 February 2020 - 06:40 PM

I had feelings of nostalgia and pathos reading that article.

 

I think it's because those figures are distinctive themselves, apart from their real-life counterparts. I mean that these were not perfect replicas, they were more like reasonable approximations. I recognized "our" Diana as being different from the wax Dianas in other wax museums and it brought back memories of going through Lane's attraction as a youngster.

 

But now those glamourous, terrifying and dramatic exhibits I remember from so long ago are just stacked in a guy's basement now. I think you can hear the triumphant trumpet fanfare playing on a loop in the hall of royalty.



#207 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 22 February 2020 - 06:46 PM

it's been closed since 2010.

 

Lane remains hopeful there will be a wax figure revival. He said he has looked at properties around Canada including a handful in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and B.C., but hasn’t found anything suitable.

 

“We’ve been kinda slow at finding a new home but it’s also a process of trying different locations and checking out the real estate and tourism market,” he said. “Hope springs eternal. It really depends on the city and the building that you end up in.”

 

 

do you sort of get the feeling that he's looking for a location with little or no rental fee?


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 February 2020 - 06:46 PM.


#208 Rob Randall

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Posted 22 February 2020 - 06:51 PM

it's been closed since 2010.

 

 

do you sort of get the feeling that he's looking for a location with little or no rental fee?

 

He would have to really update it.

 

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#209 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 22 February 2020 - 06:52 PM

september 2019:

 

Undersea Gardens closing after more than 50 years on the Oregon coast

 

Ownership said the closure aligns with upcoming renovations to Mariner Square’s other two attractions, Ripley’s Believe it or Not! and The Wax Works. The announcement did not include details about the renovations, only to say that an “entirely new” Ripley’s is in the works.

 


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 February 2020 - 06:52 PM.

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#210 Rob Randall

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Posted 22 February 2020 - 06:55 PM

I never went to the Madame Tussaud's in London but it's one of the biggest and priciest attractions. They've kept up to date with the full glitzy Marvel Comics special effects experience. It sounds more like Disney's Star Wars Experience than our old static Wax Museum.


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#211 AllseeingEye

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Posted 22 February 2020 - 08:42 PM

I never went to the Madame Tussaud's in London but it's one of the biggest and priciest attractions. They've kept up to date with the full glitzy Marvel Comics special effects experience. It sounds more like Disney's Star Wars Experience than our old static Wax Museum.

 

 

Our stale old version was just that - a pale imitation of the original. They weren't even in the same galaxy in terms of the actual visitor experience.



#212 Mike K.

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 04:56 AM

What was up with the torture chamber? So weird to go from Queen E to a dude impaled by a spike.

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#213 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 05:04 AM

chamber of horrors was the most popular part.

#214 Mike K.

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 05:27 AM

Im taking about the wax museum, though, not the Undersea Gardens.
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#215 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 05:44 AM

Im taking about the wax museum, though, not the Undersea Gardens.

 

yes the horror show was a rarity at the undersea gardens though.  they let the squid kill the diver only one in about 150 shows.  usually when the diver was almost up for a raise. 

 

or maybe i'm mixing that up with tillicum the whale's shows.  one or the other.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 23 February 2020 - 05:45 AM.


#216 Rob Randall

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 08:11 AM

^The diver and Armstrong the Octopus.

 

The Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheep-Dog of Victoria's long gone attractions.



#217 Mike K.

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 08:39 AM

When I went in to the gardens as an adult I asked my mom, was it always that bad? She said yup. So I dunno, but the conditions of the tanks were brutal in comparison to the Shaw discovery centre in Sidney.

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#218 lanforod

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 09:07 AM

the one closing in Newport is just as bad as the one here always was. Had a peak last summer, what a dump.



#219 AllseeingEye

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 11:48 AM

When I went in to the gardens as an adult I asked my mom, was it always that bad? She said yup. So I dunno, but the conditions of the tanks were brutal in comparison to the Shaw discovery centre in Sidney.

 

Another reason I sometimes get irked by those pining for the "good old days" and bemoaning Victoria's "lost" architectural/building and especially its tourist 'treasures'. In no particular order lets briefly summarize just a few examples shall we...

 

Memorial Arena - was utter dreck by the end of its life. It was small, cramped and totally unsuited seating or acoustic-wise for any major league show, artist or band. It had ZERO amenities that one expects in a modern entertainment facility. There was a HOLE in the roof on the south end so patrons could see outside heaven sake. World class <cough> cities such as Red Deer, Saskatoon and Swift Current had infinitely better arenas than did Victoria.

 

Sealand - as described above. We visited it in its last year of existence. It was awful: small, dirty, cramped and totally uninteresting and a complete rip-off for the $, compared to far nicer and much larger facilities in Hawaii or San Diego. It was about as far removed as one could possibly be in terms of being world class. Vancouver Aquarium always was and is an infinitely nicer and more interesting marine complex and customer experience.

 

Wax Museum - yawn. Once you'd see the original you understood how poorly it was imitated here. Nothing to see here, move along...

 

Anne Hathaway's Cottage - really? See above. Rather than (poorly) ripping off the original from another country and culture not native to this part of the planet, wouldn't it be preferable to come up with something unique and representative of this region? Seriously who the **** is Anne Hathaway to Greater Victoria or its West Coast/First Nations heritage? Not remotely missed.


Edited by AllseeingEye, 23 February 2020 - 12:13 PM.

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#220 Rob Randall

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Posted 23 February 2020 - 12:48 PM

^Add to that the Classic Car Museum. I liked it but I love anything about cars. The annual Torquemasters exhibit in Sidney has 300 cars for free along Beacon Avenue and you can talk to the owners. Way more interesting even though it's only one weekend a year.

 

A lot of this is merely nostalgia for a distant time when we were more easily impressed.



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