What Locals Know

Here are a few tips and tricks from people who enjoy Oak Bay every day of the year:

  • Oak Bay Recreation Center has a great family-friendly pool - and it's open until 12:30 a.m. every night
  • Oak Bay Marina has resident seals that come to the dock each day. If you're lucky, you may also spot an otter!
  • There are numerous "secret" paths in Oak Bay, mostly paved footpaths, that link neighbourhoods. These include:
    • Path at 2004 Rattenbury Place that leads to Mt Tolmie Park in Saanich
    • Woodburn Path links Lansdowne to Woodburn (beside 3121 Woodburn and beside Uplands Golf Course)
    • Path on Beach Drive across from Wilows Park that links to Lincoln Road and a quiet walk to Estevan Village along the road or to Willows through another path
  • Willows Beach is the BEST family beach in Greater Victoria – winter or summer
  • There is a WWII observation platform still standing at Walbran Park on top of Gonzales Hill - it has panoramic views of Victoria, the Olympic mountains, and the Salish Sea
  • If you love bakeries and coffee, most neighbourhoods have fantastic local cafes 
  • Oak Bay has a large concentration of art galleries on Oak Bay avenue - a great way to spend an afternoon
  • There is a large off-leash dog area at the University of Victoria - entrance is on Cedar Hill Cross Road, about 350m West of Cadboro Bay Road
  • Turn over rocks at low tide in McNeil Bay to find the strangest creatures (the octopus in the picture above was found there!)
  • Local kids call Anderson Hill "Blueberry Hill" and call Oak Bay "the shire" 
  • most of the islands off of Oak Bay are part of marine ecological reserves and are home to large colonies of seabirds and marine mammals
  • You can rent space in most parks and recreation centres for community events
  • Waterfront is accessible throughout Oak Bay - there are over 20 public-access points through the community
  • It is rumoured that once a year, a Vancouver scooter club has a midnight ride thru Oak Bay, naked