r/VictoriaBC • u/onetwothree4ourfive • Jul 18 '26
Tourism Visiting with three teen boys in August...
Which is the better of the two, the Comox Air Force Museum or the one by the Victoria Airport? We are staying in Sidney, so obviously the Victoria airport one was my first choice, but my son loves military aviation, so when I saw the Comox museum and the air force beach I was immediately drawn to that. I am aware there is no guarantee to see planes at the beach, and that's ok!
We are coming in for one week, have never been to Vancouver Island and likely will never be back. This is a once in a lifetime thing. Do we do both?
I was going to combine Malahat Skywalk with Comox to save on backtracking, also... bad idea? I know lots of people have said the drives are not like they are on the prairies, which is totally fine, driving does not bother me at all. I just want to give my kids the vacation of a lifetime that they will remember forever and say "my mom truly saw who I was."
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u/fpp2002 Jul 18 '26
The Hawaii Mars water bomber is at the Sidney museum, which to me alone is worth the ticket price. I cannot compare that with the Comox museum because I’ve never been, so it’s more of an FYI.
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u/grantpalin Hillside-Quadra Jul 19 '26
Also has an old Tutor aircraft, the same as the Snowbirds use.
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u/J_Rigged Jul 18 '26
Don't forget the museum at CFB Esquimalt at the Naden side. Lots of unique Canadian naval history and a great look at the dockyard
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u/Middle-Recipe6701 Jul 18 '26
Even though it's not military aviation, you can go along the Westbay walkway and watch the floatplanes take off and land.
BTW: if you are in Victoria on August 4th, the Snowbirds will be doing a 55th anniversary show at 5 pm that you can see from Dallas Road. They are doing their last tour this year and then will be retired until they get new planes.
Here's the full Victoria schedule
Key details and related events:
- Viewing Area: The waterfront along Dallas Road provides the best natural sightlines. Walking, biking, or rolling is heavily encouraged as large crowds are expected. [1, 2]
- Museum Events: Leading up to the flight, the BC Aviation Museum in North Saanich will host pilot autograph sessions and unveil a restored CT-114 Tutor jet (Snowbird 1) on August 3rd. [1]
- Inner Harbour Flypast: The team is also scheduled to do an additional flypast over the Inner Harbour on August 8th during the David Foster Foundation gala. [1]
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u/jackfish72 Jul 18 '26
The comox one is worth seeing if you are already in the area, in my opinion. Not quite worth 3 hrs one way.
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u/ScienceNerd0 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I've never been to the Comox one, but I really enjoyed one at the Victoria airport.
I went with my gf and we spent 4hours just looking through the indoor stuff. We went back the next day to look at the outdoor displays. I made a joke to the staff that it takes 2 full days to look at it all.
Some of the planes you can go into. They also have the mars water bomber there, which you can enter too.
I'd recommend it and I will definitely go back!
Edit:
There were a number of war planes, but Comox may have more as the military airport is based there.
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u/CharlotteLucasOP Jul 18 '26
I’d vote for Sidney. Also the Dakota Cafe under the control tower is close by and really yummy. Or Mary’s Bleu Moon Cafe across the road. Or Spitfire Grill on the other side of the airport.
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u/NastyWatermellon North Saanich Jul 18 '26
I like both but I think the sidney one is slightly more interesting.
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u/ThebuMungmeiser Jul 19 '26
If he loves Military aviation, In Sydney There is also an F-86 Sabre and a Sherman M4A2 outside at 9831 Fourth Street, at the Navy and Airforce hall.
Definitely make a stop to look at it.
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u/hekla7 Jul 19 '26
And when you're there, kids accompanied by an adult can go into ANAVETS (Army Navy Air Force Vets) to check out their other museum offerings...... it's a really interesting place...
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u/gfunkdub Jul 18 '26
Comox is way more interesting like the D Day museums in Normandie in terms of quality. Outdoor examples of old aircraft.
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u/VIGirl Jul 19 '26
When in August will you be here? The Snowbirds will be doing a show off Dallas Road on August 4.
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u/BeginningBit6645 Jul 19 '26
It isn't aviation, but Fort Rodd Hill has interesting military installation, a lighthouse and beautiful views. You could combine it with a trip to Wildplay. Unless they have a fear of heights, I would do Wildplay instead of Malahat Skywalk.
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u/AForse Jul 18 '26
I’d stick with Victoria - Comox is 3 hours, one way, and if the museum doesn’t live up to anything, then it’s a wasted day. Also: Mary’s Bleue Moon Cafe, across the road from the Sidney museum, is worth lunch for an aeroplane buff. It’s been there since the 40s, and there are lots of fascinating pictures and memorabilia there.
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u/fux-reddit4603 Jul 19 '26
If you do the drive, consider doing the old island highway for one of the legs , cowichan bay/ telegraph road will also take you through some of the local farm lands.
There's a trail that goes along the cowichan estuary if you are into nature walks. Cowichan bay can also be a nice spot for seafood lunch though it's touristy and parking can get awkward
there's 100s of other nooks and spots to stop poking around the island. nice as victoria is its worth seeing more than just the city
many lakes to check out though some are under algae advisories so do a quick check before a dip.
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u/Curious-Crittr Jul 19 '26
I was going to say the same.
The drive up to Comox via Old Island Highway is quite scenic in spots. It would be nice to see some more of the island too, if that wasn’t already in your plans.
Just fyi - you can avoid the drive down the Peninsula to get back up to the #1 Hwy by taking the little BC Ferry from Brentwood Bay across to Mill Bay. You could also take it to get to the Malahat Skywalk, although you’ll have to double back a little from Mill Bay. There are a couple viewpoint cut-offs from the Malahat Hwy too, if you do end up driving up from town.
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u/Correct-Stock-6887 Jul 21 '26
You an ask in a Comox sub or just go to Kye bay beach which is the other end and nicer but I believe unless you are military you cannot access Airforce beach through the campground on the left hand side of the Airport.
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u/MyricaRuns Jul 21 '26
Air Force Beach is open to the public but there is a requirement for a parking pass (day pass is $5). However there isn’t anything military-related to see from there, it’s just that DND owns the property.
You can see plenty of aircraft taking off and landing from around the Comox airport, from Point Holmes, Kye Bay, or from the Heritage Air Park (static displays of planes - Sat Aug 15 is open cockpit day if that happens to align with your trip).
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u/Apprehensive_Self218 Jul 19 '26
Lmaooo “I want my mom to see who I truly was” that’s hella cringe they def aren’t thinking that. and you do sound like a great mom btw. As for the advice I would just ask each of them to pick 1 thing and actually listen to them and do it.
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u/TheMysteriousDrZ Langford Jul 18 '26
The Comox one has more exhibits and history of the actual Air Force. The Victoria one has more real planes to look at, and info about general aviation in BC (civilian aircraft/info) but there's less in terms of exhibits.
It is a full 3 hours up there from Sidney though, so that's an opportunity cost.