Hi: We are planning a trip to British Columbia in April. We are going to the Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler areas. This will be our frist trip, so any help would be appreciated. I have looked on Cyndi's site for the different Archives, libraries, etc...So my question would be which ones are a must see? I don' t want to miss this opportunity, Also, what kind of weather will it be in April and how hard is it to get from one place to another? Thank you so much for any help.

Hi As a lifetime (other than a few years in my teens) resident of Vancouver Island (on which you will find the city of Victoria - City of Gardens) April is a wonderful time to visit British Columbia. We will have done the flower count (already have flowers outside in bloom - many survived what has been an unusually mild winter on the Island) If you are planning anything touristy - Victoria would be a very good bet for a genealogy vist as B.C. Archives are part of the Museum in Victoria - within a block are the Parliament Buildings, Empress Hotel and many other tourist attractions. Name: HENRY EDWARD BROWN Event Date: 1974 9 27 (Yr/Mo/Day) Age: 74 Gender: Male Event Place: VICTORIA Reg. Number: 1974-09-014642 B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13336 <<< this would be the number required for BC Archives or any holder of the microfilms GSU Microfilm Number: 2050340 <<<<< this would be the number required for Microfilm held by FHC (Family History Centres access BC Archives: http://www2.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2vsd <change the last letter to "m" for marriage - "b" for birth to get registration numbers: http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/genealogy/microfilm.html <<< link for microfilm holding agencies / libraries / universities Mailing Address: Physical Location: 655 Belleville Street British Columbia Archives P.O. Box 9419 Stn. PROV GOVT Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 9V1 FAX: (250) 387-2072 Phone: (250) 387-1952 Toll Free: From Greater Vancouver area: 660-2421 (ask the operator for 387-1952) From other areas in British Columbia, excluding Vancouver & Victoria: 1-800-663-7867 (ask the operator for 387-1952) Vancouver Public Library History and Government Division 350 West Georgia Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 6B1 Telephone: (604) 331-3710 Fax: (604) 331-3720 Website: (http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/branches/LibrarySquare/his/home.html#Collect ions) Regards; Dennice researching: Brûlè, Poirier, McFadden, Stephens, Michelsen, French, Brooks, Brown, Goudie, Vautrin pioneer families of British Columbia and their 'country wives' http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~goudied/index.html

Enjoy your trip to B.C.! You don't say where you are traveling from and how much time you have. Vancouver is a large city on the mainland of B.C. It will take time to visit Whistler as well. It is a skiing area about 2 hours drive from Vancouver. Whistler/Blackcomb will have snow in the higher elevations, but Whistler Village should be clear. Vancouver in April will be like Victoria (both could be rainy) I concur with Dennice Goudie. Victoria is easy to get around in and the weather will be great. If you are traveling from the mainland, the ferry trip through the islands is worth it. Victoria is the capitol of B.C. It is on Vancouver Island reached by a 1 1/2 hr.ferry ride or by airplane. When you arrive at either the Vancouver Island Int'l Airport or the Schwartz Bay ferry terminal it is about a 25 min+ drive to Victoria. The Provincial Archives are right near the inner harbour.(part of the Provincial Museum building complex) www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca. Victoria also has an excellent City of Victoria Archives helpful if your heritage is Victorian. www.city.victoria.bc.ca There are many helpful sites online: B.C. Ferries,Vancouver Island,Whistler, Victoria-all have their urls. Let me know and I will pass them along to you off-list.