Reviews of Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens (Museum)

Bruce Ward

This place is truly a hidden gym in the middle of the city or out skirts I guess LOL . We found this place by accident LOL was just before the Bay Street bridge heading in towards Esquimalt while in a traffic jam my wife looked over to the right and said here's a side street with a tourist place we've never gone to looking at the sign LOL so we turn down the side street ended up at Point Ellice House. This place is awesome . The house is been there forever the family that use to own many years is sold it to the province with all their things so going into this home and houses is like stepping back in time . It has trees that have been there about the length of time British Columbia is been around LOL the gardens are superb the people are friendly in fantastic very knowledgeable I've lived here for years and never even knew about this place LOL

Juan M. Moreno G. (Hans)

(Translated) Excellent and beautiful place, the volunteers who serve you, super helpful! (Original) Excelente y hermoso lugar, los voluntarios que te atienden, super serviciales!

Community Plus - Home Health Care & Nursing

Kelly and his team were very accommodating even though we weren't able to give much advance notice. Beautiful space and great amenities for an outdoor socially distanced event!

Michael Brar

There's absolutely nothing like Point Ellice House anywhere on Vancouver Island. P.E.H is The oldest house in Victoria and it was lived-in by 3 generations of the O'Reilly family for over a century. Immaculately maintained thanks to the treasure of archived diaries/documents and original household items of the O'Reillys themselves, P.E.H. is a completely unique museum experience!

David E. Fowler

Terrific backyard tea (on the Gorge) and heritage house tour experience. The tour was terrific. Sure glad that there there are places like this to visit. Be sure to call 48 hours early if you want gluten-free options.

Gina McKay

A beautiful place to spend an afternoon. Delightful tea in the garden hollowed by an intriguing guided tour of Pt. Ellice house.

Michael Rensing

This is a historic house filled with beautiful artifacts owned by the O'Reilly family since 1867. A great way to learn about the early history of Victoria. Tea is no longer served as of March 2019.

Andrée Noye

Fun ghost tour, good stories.

Beverley Totten

Wonderful tea outside on the lawn...taken on a tour of the house by a wonderful young lady who was very knowledgeable...wonderful day!!!

G C

The museum and garden are great. Being near industrial and waste management sites makes this place a lot less attractive.

Danielle Vachon

A worthwhile visit, take the water taxi or the bus, easy to get to. Volunteers are amazing ????.

Brian Neal

The volunteers were very informative and the location has things used by the family so it's authentic as opposed to other locations in Victoria which were recreations.

Barbie Zipp

Such a gem. Don't want to spoil it, so will not give too many details. Fascinating, from the garden to the fully equipped and decorated home. Frozen in time.

Regina Akhankina

For history enthusiasts! For locals and tourists! For fans of Victorian epoch! For anyone who’s fascinated by interior design! This place is a hidden gem! It’s so worth visiting! Pictures from the phone don’t do any justice to this stunning place! Staff is beyond amazing! They literally walked extra mile for us today. Guide was so lovely and extremely knowledgeable. Price is more than reasonable. Find the time to check this place! For high tea reservations are needed! Would love to come back!

Clive Gorman

Awesome history lesson. Not a location you'd think about visiting but well worth the visit

cala lily

Where is the high tea everyone mentioned? We didn’t see anything of the sort and didn’t think to ask while we were there. I hate to say it....and the irony is not lost on me, but the house is so run down. Other than the gardens, it doesn’t seem like any maintenance has taken place for a very long time. The wallpaper is ripping off and more disturbing was all the evidence of water damage in the walls and ceiling. I think it’s sad that the wishes of the family who donated don’t appear to be honoured in good faith. I feel kind of ripped off for the $20, actually, if it’s not going to a good cause. I’m all for preserving the past but I also think more care should be taken. I have been to many museum homes in my lifetime, it’s one of my favourite touristy things to do, and this this was by far the most disappointing due to the condition.

John Brum

In 1975, John and Inez O’Reilly sold their family home, Point Ellice House, to the Province of British Columbia. Taking only a few personal items, they turned the house over, complete with 108 years of family possessions: Furniture, dishes, luggage, letters, pictures, paintings, musical instruments, clothing, and a lot more. Victoria and British Columbia changed rapidly around Point Ellice House. Similar houses and properties were demolished, but Point Ellice House, its contents, and its gardens remain; it still has stories to tell. A bit hidden but a great place to visit for Historical value.

Vienna Watt

Really enjoyed the new exhibit on the history of sewage and water in Victoria. Maybe not the #1 museum in Victoria, but a solid #2.

Dave Johnson

Beautiful place to visit

Farrah Costo

We went to Point Ellice house today expecting something wonderful as usual, however it has changed and I would not recommend anyone going without knowing few things. We have been year for about 12 years and have always enjoyed tea there, in the yard, enjoying tea and watching our boys play. Due to staffing issues they no longer offer tea service on the lawn.This is not told to you at prebooking (prepay) the te offering is preselected yea choices ( not in tea pots) and the food, which tasted great, portions have reduced significantly. We paid $120 for 3 people to sit basically in their entrance way ....terrible

Darcy Ayres Wyllie

Awesome traditional tea, food was delicious and a tour of the grounds.

Blake MacKenzie

One of Victoria's hidden gem historic attractions. Get a look into an authentic Victorian era home with all it's original artifacts.

elizabeth vago

Treasure cove of the 1860's with rich tour of the house and past inhabitants.

Beatrice Toner

The house and gardens are a must-see. The exhibitions are beautifully put together and reveal stories about Victoria's history that wouldn't otherwise be known. The gardens are a beautiful place to spend time in, and return to often as the seasons change!

Allan Miller

High tea on the lawn of a historic house. Strange selection of sandwiches. Good tea selection.

Johanna Palmer

Went for tea on a Sunday. Best time to go. Tour was amazing. We got a private tour. It's a gem not to be missed.

GWoo

A bit of Victoria's history, well worth the visit..

Roger Barker

Great teas and scones well worth the money good tour too

JoAnne Gordon

Beautiful hidden gem just outside the city core. Would highly recommend taking the harbour ferry to the site. Amazing new visitor centre and excellent updates to the house with added interpretation, better lighting and more autonomy to take your time and see the rooms at your own pace. A must see for locals and visitors of all ages!

Linda Holland

Point Ellice House is a beautifully preserved piece of Victoria history and is a truly unique treasure located on the Gorge Waterway very close to downtown. What makes this home so unique is that it remained in the hands of the same family for three generations with all of it’s original contents and without any substantial redecorations. What you will see, including the wall paper, the fixtures, the furnishings, and the china, is all original and covers the period from 1890 through 1920. It provides a rare opportunity to see one of North America’s largest collections of late Victorian and early Edwardian objects in an original, untouched Victorian home. It is now a National Historic Site and well worth a visit. If you make advanced reservations, you can have afternoon tea in the garden.

Giovanna Greco

Great experience.Welcoming people and well kept grounds and furnishings.

Tim Bro

Vintage place and good for high tea. Best in summer

Diana Marat

Provided an interesting look at the day to day.life of families in the late 1800's and early twentieth century. The garden and maintenance of the yard would be imore impressive in the summer than in late February. Volunteer guìdes are enthusiastic and helpful in answering questions. The setting of the property in what is now a very industrial area in Victoria provides a sharp contrast to life then and now.

Darlene Tychansky

Volunteers are very informative

Ed Rose

Amazing family collection

HeathersNerdyWorld

I've lived in Victoria for 5 years and had no clue this was here. Interesting history and beautiful grounds. Definitely worth listening to the volunteers/guides talk, they are a huge wealth of knowledge about the family and building.

Elizabeth Marsh

My favourite place for high tea. Beautiful garden, and learning the history of the house was nice. There's a recycling plant across the street that can be a bit noisy, but not so much that it ruined the experience for me.

Scott LeBlanc

Beautiful

Darren Findlay

Beautiful house with a very interesting story, it’s very rare to have a house in the same family for so long and to have so many of the families items still there is absolutely amazing. Beautiful green oasis and in industrial area. Well worth the visit for a Victorian or someone interested in historic houses.

Irene Mahringer

Very cool

Rhonda Salvani (Rhonda)

Beautifully maintained and welcoming staff.

Brenda Anderson

Best night I had doing the paranormal investigation. Wonderful history and so many artifacts.

Steven Clouston

Friendly staff great place lots of history will be back for sure

robert hoedel

Very nice! Worth a look

Steven Kelly

Just looked from the outside, can it was locked up.

Francois Villeneuve

Terribly disappointed with the afternoon tea. It used to be great now it’s a rip off. The food was excellent but terribly expensive for the very small quantity and it was served in the entrance/info area. It used to be outside on the lawn with real tea in hand made covering. There would be butterflies and kids would run around a play crickets the service was then done by ladies in nice period dresses. Now it’s outside catering and it’s served in the entrance. Not the same at all. I didn’t bother to revisit the house afterwards. For the price of the tea one would think they could complimentary include the house tour but no it doesn’t… The whole point was to be in the Victorian gardens having tea. There is not point doing tea in a generic tourist attraction entrance. Sad to see this once very nice tea in the garden having gone wrong.

Del Gray

An amusing collection of original artefacts in the original house setting. You can get to it by water taxi.

Glen Greenwood

Beautiful historic home, gardens and great staff who went out of their way to accommodate a special request. Highly recommended and well worth the visit. Don't let the location fool you, this museum is an oasis for history lovers.

Shelley Bashnick

Fantastic house and garden tour! The staff do an incredible job of providing the history of the house and gardens and you can just imagine what it was like to live in the home so many years ago. I highly recommend that tourists and locals visit. The tea unfortunately is not worth the time or money they charge. They do not serve the tea with linens there is no tablecloth and we are provided with paper napkins. The tea is not served with fine china it was served in coffee carafes and we were given coffee mugs to drink from. Sugar is not served in the sugar bowl with sugar cubes but rather you are provided with sugar wrapped in paper from Tim Hortons. The sandwiches and dainties are not served on a tiered serving tray but rather on a white plate all on one plate. You’re not told what the sandwiches and dainties are that are being served and are left to figure it out on your own. The ambiance is lacking in that there is no light music and you feel like the staff are listening to your table conversation. Sadly I do not recommend the afternoon tea.

Dale Harris

A very cool place to see history of Victoria