🇨🇦 Healing Escape to Vancouver Island | Seaside Charm of Nanaimo

For a more detailed Nanaimo guide, check my previous posts! This time, I just stopped by before catching the ferry back and explored some new spots. 📍 Sugarloaf Mountain Park A short hike with a breathtaking bird’s-eye view of Departure Bay ferry terminal! 🌊⛴️ 📍 The Bastion Nanaimo’s iconic historic landmark (built in 1853 by the now-bankrupt Hudson’s Bay Company 🏚️). This wooden fort was once used for trade, defense, and storage—now a museum showcasing early colonial history. Sadly, it’s always closed when I visit! 😅 (But they do cannon firings in summer! 💥) 📍 Nanaimo Museum Exhibits feature Snuneymuxw First Nation culture, coal mining history, and the origins of the famous Nanaimo Bar! 🍫 The highlight? A recreated coal mine tunnel—explore it with a kerosene lamp for an immersive miner’s experience. (Closed Mondays, pay-what-you-wish entry!) 📍 Red’s Bakery Right after the museum, I finally tried the legendary Nanaimo Bar here! 🤯 So rich, it feels like a diabetic coma in dessert form… but worth it! 💉😂 📍 Ironworks Cafe & Creperie Sweet or savory crêpes, plus a coffee sampling flight—perfection! ☕🧇 📍 Dosirak After days of "white people food," this Korean comfort feast hit the spot! 🍲 Portions were huge—couldn’t finish a thing! #VancouverIsland #ExploreNanaimo #HiddenGems #FoodieFinds #MuseumHops #HistoricSites #SweetToothApproved 🍁✨