Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites

Summer program

July 2 - September 3, 2018

*Additional fee applies for Airsoft Challenge and Sweet History - Ice Cream. Purchase ticket at entry kiosk before program start time or at program location during event times.

***Schedule subject to change. Please check the special events schedule.

Firepower

Prepare yourself for the loudest history lesson ever! Join us for a thunderous demonstration of 20th century firepower featuring the WW2 BREN light machine gun, No. 4 Lee-Enfield rifle and learn about the role they played in the fort’s history. Meet in the main field.

Airsoft Challenge*

Ready, aim… now it’s your turn! Do you have what it takes to be a skilled soldier? With a battery-powered Airsoft replica Tommy gun, proceed to the custom-designed safety range. Who will hit the bull’s-eye first?

*Please note: Additional fee applies. All safety equipment, trained Parks Canada instructor and a 30 round magazine included. Must be 10 years or older to participate.

Fort Rodd 101

Strap on your putties and walk in the footsteps of the past. Enjoy a guided tour with a park interpreter to explore the highlights of Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard lighthouse through the ages. Meet at the gun cage by the Garry Oak Learning Meadow.

Tales by the Sea

Breathe in the salty sea air and be transported back in time with traditional entertainment and stories about the oldest lighthouse on the west coast of Canada. Meet at the lighthouse.

Forts for the Fishes

Don’t poke and prod—be an ally of the tidepool creatures! Fall in line with a park interpreter and make fish friends along the way. Meet at the lighthouse.

Enlisting the Underdogs

Take a chance, sign up and break the mold! Get recruited to discover how women served the allies in WW2 and rose through the ranks to earn respect. 

Meet the Big Guns

Artillery was the order of the day, and Fort Rodd has changed along the way! Join an interpreter to learn about the evolution of the coastal defence systems. Meet at the gun cage by the Garry Oak Learning Meadow.

Sweet History- Ice cream*

Ever need a sweet tooth fix, but have no sugar ingredients? Find out how rationing got invented and enjoy some food for thought with Fort Rodd Hill’s signature blends of ice cream. Meet at behind the World War 2 hut.

*Please note: Additional fee applies.

Dig for Victory: Bringing Nature Back

Join a naturalist for a stroll through our Garry Oak Learning Meadow to discover how Parks Canada and volunteers transformed an acre of drab lawn into a colourful native wildflower meadow. Find out why this meadow is a modern-day "Victory Garden" for pollinators and take home tips for bee-friendly gardening! Visit our Conservation Nursery to see how we are rescuing rare plants in danger of disappearing from Canada forever. Meet at the carved archway at the entrance to the Garry Oak Learning Meadow.

Wings over the Fort

A siege of herons? A charm of hummingbirds? Meet some of the winged creatures that grace the skies of Fort Rodd Hill by day and under cover of darkness... and what Parks Canada is doing to make them feel at home. Learn to identify local birds by song, sight and silhouette. Bring binoculars if you have them. Meet at the Canteen.

Rescuing the Rare

What do Killer Whales, Barn Swallows and Little Brown Bats have in common? Visit our pop-up interpretive booth to meet a Parks Canada naturalist and play games that will help you discover the amazing stories of the species at risk that live in Parks Canada places and how we can be their allies. Come find us at the Parks Canada tent across from the Garry Oak Learning Meadow.