Victoria Packages

 Victoria Packages

Experience Victoria, BC

Victoria, BC vacation packages are a great way to experience Victoria, enjoy your getaway, and save.

Clipper Vacations’ most popular Victoria package is the Seattle to Victoria Overnight Package which may be customized with extra nights, activities and tours to create your ultimate Northwest vacation.

Other favorite package options include romantic getaways, family-friendly adventures, unforgettable day trips and more.

Whether you’re strolling along the causeway in the Inner Harbour, enjoying a whale watching adventure, indulging in the distinct West Coast cuisine, or taking in a local theatre production, Victoria’s many attractions paired with a Victoria hotel and transportation on the Clipper add up to a trip that is nothing short of breathtaking...read more.

How do I Decorate a House in a Victorian Style?

Victorian Style Interior Decor

Victorian decor reflects the tastes and styles of this era. According to Creative Home Decorating Room by Room, the Victorian period "was an era of ornate and excessive decoration in all things," which was preceded and followed by simpler times.

In addition to the ornate, lighter Victorian decor often favored by bed and breakfasts, the Victorian era also had a more masculine side, and often used dark furniture and animal trophy accessories throughout the home.

If you own a Victorian home and are selling your property, adding a bit of Victorian flair may enhance and accentuate the historic value of your home. San Francisco in particular is home to several thriving Victorian home districts, such as Pacific Heights and the Western Addition.

1

Purchase antiques from the Victorian era. Search local antique shops, particularly any stores that may specialize in Victorian antiques. Antique shops can be pricey, so also look at thrift stores, which may offer additional antiques for lower prices.

2

Replace plain light fixtures with ornate Victorian pieces. Look for chandeliers, beaded lampshades, and cast iron lanterns. For a truly authentic feel, use Victorian candle holders and candleabras to provide dim lighting in your formal dining or living room.

3

Replace drapes and blinds with Victorian window treatments. The Victorian era tended to use lush, ornate fabrics such as velvet and silk, with rich color tones. As noted at From Times Past, one telltale sign of a Victorian era home is stained glass windows, which can be purchased at home improvement stores or found in antique shops. (See Reference 4)

4

Accessorize with decorative vases and bold floral arrangements, animal trophies, needlepoint pillowcases, Grecian busts and vases, and a wide variety of knick-knacks and miniatures. As noted at The New Homemaker, you may also want to invest in display cases and box-style frames to prevent breaking and minimize dusting.

5

Hang Victorian wall art, such as antique mirrors, needlework, portraits and nature pieces. Use ornate frames to accentuate artwork and portraits.

Gothic Revival Style 1830 - 1860

Gothic Revival Style

The Gothic Revival style is part of the mid-19th century picturesque and romantic movement in architecture, reflecting the public’s taste for buildings inspired by medieval design. This was a real departure from the previously popular styles that drew inspiration from the classical forms of ancient Greece and Rome. While distinctly different, both the Gothic Revival style and the Greek Revival style looked to the past, and both remained popular throughout the mid 19th century. The Gothic Revival style in America was advanced by architects Alexander Jackson Davis and especially Andrew Jackson Downing, authors of influential house plan books, Rural Residences (1837), Cottage Residences (1842), and The Architecture of Country Houses (1850). This style was promoted as an appropriate design for rural settings, with its complex and irregular shapes and forms fitting well into the natural landscape. Thus, the Gothic Revival style was often chosen for country homes and houses in rural or small town settings.

The Gothic Revival style was also popular for churches, where high style elements such as castle-like towers, parapets, and tracery windows were common, as well as the pointed Gothic arched windows and entries. The Carpenter Gothic style is a distinctive variation of the Gothic Revival style featuring vertical board and batten wooden siding, pointed arches and incised wooden trim. The name comes from the extensive use of decorative wood elements on the exterior. While some examples remain, the pure Carpenter Gothic style is not well represented in Pennsylvania. 

The most commonly identifiable feature of the Gothic Revival style is the pointed arch, used for windows, doors, and decorative elements like porches, dormers, or roof gables. Other characteristic details include steeply pitched roofs and front facing gables with delicate wooden trim called vergeboards or bargeboards. This distinctive incised wooden trim is often referred to as “gingerbread” and is the feature most associated with this style. Gothic Revival style buildings often have porches with decorative turned posts or slender columns, with flattened arches or side brackets connecting the posts. Gothic Revival style churches may have not just pointed arch windows and porticos, but often feature a Norman castle-like tower with a crenellated parapet or a high spire.

Many examples of Gothic Revival buildings of both high style and more vernacular character can be found across the state. The high style buildings, mansions, churches, prisons and schools sometimes offer ornate architectural details. The more common vernacular buildings may have only a few Gothic details, usually pointed arch windows and a front facing gable with wooden trim. Gothic Revival details may also be found in urban settings on rowhouses or duplexes. Later in the 19th century, Gothic Revival details were mixed with elements of other Victorian era styles to become a style known as the Victorian Gothic. In the early 20th century, a distinct variation of the Gothic Revival style, known as the Collegiate Gothic style, developed primarily for educational buildings. These derivative forms of the Gothic Revival style are more fully discussed elsewhere in this field guide.