A Weekend in the Comox Valley: Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland

Plan my Comox Valley weekend · What's on this weekend

Find a place to stay in Courtenay

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Two days in the Comox Valley fit a fossil museum, a forest and beach walk, a night at the theatre, a harbour garden, a sand spit, a vineyard and a brewery in an old mining village. Day 1 stays in Courtenay. Day 2 runs through Comox and ends in Cumberland. It suits couples and friends who like an unhurried weekend with a show in it.

Start at the Courtenay & District Museum on 4th Street, home to BC's Provincial Fossil. The galleries cover the valley's natural and cultural history. The museum's fossil tours go out to a river site where you search for fossils yourself. Book one ahead: they run when the weather allows.

In the afternoon, drive north to Seal Bay Regional Nature Park: 642 hectares of forest trails, ponds and waterfront off Bates Road in Courtenay. The 7.3 km Forest Loop takes walkers, bikes and horses, and the trails on the water side of Bates Road lead down to the beach. Bring water. The park has benches and an outhouse and little else.

Back downtown, eat and drink at Gladstone Brewing Co., at 4th Street and Cliffe Avenue, a few steps from the museum. It brews Belgian ales, European lagers and Pacific Northwest IPAs, with small experimental batches alongside.

The Sid Williams Theatre is around the corner on Cliffe Avenue. It runs its own Blue Circle and Centre Stage series along with one-off shows. Tickets for upcoming shows are on its page.

Find a place to stay in Courtenay

Begin in Comox at Filberg Park: nine acres of gardens on the harbour, with rare trees, a stream, meadows and a herb garden. The grounds welcome walkers all year.

Next is Goose Spit Park on Hawkins Road, a sand spit that shelters a lagoon full of migratory waterfowl. Kiteboarders work the wind here in fall and winter. Walk the beach and watch them from the shore.

Lunch is at Land & Sea Brewing Company on Guthrie Road, a Comox craft brewery with its own kitchen.

Then 40 Knots Winery on Anderton Road pours wines from its own 24 acres of ocean-cooled vines. Guided tastings are for guests 19 and over. Tickets for upcoming events are on its page.

Finish in Cumberland, on Dunsmuir Avenue. Cumberland Brewing Co. brews on site and feeds its taproom from a menu of salads, sandwiches, soup and curry.

Stay on the same street for the evening at the Waverley Hotel, a pub with a kitchen and a stage that books live music. Tickets for upcoming shows are on its page.

• The valley is three towns: Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland. This plan sleeps in Courtenay, where the museum, the brewery and the theatre sit within a block of each other.
• At Seal Bay, the trails on the water side of Bates Road are for walkers only. Bikes and horses keep to the Forest Loop.
• The Sid Williams Theatre sells its tickets online. Pick the show first and build the weekend around it.

Got another weekend? Cross the island for a weekend in Port Alberni, or stop on the way south with our Nanaimo guide.

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

Make this my trip