Hello, Ladysmith: A Coastal Getaway Worth the Detour

The town of Ladysmith is where you’ll find delicious food, local art and a laidback town that’s waiting to be explored. Here’s the best way to spend your next city-detox in this coastal getaway.

Where to Shop

First Avenue is a street so charming it was voted Canada’s Best Street in 2017 by the Canadian Institute of Planners. Visit the three-storey Post Office Antique Mall, located just off First Avenue, in a 1908 building that was, yes, formerly a post office. Once an outlet for Ladysmith locals to send their handiwork internationally, the antique mall now brings in items from across the world. After that, if you’re up for a little car exploring, drive around the coastal backroads north of town to find tons of local artisans (quite literally) off the beaten track and stock up on everything from jars of spicy dip from Yellow Point Cranberries to a charcuterie board carved out of local trees from Yonder Wood (seriously, bring a big suitcase).

Where to Eat

Old Town Bakery is a must-visit for a dreamy cinnamon bun (you can’t miss it: just keep an eye out for the queue that often spills out the door and down the street). Adventurous eaters can opt for a “bun of the month” but the OG cream cheese and sliced almond is a classic for a (very delicious) reason. Then, lunch at Fox and Hounds, Ladysmith’s traditional English pub. The Tudor-style wooden beams are plastered with coasters from pubs across the world, brought in by locals and tourists alike. Though fish and chips with a pint makes for a classic English lunch, the housemade seafood pie really takes the biscuit. Later, dine at the Mahle House, a beautifully renovated 1904 heritage building that been operating for over 40 years. Try the albacore tuna niçoise (served with smoked egg yolk jam, olive tapenade aioli and crispy potatoes) or the longtime-favourite porcupine prawns (covered in shredded phyllo pastry and served on wasabi mayonnaise).

Where to Browse Art

Wander over to Ladysmith Gallery, where you’ll find art from across Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. If you don’t have the space in your suitcase for a new work of art, you can grab a hand-painted greeting card to remember your visit. JoVic Pottery, a gallery and studio, has been up and running for 30 years. If you get chatting to potter Vic, he might give you a tour and a demonstration of how he makes his vases on the wheel. Further afield, you’ll find glass artist Ted Jolda’s gallery: his signature glass pear ornament was featured on Oprah’s O List back in 2001. (You get a pear! You get a pear!)

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