One of the oldest surviving buildings in Nanaimo is the Nanaimo Bastion , which was built by the Hudson Bay Company in 1853 to protect the coal miners who worked in the region from the Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) First Nation. It marks the site of the original town settlement and is now open to the public as a museum. There is also a cannon here that fires blanks everyday at noon and on special occasions.

The Nanaimo District Museum at 100 Cameron Street in Piper’s Park, has a number of exhibits detailing the history of human presence on Vancouver Island, as presented from European, Chinese and Native American perspectives. In Piper’s Park, you will also find a restored miner’s cottage, a 19th-century steam engine, and collections of stone carvings.

The seawall that runs from Cameron Island to the yacht club (near the Bastion) is a scenic stretch of Nanaimo beachfront that is accessible by foot. Small boutiques and restaurants line the path to complete the picturesque atmosphere of the walk.

Two of Nanaimo’s most interesting parks are the Petroglyph Provincial Park , which contains a large collection of ancient stone carvings, and the Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park . The latter cannot be accessed by car, and wading through water to get to the island is sometimes necessary due to lack of bridges on Newcastle.