Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island opens picturesque carousel with 30 hand-carved animals

Vancouver Island’s Butchart Gardens opens carousel

VICTORIA, British Columbia — A new carousel has opened at the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, and it’s all lit up for Christmas.

The Rose Carousel, crafted by Brass Ring Entertainment of Sun Valley, Calif., is the only carousel on Vancouver Island.

The 30 animal rides were handcarved from basswood and include bears, horses, ostriches and zebras. The carousel also includes two chariots.

The carousel is housed within the garden’s Children’s Pavilion, which has a dome with a clear span, a full-fronted glass facade and a roof planted with native plant species.

The Butchart Gardens opened in 1904 by Jennie Butchart from an abandoned limestone quarry owned by her industrialist husband. It’s a National Historic Site in Canada, and gets nearly a million visitors from around the world each year.

The garden is open year-round, as is the carousel, located 13 miles north of the city of Victoria, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Vancouver Island is not to be confused with Vancouver, which is the biggest city in British Columbia and host for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. You can reach Vancouver Island from Vancouver via ferry and by air.

Details at www.butchartgardens.com.