Dozens of historic wall plaques and sidewalk markers dot Nanaimo's historic corridors, adding interest and colour to an everyday stroll through the city. For more dedicated history and architecture buffs, the Nanaimo Community Heritage Commission has produced a series of pocket-sized walking guides to the city's oldest neighborhoods. These are available at the Visitor Centre and focus on the following areas:
* Downtown: The heaviest concentration of heritage buildings and notable 19th century landmarks is found on the three routes outlined in this brochure – one exploring the Old City Quarter, a second focused on Commercial Street, Chinatown and the downtown core, and the third encompassing the Bastion and the waterfront. One highlight among many: the splendid Nanaimo Court House, built in 1895-96 by architect Francis Rattenbury (best known for the Empress Hotel and the BC Parliament Buildings in Victoria).
* Southend: This route passes through a Victorian-era working-class neighborhood that features a number of humble cottages inhabited by the city's first miners.
* Newcastle: En route to the Departure Bay ferry terminal near the Nanaimo Yacht Club, this was the city's most prestigious neighborhood. The tour takes in many fine homes built largely in the first half of the last century.
* Harewood: This tour through what was once the rural hinterlands of the city takes in century old farmhouses, the Nanaimo Public Cemetery (established in 1877) and fine Edwardian homes.