Photo courtesy Barkerville Historic Town

Prince George, B.C. – If you’re contemplating a trip to Barkerville this year, this weekend would be a good time to do it.

The doors opened on the season yesterday and for the fifth consecutive year admission is pay-what-you-can through the end of this month.

“So although our normal admission fee is quite reasonable, at the beginning of the season we like to say just come on in, you can donate a little bit of money, or a lot of money if you like, and come and enjoy all the sights and sounds of Barkerville in the early season,” says manager of visitor experiences James Douglass.

“This season in particular is going to be a great one to come because of course normally we have about three feet of snow here at the end of May but because of the early spring things are incredibly gorgeous.”

He says they will have a full complement of historical interpreters on site plus a very special guest on Monday.

“It’s our 17^th annual Victoria Day Royal Tea,” says Douglass. “We have two seatings for high tea, at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m. And our very own Queen Victoria comes with full pomp and circumstance to greet everyone who’s come to wish her a happy birthday.”