Hand of Man - Museum of Natural History, Cultural Arts & Conservation

Hand of Man - Museum of Natural History, Cultural Arts & Conservation

Hand of Man - Museum of Natural History, Cultural Arts & Conservation
4.5
Natural History MuseumsScience MuseumsArt Museums
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Paradise63643000821
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Extensive Collection was mind blowing.
    Never have I had such a great experience taking in the multitude of fascinating collections that this brilliant man has acquired over a lifetime, and quite a feat at that. If you are a woke individual or have a thing against hunters you will likely be triggered. Personally I found this exhibit absolutely spectacular and cant wait to return with friends and family! Loved it!
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written March 6, 2024
  • Adrian S
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    You MUST See This! A dazzling experience!
    Incredible, accessible collection of artifacts and natural history. My mind was blown by the dinosaur skeletons, taxidermy collection, the variety of shells and other sea creatures, and the Clovis points display--remnants of a 12,000 year-old civilization. I've been to some excellent museums, including the Guggenheim, the D.C. Museum of the American Indian, the Human Anatomy museum in Sao Paulo, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Hand of Man deserves the same level of prestige as any of them. We spent all of four hours strolling between irreplaceably rare and fascinating exhibits, and I felt that we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see. Bravo!!!
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written April 26, 2024
  • Dennis R
    16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Preservation Gem
    Very amazing from the time you went throught the sliding door. They asked us not to photograph in some of the areas, which is standard in many museums. Tha collection is one that could have easily disappeared if left to history. In some instance items have be borrowed for ceremonial purposed, and then returned to the museum for safekeeping. It is good to see that someone like Jim Shockey has a preservation vision. Dennis Robinson August 2024
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written August 31, 2024
  • John P
    44 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Number 1 recommended visit on Vancouver Island.
    Most amazing collection of interesting items from around the world. Fascinating. Well worth the suggested donation of $20/head. Gift shop had reasonably priced dinosaur teeth, mammoth tusks, arrowheads, etc. Needlework from 8 year olds in the 1700s, Tuareg regalia from the Sahara Desert. Item history and explanatory videos are available on a free loaner tablet to carry around the museum. Jim Shockey was wandering around managing displays and talking at length to anyone who stopped him.
    Visited October 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written October 2, 2024
  • Mickey C
    Courtenay, Canada35 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Hidden Gem
    This is a fantastic collection of some of Jim Shocky’s (owner) experiences!! So many things to see from many different cultures. You are given an iPad that you put codes in for explanations of what you are seeing. A great family experience! The cost is ‘by donation’.
    Visited November 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written November 15, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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Beachblonde556
SeaTac, WA100 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
I'm a museum junkie, I admit it. But this museum was so over the top amazing, I can't even begin to review it. You have a little bit of almost everything here. From skeletons to stuffed animals, to tribal bits and pieces from all over the world. This collection represents the lifelong interests of a man called James Shockey. The exhibits are interactive, in a sense. You're given an IPad at the beginning of the tour, and many of the exhibits have a number. You punch in the corresponding number on the Ipad and have Jim Shockey himself telling you all about the item you're looking at, where he acquired said item, and the history of it. You need to set aside several hours or go back multiple times to look at everything. It is a donation-only, museum, but I encourage anyone who goes there to give a little more or go back multiple times. The museum is inside an old school, and while it doesn't look like much from the outside, you do need to go in and look.
Written July 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Terra Organa Acres
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Family
We were hesitant to go because of some of the reviews listed on this site, but many locals recommended it. So glad we listened to them! Unbelievable and incredibly interesting. There is something for everyone's interest. We spent almost three hours and still could have been there longer. The staff were friendly and always helpful. The iPad tour guide was so informative and brought the museum to life. Definitely take the time to fit this into your itinerary. Admission is by donation, either via cash or card. They do have a recommended amount but you can donate anything. Guarantee we will return on our next trip to the area.
Written February 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Roxanne L
Olympia, WA40 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023
We stumbled on this museum while on a sailing trip. After visiting for an hour we knew we needed more time to appreciate its many wonders. The next day we spent five hours going through it slowly and still only scratched the surface. We have visited many museums in the world and this one is among our most favorite. The versatility of the collection is astonishing. Jim Shokey has created a magnificent museum based on his 30 years of travel around the world. The iPad provided to guests helps explain pieces of the collection, definitely take advantage of this resource.
Written August 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Colin S
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Solo
This is not a museum. A museum is a venue that seeks to bring community together for learning, experience, and culture. This is an old elementary school bought up by a wealthy individual whose entire life and legacy is hunting rare animals - which he then stuffs, charges you money to see, and uses it as an opportunity to lecture you about environmental issues.

The cultural artefacts are shown with no context and were clearly acquired with wealth and zero regard for cultural respect and dialog. They are cluttered in a fashion that tells you that it's about quantity, not quality. Barely any information is present in the museum on the cultural artefacts - including many indigenous artefacts with no acknowledgement of even what part of the world they come from. Anyone who finds the Royal BC Museum difficult to visit will find this place horrifying, to the truest sense of the word.

If anything, this is a rare relic of western hubris, a private Victoria hoarder's museum in a twenty-first century context. There are no staff other than the owner, there is no curation, there is no cultural dialog despite claiming to be a museum displaying a multitude of cultural artefacts.

Visit a local cultural centre instead.
Written September 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bob
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
I have never written a trip advisor review before. After visiting the Hand of Man Museum with my family, we were all compelled to let others know what we had found. From the minute the sliding door opened from the lobby we were amazed by all of the artifacts, antiquities and wildlife displays that were presented. Being able to take a self-guided tour (with ipad assistance) gave us the freedom to walk at our own pace to enjoy each and every exhibit that we saw. The large variety ensured that there was something of interest for each of us. Trying to decide which part we liked best just kept us talking more and more about the museum. Being able to be up close and the opportunity to take pictures was more than we were expecting.

We all would highly recommend this experience and the only advice we would like to give is to ensure you set aside enough time as the facility is jam-packed with lots of interesting items to see and to learn about.

Meeting curator Jim Shockey was an added treat as he took the time to share with us some of his adventure stories. His passion was infectious and we can't thank him enough for putting this awe-inspiring collection together. We are already looking forward to our next visit as we are planning on taking our friends there next month! Can't wait!
Written August 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Catherine H
35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
The Hand of Man Museum of Natural History, Cultural Arts & Conservation represents the life work of Jim Shockey. The breadth of this collection is worthy of a Smithsonian exhibit in Washington DC. You literally drive to a former school setting in Maple Bay, BC, a rural area outside of Duncan on Vancouver Island. And there before you is this 5 star experience of a museum. Entrance is by suggested donation. Jim Shockey was there & was delightful to meet. What a vision this place represents. The displays, the use of ipads to narrate the self guided tours, the amazing displays of historical & cultural artifacts from around the globe - all work together to create mind blowing quantity & variety. We observed a family with small children who were delightful in their obvious joy in seeing the animal exhibits. We look forward to returning another time to more fully take in the breadth of the content of the exhibits.
Written May 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Susan Abrill
Victoria, Canada3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
The most amazing thing about this place is being able to see sizeable collections of similar things all together and very close up. The collections are varied and international- the natural history stuff is very good, the taxidermy amazing specimens. I felt very inspired by the obvious passion that drove this collecting. As an artist, I'll say the paintings are quite quirky and very interesting. The handicrafts and ceremonial objects from many parts of the world are fascinating. The collector, Jim, (I assume he also curated? not sure) has made some wonderful videos to watch regarding selected taxidermied species, and I enjoyed those videos very much. In this museum stuff is densely packed- so not much walking but plenty to see. When I left I felt like I'd been through the Louvre or something (mentally drained yet inspired!).
Written May 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jo W
Parksville, Canada48 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
This museum, in a converted elementary school near Duncan, BC, contains the lifetime collection of Jim Shockey, a hunter. Jim’s philosophy about hunting can be summarized by saying that hunting is the only way to preserve wild animals in this day and age. The local people need to know that the animals in their land are more valuable to them if they are preserved for controlled “ethical” hunting than if they are just killed “unethically”; for example, killing elephants for their tusks.
My personal attitude on hunting is that it is better for me and the animal if it is shot with a camera rather than with a gun, so I have a rather conflicted set of feelings about many parts of this exhibit, in which is a huge collection of stuffed animals, presumably killed by Mr. Shockey.
There is no question that the skeletons of everything from huge dinosaurs and whales, to hairy mammoths and walruses are very impressive.
The place has so many artifacts that it is difficult to think that Jim collected it all himself.
It definitely worth a visit. For it to be in a disused elementary school in Maple Bay, near Duncan, BC is somewhat bizarre, as it really needs to be in or near a large city.
Written November 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John R
4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
The owner has amassed millions of miles of travel and adventure momentous. There is tribal art, stuffed animals, dinosaur skeletons, rock treasures and thousands of natural history momentous. We had a 5 year granddaughter with us, and she was fascinated with the iPad she was given for the tour. She punched in a number displayed on the artifact, or animal, and an explanation was given, usually including video footage of the animal in question. Definitely will be going there again.
Written July 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alma E
Saskatoon, Canada2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
5 star experience. An amazing and surprising gem! The artful way that the exhibits are displayed makes for a magical glimpse into the journeys of Jim Shockey. The admission is by donation, making this available for all. Don't miss this experience.
Written May 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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HAND OF MAN - MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, CULTURAL ARTS & CONSERVATION - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2025)

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