Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Vancouver: Hours, Address, Beaty Biodiversity Museum Reviews: 4/5
Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Beaty Biodiversity Museum
4
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
Full view
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: University Land Endowments
An area as rich in history as it is in natural beauty, the expansive parkland of the University Land Endowments is protected by the city in cooperation with the University of British Columbia. A large green space studded by rose gardens, Japanese rock gardens, botanic gardens, canopy walks, regional parkland, and hiking trails, the University Land Endowments are a breath of fresh air. Combining a commitment to preserving nature with a similar promise to preserve culture, its valleys are also home to the First Nations heritage museum, the biodiversity museum, and anthropological and memorial exhibitions. From its highest canopies to the sandy shorelines of Wreck Beach, its serenity is preserved by the University buildings that dot it, combining Mother Nature and scholarship.
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Restaurants
116 within 5 kms
Tim Hortons
48
0.4 km$ • Cafe • Fast food • Canadian
Loafe Cafe
15
0.3 km$$ - $$$ • Quick Bites • Cafe • Canadian
The Point Grill
40
0.4 km$$ - $$$ • Canadian
Mercante UBC
21
0.3 km$$ - $$$ • Italian • Pizza • Vegetarian Friendly
Nori Bento & Udon
1
0.4 kmJapanese
The Boulevard Coffee Roasting Co.
12
0.5 kmCafe • Canadian
Triple O's
8
0.4 km$ • Fast food
Baodown UBC
1
0.4 kmAsian
Tacomio
1
0.4 km
Tim Hortons
2
0.4 km
Attractions
230 within 10 kms
Pacific Museum of Earth
8
0.1 kmNatural History Museums • Science Museums
University of British Columbia
548
0.5 kmEducational sites
Nitobe Memorial Garden
349
0.7 kmGardens
Museum of Anthropology
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Reconciliation Pole
1
0.4 kmMonuments & Statues
Ladner Clock Tower
1
0.5 kmPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
Wreck Beach
284
0.8 kmBeaches
UBC Aquatic Centre
7
0.5 kmSports Complexes
UBC Botanical Garden
422
1 kmGardens
Pacific Spirit Regional Park
319
2.1 kmParks
Contribute
4.0
112 reviews
Excellent
42
Very good
41
Average
18
Poor
11
Terrible
0
Sophie
1 contribution
Jan. 2020 • Couples
A must-see for students & adults with an existing love of nature, biology, conservation or evolution. With a small amount of background knowledge (1 university course or a few YouTube videos) you can enjoy this museum so much more. Makes perfect sense to have it on a university campus as its best enjoyed by people with an existing interest. That being said, it’s my favourite museum in Vancouver.
Written October 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Mellie2013
Port Moody, Canada2,691 contributions
Sep. 2019
Loving this new glass building on the UBC campus. Drawn into the entrance by Big Blue, the blue whale skeleton from PEI. This building really showcases the skeleton!
Unfortunately we were unable to view the lower floors due to rental of the space for a private event. Will return for further inspection.
Unfortunately we were unable to view the lower floors due to rental of the space for a private event. Will return for further inspection.
Written October 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Le petit chat noir
Auckland, New Zealand126 contributions
Sep. 2019
This is an unusual museum in that many of the bodies are hidden away in cabinets, a few are in glass cases and some are in drawers that you can pull out (including one with some interesting advice about how to poison your nearest and dearest). We did a tour with a docent who turned out to be an English major but who did an excellent job showing us around and helped to bring the place to life.
Written October 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Luiz_Felipe_Mendes
Belo Horizonte, MG280 contributions
Aug. 2019
Another great cultural/science visit in the UBC area.
A lot of information and examples of animals, plants and other beings in this museum. But after a while it turns into the same thing over and over, I missed a little diversity in terms of how to interact and receive information.
TIP: There is a discount if you buy a ticket for both Biodiversity and the Anthropology museums.
A lot of information and examples of animals, plants and other beings in this museum. But after a while it turns into the same thing over and over, I missed a little diversity in terms of how to interact and receive information.
TIP: There is a discount if you buy a ticket for both Biodiversity and the Anthropology museums.
Written September 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Suzie P
nottingham, great britain123 contributions
Jun. 2019 • Friends
This museum takes you through samples of species of all manner of flora and fora going forwards in time from the primordial swamps. It's very much an archive of samples so it's rows of plants and bones and taxidermy in jars and cabinets and drawers. It's a little dark. But fascinating to see the progression of species.
The big blue whale skeleton is excellent and the story of how it was salvaged is interesting and you can view that, and visit the gift shop, for free. There is a combo ticket with the museum of anthropology which also gives you discount in the gift shops.
The big blue whale skeleton is excellent and the story of how it was salvaged is interesting and you can view that, and visit the gift shop, for free. There is a combo ticket with the museum of anthropology which also gives you discount in the gift shops.
Written July 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Vivienne G
Vancouver, Canada37 contributions
Jul. 2019 • Family
As you enter the first thing you see is the blue whale skeleton. It’s huge and a great draw for kids. You descend into a basement showing the amazing timeline from the creation of earth to the present. There is a children’s discovery area at the back where they can touch and feel exhibits. Big black cabinets display various mammals, reptiles, insects, eggs, etc. It’s good to see these things for real, rather than just on a video or in a book. 90 minutes should be enough to see it all. Not recommended for preschoolers.
Written July 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
CanProf
Kelowna, Canada1,540 contributions
Jun. 2019 • Couples
I have to add my name to the list of recent disappointed reviewers of this museum. In the main (leaving aside the big whale skeleton) this is row and row of cases with specimens in them packed into narrow aisles. I doubt we spend more than a half hour before our interest flagged and we left. Money not well spent.
Written June 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
VoixDuChocolat
Walla Walla, WA92 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
While I admire the effort that must have gone into assembling such a large collection, this museum contains many taxidermy specimens, something I just don't like. The aisles are narrow and the whole museum seems dark, probably because of the extensive use of black cabinets. There is an interesting film that details the unexpected problems in trying to save, clean, re-assemble, and mount the massive whale skeleton that it was hoped would be a feature here. At this writing, there is no food vendor on-site. This museum is on a UBC campus, a cab or bus ride away from downtown.
Written May 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
DuvallDesdemona
Coupeville, WA296 contributions
Dec. 2018 • Couples
I have mixed feelings about giving such a poor rating for this museum, which seems to have the potential to be so much more than it is, though perhaps its primary function is to collect and store specimens for research & it is a museum as a secondary function? The hanging whale skeleton in the entryway is fabulous, as was the wonderful video explaining how the whale came to be there. There was insufficient lighting to read some of the exhibit signs, which were hit and miss as it was. Some of the taxidermied animal displays in the first couple of rows were helpfully labeled to identify info about what was inside the case and seemed to be a little better lit but that was not the norm for much of the museum. The tall narrow aisles and half-lit fixtures, especially in the back half (energy saving attempts, perhaps?) made it impossible to read or clearly see what was in the cases, not to mention the awkward height of many of the cases for easy viewing. The rows were very narrow. Forget about trying to bring someone in a wheelchair through for they will not be able to see half of the displays, nor older senior citizens unable to bend low to see inside the low cases. Many of the cases were too high to use the magnifying feature & others were very low, (yet not containing things catering to young children of that height). There are over 800,000 specimens of fish, but displayed as row upon row of bottled fish in dark lighting. We zipped up and down the last several rows, without barely stopping, as others were doing & we both had headaches from squinting to try & see/read. If it were not for the not inexpensive entry fee & the $3.50 per hr parking fees, I would recommend visiting for a little over an hour in order to visit the Whale, the displays beneath the whale, along with the first few rows of displays then watch the video & skip the rest.
Written December 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Paul R
1 contribution
Dec. 2018 • Solo
Given the description in the materials (and the fact that they charge the same admisison as other nearby and more complete museums) I was really expecting more.
As stated in other reviews most of the "museum" consists of cases you can't see where they apparently store the specimens.
What was actually available was very limited, and took me about 20 minutes after walking past the whale (which you don't have to pay to see.)
With the exception of a case or two in the first few rows, what was displayed seemed almost random and scatter shot, certainly not an example of biodiversity or the relationship between the many life forms in an ecosystem.
There's probably good work being done here, but it really isn't a "museum."
I took in the Museum of Anthropology the same trip and the way they have their items actually displayed in cases so you can see them is a night and day.
As someone very interested in the subject I walked out feeling disappointed and a bit burned by their admission price.
I guess if you are nearby or already on campus, it might be okay, but I can't see that this is worth a special trip.
Too bad
As stated in other reviews most of the "museum" consists of cases you can't see where they apparently store the specimens.
What was actually available was very limited, and took me about 20 minutes after walking past the whale (which you don't have to pay to see.)
With the exception of a case or two in the first few rows, what was displayed seemed almost random and scatter shot, certainly not an example of biodiversity or the relationship between the many life forms in an ecosystem.
There's probably good work being done here, but it really isn't a "museum."
I took in the Museum of Anthropology the same trip and the way they have their items actually displayed in cases so you can see them is a night and day.
As someone very interested in the subject I walked out feeling disappointed and a bit burned by their admission price.
I guess if you are nearby or already on campus, it might be okay, but I can't see that this is worth a special trip.
Too bad
Written December 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Frequently Asked Questions about Beaty Biodiversity Museum
- Beaty Biodiversity Museum is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Hotels near Beaty Biodiversity Museum:
- (0.37 km) Ponderosa Studios UBC
- (0.70 km) West Coast Suites at UBC
- (0.57 km) Pacific Spirit Hostel at UBC
- (0.77 km) Gage Suites at UBC
- (0.72 km) TRIUMF House
- Restaurants near Beaty Biodiversity Museum:
- (0.25 km) Agora Eats Café
- (0.31 km) Loafe Cafe
- (0.31 km) Mercante UBC
- (0.38 km) Tim Hortons
- (0.37 km) The Point Grill