Qualicum Beach Museum
Qualicum Beach Museum
4.5
Speciality Museums • History Museums
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Tuesday
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
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About
The Qualicum Beach Museum chronicles the social history of Qualicum Beach including First Nations, early pioneers and 'local characters'. It also has an excellent palaeontology exhibit and fossil collection renowned for its scientific and research value. The museum also includes the Powerhouse Discovery Centre, a brick and steel heritage building with exhibits about power, energy, and communications. The museum maintains an extensive archive of local historic documents, photographs and artefacts and responds to inquiries from the general public. Special events include our annual Children's Day in August which is fun for the entire family and seasonal activities such as 'Come Visit and Shop at the Museum'. Summer Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Winter Hours: Tuesday & Thursday: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
36 reviews
Excellent
22
Very good
13
Average
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Terrible
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SuperDave47
Brandon, Canada1,381 contributions
Nov. 2021
From fossils to furniture, a wonderfully extensive view of how life began and progressed in the Qualicum Bay region.
Written December 6, 2021
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.

cedars123
Parksville, Canada2 contributions
Feb. 2020
What a FANTASTIC display of fossil discouveries and paleontological information from Vancouver Island! Graham Beard and the staff have created a goldmine of information of local interest and yet have also integrated fossils from other places in the world that are interesting in their juxtaposition to what we have here. The exhibits are of a very high quality. I live locally but had no idea we had such a rich amount of fossilized history on this island. Thank you so much for bringing this to life and to the two staff that we spoke to for making the visit so enjoyable.
Written February 6, 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.

Harold E
Qualicum Beach, Canada89 contributions
Nov. 2019
Beautifully restored buildings housing some of Qualicum’s history and and a amazing exhibit of local fossils found locally. Vancouver island has an amazing diversity of all types of fossils.
Written November 6, 2019
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 M
Qualicum Beach, Canada30 contributions
Sep. 2019
While the main museum is a typical small town history collection there is an unusual (for a small place) display of fossils from local venues that is internationally renowned. If fossils interest you this should not be missed.
Written September 29, 2019
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.

Brenda W
Rocky Mountain House, Canada108 contributions
Aug. 2019
This is a very nice museum that, for it's small size, contains lots of history of Vancouver Island. It is well maintained and the staff were very friendly. There is a small gift shop that has some neat items for sale. The museum doesn't actually charge, but does accept donations.
Written August 29, 2019
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.

MT1
Aurora, CO1,153 contributions
Aug. 2019
My wife and I were staying at a local B&B just up the street so decided to stop by and visit based on the reviews - it was a great decision! There are a few parking spaces in the lot right out front and more you can use in a gravel lot just across the street by the railroad display. There is no charge for the museum (donations accepted) which has a small gift shop and nice clean restrooms to use. The lady running the front desk, as well as the lady associated with the museum, were both extremely friendly and welcoming and we enjoyed visiting with them for a short time.

The downstairs of the museum houses an extensive collection of fossils from the Vancouver Island area and I understand the museum is all due to the efforts of Graham Beard - it is very impressive. The upstairs has displays related to local history and information on Gen Noel Money. We watched 3 short videos regarding fossils, the Qualicum Hotel/Gen Money and locals talking about the history of the area - all very informative!!

I would highly recommend a visit to this little museum if you are in the area!
Written August 25, 2019
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.

Ian Baird
1 contribution
Aug. 2019
I was fortunate to receive excellent support from the Qualicum Beach Archives (behind the museum and run by the same people). They were friendly and provided great advise.
Written August 17, 2019
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.

Anne D
1 contribution
Aug. 2019
Lovingly curated with strong local connections. Outstanding fossil collection from nearby locations. Well worth a visit!
Written August 14, 2019
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.

TimVictoria
Victoria, Canada49 contributions
Jul. 2019 • Family
What a gem! This is a superb small museum to visit. Beautiful setting. And inside there are some real treats. First of all, the Museum has some great dinosaur and fossils. Even fossil plants that grew here millions of years ago. Upstairs they present very interesting stories about the history of this community. Unlike most community museums this one is beautifully organised. Not overwhelming but enough to satisfy you. Outside, even more surprises. An old Power House that you enter to find it's actually a mini science museum. I recommend this museum to anyone and everyone who is in the region.
Written July 26, 2019
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.

jarmwr40
British Columbia, Canada3,125 contributions
Aug. 2018 • Family
this summer we took all 3 of our grandchildren here on 2 separate occasions. and we were and they were pleasantly surprised! i had long admired the gardens from the road as i drove by. and had read about the events there over the years. the museum had its 30th anniversary this year. many volunteer hours have been spent on this building. housed in the old power plant and another building was built with salvaged products from a building in port alberni. both had very impressive displays of the european pioneers from the area since the 1880's, the first nations in the area and also a world class palaeontology collection from the area. one of the building houses a communications display, fun for the kids to see. there is a gift shop and a 10 minute informational video. the volunteer there told me the second floor was going to undergo changes in the upcoming year. across the street is the old train station that has been kept up and a delightful older small church, all in great shape and on attractive grounds near the community gardens. our grandchildren of 12, 11 and 9 were entertained, and that speaks highly of the museum's displays. thumbs up for this!
Written August 7, 2018
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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QUALICUM BEACH MUSEUM - 2023 What to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Qualicum Beach Museum

Qualicum Beach Museum is open:
  • Tue - Tue 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
  • Thu - Thu 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
  • Sat - Sat 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.