Got plans to drive along the stunning Sea-to-Sky Highway this summer? There’s always something to discover en route to Whistler, including the Britannia Museum, currently buzzing with daily drop-in interactive science, history, and the Terra Lab STEAM learning programs for visitors of all ages.
Hop on the underground mine train and be blown away by the BOOM! Mill show, then head over to the interpreter-led summer learning programs, all included with your admission ticket to September 1.
[Terra Lab STEAM learning space]
The Terra Lab STEAM learning space features daily drop-in session Live in the Lab: Chemistry of Cleanup from 1 to 4 pm, an interactive experience that invites guests to roll up their sleeves and explore the science behind environmental remediation and sustainability.
Learn how natural elements such as rain, oxygen, and minerals contribute to acid rock drainage, and discover innovative methods used to lessen its impact.
Inside the Britannia Story building at 11 am and 3 pm, learn about Whatever Happened to Mt. Sheer?, the historic mining townsite hidden deep in the mountains above Britannia Beach.
This former townsite housed miners and their families in cottages, bunkhouses and a hotel, isolated from Britannia Beach at the base of the mountain. Discover what happened what still remains of the site.
A new interactive program, Before Rail and Road, takes visitors on a journey back in time and provides them with insight into what it was like to commute to work during lack of transportation to Britannia Beach.
Discover how steamships once brought life, labour, and leisure to Howe Sound, turning the Britannia Beach pier into the town’s beating heart. With rare video footage, vivid narration, and powerful stories of community and resilience, this program (offered daily at 1 pm and 4 pm) brings Britannia’s past to life—not just as a mine, but as a lifeline shaped by the tides.
Whatever Happened to Mt. Sheer and Before the Rail and Road are part of Britannia Mine Museum’s Step Back in Time series of live social history programs. Each program lasts for about 10 minutes with a Q&A to follow.
BC Day Celebration at Britannia Mine Museum
On Monday, August 4 (11 am to 3 pm), the museum will celebrate BC Day with fun games and live music by The Little Mountain Brass Band, including 30-minute sets at noon, 1 pm and 2 pm. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Vancouver-based, British-style brass band ensemble is a group of musicians with dazzlingly polished brass instruments. From humble beginnings, the Little Mountain Brass Band has evolved over the past three decades to become a local favourite in the Lower Mainland, the Okanagan, and Whistler.
The museum’s 50th Anniversary exhibit, A Museum’s Journey, is also on showcase from now until Sunday, September 21, 2025. This exhibit takes visitors on a journey through time, with a look back at how the museum has changed and developed in its 50-year history since it opened as a museum in 1975. With over 7,000 artifacts, more than 11,000 never-before-seen archival photos, and 3,000 archival documents, there’s something for everyone to explore during this landmark exhibit.
Each of the last five decades of the museum’s history is highlighted and explored, including the groovy 70’s, retro 80’s, Y2K right up to the present.
Located 45 minutes north of Vancouver along the picturesque Sea-to-Sky highway, visitors to the Museum can enjoy fun exhibits and crowd favourites such as the underground mine train, gold panning, the award-winning special effects BOOM! show, the minerals and gem gallery, a gift shop and the Beaty Lundin Visitor Centre.
Visit Britannia Museum online to purchase admission tickets and annual memberships.
About Britannia Mine Museum
The Britannia Mine Museum is a mining legacy site and a vibrant, internationally recognized education and tourist destination located between Vancouver and Whistler on the Sea-to-Sky highway. It is a National Historic Site and a non-profit organization encouraging mining awareness through entertaining, experiential education programs and exhibits, important historic collection preservation and insightful public engagement that allows guests to leave with a better understanding of mining in BC; past, present and future.
