Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Beaty Biodiversity Museum

    3.8 (32 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Beaty Biodiversity Museum Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Beaty Biodiversity Museum

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Beaty Biodiversity Museum, UBC, Vancouver BC
    Peter S.

    From the sneak peak so far, this is shaping up to be one of the coolest and most important museums in the province. Standing alongside the 25 metre Blue Whale is truly humbling. I am still amazed that such creatures roam the planet. We are all quite insignificant! I am hoping to see a few more of their collections during the upcoming previews before the grand opening in the fall. There's The Herbarium, The Spencer Entomological Collection, The Marine Invertebrate Collection, The Cowan Vertebrate Collection, The Fossil Collection and last but not least, The Fish Museum. And If none of these 2 million specimens interest you... well, then I dunno. Go to wreck beach and gawk!

    You can see the skeleton of the blue whale outside.
    David L.

    I couldn't believe it took me so long to visit this museum. Sure, the only hype I've heard about this museum has been the skeleton of a blue whale. I've been to some famous museums such as Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History, and Natural History Museum in London. How does it compare? First, this is one of the few museums in the world which has a skeleton of a blue whale on display. I will have to say this is probably the best one made for display! It's displayed in the front entrance and there is a lot of natural light which is awesome. Compared to a skeleton of a blue whale at the Natural History Museum in London, I really enjoyed Beaty's display of a blue whale skeleton the most. It would have been even more awesome if the entire skeleton was real. The skull of the blue whale at Beaty's is actually a replica. I highly recommend a tour by a museum interpreter such as Tanis. It took about one hour and she showed us the museum is organized. She showed us some fun and interesting facts about species which used to inhabit North America, but they are now extinct. She brought out some species for us to look close up and touch. Most of the displayed items are from B.C. and Canada. There are many from North America and other parts of the world too. I wish it wasn't so dark (shelves for displays are painted black!) and many of the shelves weren't opened for display. So, you'll be looking at a black wall with nothing for most of the shelves. All in all, this is a very good natural history museum which is located inside a university. If you visited some of the more famous natural history museums, this one is still pretty cool because it has a lot of items from B.C. and the rest of Canada!

    Dead things. Loads of dead things. Amazing and macabre.
    Roanna Z.

    It's more of a library than a museum really. Largest collection of animal specimens dating back to the early 19 century. Row upon row, drawer after drawer, although many are locked and more that have no view of the contents, only a photo of what's inside. Not that there's any shortage of specimens on view. On the contrary, you could spend hours exploring and reading. It's nothing short of mind boggling.

    See all

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lara O.
    138
    1041
    367

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jeffrey C.
    58
    128
    43

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    New building by Patkau Architects with green roof and a huge custom collection area for 2,000,000 specimens. And that whale. Wow.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lee N.
    60
    328
    24

    16 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Paula P.
    133
    42
    0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz B.
    18
    58
    0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Review Highlights - Beaty Biodiversity Museum

    There are thousands of skeletons and preserved plant, animal and fossil specimens to look at.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Museums 416 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Roedde House Museum - Another family bedroom

    Roedde House Museum

    4.3(16 reviews)
    9.0 kmWest End

    This lovingly preserved, historic Victorian home belonged to Vancouver's first book-binder and is…read moresuch a hidden gem! The house itself is worth a look with its beautiful architecture - but it's also full of interesting pieces of Canadian history and Roedde family artifacts. You can do a self guided tour - but we opted for the guided tour just for funsies and I'm so glad we did bc we learned a lot I feel like we may have missed just browsing on our own - such as the scandalous story of the home's architect! The house was built in 1893 by British architect Francis Rattenbury - and his story itself was pretty fascinating - a scandalous divorce from his first wife and he was eventually murdered by his second wife's lover! Drama drama :-o The docent also showed us a really neat "Domestic Science Diploma" of one of the family - it even had grades for "cookery" and "housewifery" - I had no idea they even had diplomas like that back then! The pace of our cultural change never ceases to amaze me. They also had a really lovely exhibit featuring renowned Canadian poet Pauline Johnson - whose father was a hereditary Mohawk chief! The house is very well curated and the docents are very knowledgeable. I especially loved how the house really immerses you in the life of the era - one of my fave things was all the Victorian dresses on display! So this museum might seem small but there's a lot to unpack here if you have the time. Their opening hours are limited and seasonal but accurate on their website. The whole neighborhood is historic and very walkable. I regret we didn't have enough time to thoroughly explore! The price is extremely reasonable- it's $10CAD which is just over $7USD at the time of this writing. Parking is limited and street parking in the neighborhood- but we just walked from our hotel easily.

    Wonderful little jewel of a museum. The house is full of period furniture and they give tours…read moreand have teas on the weekends. Very reasonable price for touring the house. I love little museums like this. The docents are so helpful and are passionate about the preservation of the house.

    Photos
    Roedde House Museum - Lovely stained glass throughout the home

    Lovely stained glass throughout the home

    Roedde House Museum
    Roedde House Museum - One of the family bedrooms

    See all

    One of the family bedrooms

    Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art - Hummingbird Gathering Space

    Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art

    4.6(16 reviews)
    9.8 kmDowntown
    $$

    I love this gallery. It's very small but the work in it is gorgeous. I love the downstairs which is…read morefull of amazing works by Reid. The upstairs has temporary exhibits which are exciting. The gift shop is also pretty special. They have Native Northwest items, which I love, but they also have other wonderful items. I could have spent a lot of time here if I hadn't been in a hurry. There's a lovely courtyard outside to sit in and lots of coffee shops and restaurants in the area. I got a 2 year membership so I can go back often since I enjoy the place so much. If you have a big bag or backpack you will need to use a locker which takes a Canadian quarter - which you will get back. There are plenty of nice washrooms and there's an elevator if you can't do stairs. Staff are kind and helpful.

    The Bill Reid Gallery is the only public Gallery in Canada dedicated to the Indigenous Northwest…read moreCoast Art. It's a gorgeous 2-floor monument to the legendary Haida master artist, Bill Reid (1920 - 1998), and other established and upcoming artists. Before our visit, Gayle and I had never seen a museum like this. Outstanding! The museum space is full of natural light, great viewing angles, and compact enough to see it all and comprehensively in a relatively short period of time. We were overwhelmed with the sculptures, paintings, jewelry, and more, but not in a huge museum sort of way. The folks here know their art were more than happy to explain anything we asked. Their well curated gift shop is an extension of that. If you want a manageable deep dive into Haida and related art, and find yourself saying "Oh Wow!) at lot, this is your place.

    Photos
    Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
    Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
    Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art

    See all

    Rennie Museum - Lunar New Year Chinese Lion Dance at Rennie

    Rennie Museum

    3.5(2 reviews)
    10.9 kmChinatown, Downtown Eastside

    You have no idea what treasures both modern and historical live behind the unassuming doors facing…read morePender. But a couple of clicks on their website will unlock an hour long tour, complete with a peek at an old school room, a trounce down the old Market Alley, and a frolic on the rooftop where stunning views, sculptures and the famed "Everything is going to be alright" neon sign meet the sky. Our tour guide's name was Caroline and it was her very first day as a guide. She rocked it. The current exhibit features Amy Bessone and Thomas Houseago, husband and wife, with a colourful mixture of paint and sculpture. It was quite educational, friendly and refreshing, not to mention the space itself is impressive and inspiring. I wonder what a party would be like here.... magical?

    I first heard about Bob "Condo King" Rennie's art collection in a Vancouver Sun article by John…read moreMackie in October of 2009. While this collection and its space are a benefit to Vancouver, there are many things that I dislike about this new gallery. First, Bob Rennie is a tycoon trained in the art of selling, schmoozing and fabricating. This is not necessarily the type of person that I associate with the collecting of *good* artwork for public consideration. Second, this is a private gallery, and Rennie never lets you forget it. You must reserve a spot on a tour, which runs every Thursday during each particular show (there will be three per year). When you enter the historic Wing Sang building on East Pender, a clueless receptionist from Rennie Market Systems greets you in a tasteful yet corporate lobby and prompts you to sign a waiver, really hitting home the fact that the owner is not comfortable with the public all up in his bid'ness. Third, I read a quote from Rennie stating "The only goal [of the gallery] is that artists want to show there." This one sentence proves that the rejuvenation of the Downtown Eastside, the educating of the public, the supporting of BC arts and the meaning of the artwork come a distant second to the promotion of the Rennie brand. Despite the misdirected motives and corporate principles behind this gallery, I must admit that it is a valuable addition to East Pender. With the infamous Carnegie Centre just one block away and the sad architectural situation in Strathcona, this building demonstrates some of the ways in which neighbourhoods can be revitalized from the inside out. Of course, gutting heritage buildings and opening new, popular establishments within old and/or run-down neighbourhoods always comes with the risk of gentrification, but Rennie's conversion of the Wing Sang building succeeds as a symbol of both preservation and progression. Rennie has created a hidden lair of idiosyncratic artwork and commerce in one of the oldest parts of Vancouver, but at least his Ivory Condo fails to infiltrate the atmosphere and ethos of Chinatown. The gallery provides Rennie with a surprising amount of space, and an even more surprising amount of wall space. There is a small exhibition area of about 400 square feet on the groundfloor which is perfect for smaller pieces, such as photographs and canvases. The two primary rooms are on the "second floor". I use quotations here because the second floor is comprised of the the top three floors that were destroyed and transformed into exhibition space. There are basically two rooms upstairs, and the main room is actually too lofty in my opinion, but it does give Rennie and the curator(s) freedom to present larger installations. My favourite thing about the building is the way in which elements from the original interiors have been incorporated into the gallery space, such as raw brick wall and distressed wainscoting. I encourage you to visit the gallery for the architecture alone. Book your tour: office@renniecollection.org I just hope Rennie's Wing Sang project doesn't lead to a Starbucks opening within Sun Yat-Sen Garden!

    Photos
    Rennie Museum - 51 East Pender

    51 East Pender

    Rennie Museum
    Rennie Museum

    See all

    BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

    BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

    3.5(6 reviews)
    10.2 kmDowntown

    After I read an article about free admission over Family day weekend, I decided to join the early…read moregroup which starts 10 am. $18/adult is not cheap honestly and I'm very thanksful for this free event. Also right now, we have Beijing Winter Olympics, it was nice opportunity to learn Olypic history and sport archives. Basically most of museum goods were donated by real Olympians. Very generous and touchy to know hidden story behind the glory. There are corners for Terry Fox and Rick Hansen. Especially Terry's handwriting journal for the day before he started for Marathon of Hope was worth to read.

    I probably would not have visited this place on any other day except the day I went because the…read morecost was really cheap for some fan day event at the stadium next door. BUT, the Olympic exhibit alone may be worth the price of admission. It was pretty freaking cool. They had a cool setup with the men's hockey team with all the locker room name plates, and Scott Niedermayer's stick and gloves. Other cool things: the gifts that were given to the host country from other countries, including weird items like a ceramic egg, the different clothing the athletes wore for the opening and closing ceremonies, a copy of the opening ceremony speech and much more. Oh, and they had a display of the TONS of little pins that were created for the Olympics. They were adorable. Beyond that? If you're not interested in hockey or not Canadian, you may probably not have a good time. I love hockey so I was totally geeked out over the trading card exhibits that had all the cards from way back when. There's also all the Canucks jerseys in history. The view of the football stadium was also cool, and the play area is nice for kids as well. One thing I was looking forward to by the end of my visit was checking out the gift shop. There basically isn't one. They have a little area at the entrance of the store but it didn't have anything interesting at ALL. All I remember were a few books and clothing items from Ryan Kesler's clothing line. Come on, you can do better than that!

    Photos
    BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum - Carey Price is a First Nations  from B.C.

    Carey Price is a First Nations from B.C.

    BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
    BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum

    See all

    Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver - 2015 Qui Ye Fang Art Exhibition

    Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver

    3.0(5 reviews)
    10.9 kmChinatown

    This is suppose to be a tourist attraction place but over time it is no longer is. There are a few…read morebusiness upstairs but the place is so run down that you don't want to go there. The business I am talking about are business that tourist would have no interest to go to like a notary office, accounting office, tutoring classes etc. There is the Sun Yat Garden inside but that is actually separate from the Chinese Cultural Centre. Also because of the area its in, I don't even think its safe to come here especially at night. My friends are here doing the lion dance. They have it during Chinese New year and Canada Day. There is a hall inside but again its so run down that I don't think people really rent it. But I guess people who actually come here are part of the Associations near by. And mostly old aged people (but again even my Grandparents have no interest in this place).

    Pretty good turnout. Unfortunately the advertisement for the movie says the movie starts at 6p. We…read morerushed down to make it on time to find out that it actually starts at 8:30p. We did however get to watch the lion dance as a result, which is always intense and empowering. As promised, there were plenty of ping pong and mahjong tables set up and being put to good use outside the courtyard. Weather was great and the courtyard was nice and secluded while security kept an eye on who was entering the free event. We would have liked to try the dumplings and mango pudding stands in the courtyard but since we paid $4.50 for parking for 2 hours, were had too much time left to kill before the show started. We ultimately decided to leave to eat at Bao Bei nearby then headed back home to grab lawn chairs and something warmer to wear before coming back. Brought our own chair to the movie because we knew by the time we came back there would not be enough seats based on the turnout. We got great seats and did splurge to try one bag of "Asian Flavoured popcorn" each right as the movie was starting which only cost $3/bag but was worth it... it was (shoyu flavour?) popcorn with a pleasant surprise twist of crispy rice crackers in the mix. Very peaceful experience. Meditation Park movie had us crying and laughing. It doesn't appear to be on the Canadian Netflix (maybe American) so if you can stream this movie somewhere I recommend it.

    Photos
    Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver - 2014 Traditional Chinese Ceremony of Coming of Age

    2014 Traditional Chinese Ceremony of Coming of Age

    Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver - Chinese Cultural Centre Museum

    Chinese Cultural Centre Museum

    Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver - 2014 Art Exhibition The Tree: Literal and Figurative. Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver Museum

    See all

    2014 Art Exhibition The Tree: Literal and Figurative. Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver Museum

    Beaty Biodiversity Museum - museums - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...