Update November, 2020: Museum director Jim Millar has resisted intervention by our MP, a Queen's…read moreCounsel lawyer, and continues to cling tenaciously, wrongly, wrongfully, to our beloved forbear's WWI medals. A recent letter from a curator at the big war museums in Calgary, AB expressed concern at Millar's strangely hostile approach, citing examples of similar disputes, in which, in EVERY case, the family prevailed. If the medals are NOT relinquished to us shortly, the Calgary curator assures us that the medals may be relocated to the Calgary museum appropriate to forbear's regiment. Either way, this awful Port Moody museum will NOT have them! Museums worldwide are daily being compelled by courts to repatriate their disputed plunder, returning it to its rightful owners. This is due in no small measure to attitudes like this museum director's. I would urge the public to question the the legality of every museum's right of possession to its collection. In our case, it would have been reasonable to presume first, that there are almost certainly surviving descendants of WWI soldiers, and second, that those descendants enjoy a prima facie claim and right of first refusal to such mementos as against a museum. There are conflicts in every family. It's wrong for a museum to exploit such conflicts for its own dubious purposes. In this case, the war medals' only real value is as family heirlooms. To knowingly deprive a family of our right to honor a forbear's war time valor should be a criminal offence.

This is a great restored CPR station. Displays inside teach about the local history of Port Moody.read more

Decent historical site. Grounds well maintained. Engaged interpreters. Good interpretative…read morecontent. Plenty of parking. Not a ton to see but not a bad quick stop if in area.

So I'm an admitted history buff, so I'm drawn to sites like this, where history comes alive. As a…read morekid growing up in Montreal, I vividly remember being taken on a school field trip when I was around 7 to "Upper Canada Village", in Quebec, which was a whole mock village from roughly 1750-1800, which was HUGE, and where there were tons of people dressed in costume, demonstrating how potters and blacksmiths and bakers and "doctors" and "vets" and traders and everyday people lived, back back in the day. It was like Disneyland to me, and this field trip made such an impression, I pursued history as my major throughout university and even grad school. Fort Langley had the same appeal to me, even though it is on a much smaller scale than UCV. And even though , in this pandemic age, most of the edifices were unstaffed. Despite all this, I still loved it - as did my 21 yo daughter. Here's what's cool: they have a huge, free parking lot. (Plus some picnic benches, too, and lots of grassy field, if you want to have a picnic here). The admission prices are reasonable (I am attaching a photo of the pricing list). You can pay a bit extra for a guided audio tour. Or, they do give tours to groups if you arrange this in advance (there was a camp group of kids on a guided tour while we were there). The site is super well-maintained, and even if the buildings aren't staffed while you are there, there are excellent plaques and signs describing the items and the site. (Depending on when you go, though, the buildings may be staffed. Call in advance if this is important to you). Also, FYI they have many clean, accessible bathrooms in the visitors' area, when you first enter the site to purchase your tickets (IMP always good to know where the bathrooms are in town, if needed!). Here's what's good or bad, depending on your personal preference: the place is fairly small. I can't see spending more than an hour here. For my kid and me, we think this is a plus. If you are expecting an involved experience with bells and whistles, you probably will be disappointed. Here's the negatives: as mentioned, when we visited, all the buildings were unstaffed, so there were no staff members at the cooperage or the kitchen building or the managers' house, or the servants' quarters, etc. This might be important to some people, so call first if it is to you. (The only building manned was the blacksmith building, and Ahmed there was phenomenal! We got an impromptu history lesson AND a demonstration of his making a hook, which he gave us to keep. Super cool!). Also, remember to bring bug spray and sunblock and a water bottle. (We visited last year but had no bug spray and one of my kids was already getting bitten a lot, so we opted not to see the Fort then. This year, we knew better. Be prepared!). I'm attaching photos of the main plaques and signs and price list, as well as the brochure (sorry for the creases!).

My husband and I came here for a special event. We were greeted by a welcoming staff (and a bagpipe…read moreband from the fire department). First we rode an interurban car for a short portion of their track. Then we took a tour of their facility starting with their bee garden through their shop and finishing with a ride on their velocipede and modified pump car. Because it was a special event, we had a catered lunch (they use the catering business next door), which was simple, delicious, and way better than a boxed lunch. We finished the afternoon with a final ride on their Queen Car -- Connaught 1304 car. We had a good time. It was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, so I would recommend checking them out for a few hours one afternoon or hosting an event there.

Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society in Surrey, BC…read more We had a lovely time Saturday, July 14, 2018. Our 3 y/o daughter loves trains and we had seen the train a couple month prior (I think they were preparing and maybe advertising) going down the tracks as we drove along side them. The volunteers were all very lovely. There were a lot of them, probably 10+ people. I was at first sticker shocked at the admission prices but the train ride was almost an hour. The commentary from one of the volunteers was great. He provided a lot of history and facts on the first half of the stretch. It was a bit of a long ride for our daughter, she was good to go after the first 20 mins. There are also no washrooms onboard once you leave the station, obviously, so you have to make sure you go before you leave. They had a simulator that you could drive while you waited for your train to depart. She really enjoyed that! I'd recommend this attraction if you can afford it. It cost us $50 for our family of three. Adults are $20 & kids 2-11 years are $10.

Irving House, completed in 1865, is the one oldest homes in the Lower Mainland and it is the oldest…read moreheritage house museum in B.C.! Being a fan of Burnaby Heritage Museum, I never knew about this place until my family told me about it. I came here with my parents, and there were no other visitors other than my family during the entire tour of the house. Tracy, the tour guide, was super friendly and helpful with the tour and I was able to stop and ask any questions during the tour. I loved how Tracy did a vintage vacuum demonstration as I haven't seen anything like it before. I loved the fact that visitors could go upstairs and see the entire house! Many of the items in the home were original from the original owners, though some were purchased or donated from other sources.

Irving House was built in 1865, back when New Westminster was striving to be the capital of British…read moreColumbia. It was lived in by family members up to about 1950, when it was sold to the city of New Westminster, and turned into a historical centre. Thus, if you're a history buff, love antiques (especially Victorian-era pieces), or ever watched the show "America's Castles", you should take a tour of Irving House. The house was built in high style by Captain Irving, a man who made a lot of money in the California, Alaska, and BC Gold Rush, and virtually poured it into the house. The architectural details of the house are interesting and well explained by the costumed guides. Since I was practically the only visitor at the time, I pretty much got my own personal tour. According to them, all the furniture and pieces displayed in the house are authentic to the period - no reproductions (except for some fake food in the kitchen, perhaps). Many belonged to the Irving family and their descendants; others were donated. The house is currently decorated, Victorian-style, for Christmas. Lots of garlands, an amazing Christmas dinner setting, and a beautiful little Christmas tree. Those into old-fashioned decorations should check it out. Legend has it too, that the house is haunted by none other than Captain Irving himself. At the very least, you can see the bed he reportedly died in, and it's one enormous piece of furniture. My guide demurred on confirming the story that an indentation of a body can sometimes be seen in the bedcovers. I saw nothing on my visit, though. In any case, it is New Westminster's oldest surviving home, and thus probably one of the oldest homes in the Vancouver area. It's a wonderful glimpse into what life was like in the early years of British Columbia, if you were high society folk. Admission is by donation, so it's affordable even for writers to visit.

It's a small museum, but pound for pound probably one of my favorite museums I've been to. The play…read morearea is great for kids, and I really liked their special exhibit on hockey. The upstairs display is very organized and shows a breadth.

This is just a small museum. I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed. But it's because…read moreI've been to larger, more extensive museums growing up. Like the Chicago Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Home in Springfield, Town of Bodie in California, and the likes. For someone new to museums, this may be a good place to get started and get immersed in history. I was looking forward to the ww2 airplane displayed when you google the museum but it was not there the time I visited. Lots of the pieces are relatively new, maybe 70's, 80's. I just finished binge watching 6 seasons of Downton Abbey so I was feeling nostalgic. I appreciated the early 20th century automobile on display. They have some of the early cameras, cash registers. It looks more extensive online than it actually is. What I appreciated the most is the memorial of fallen Canadian soldiers during ww1. I still encourage people to see this to catch a glimpse of the old Surrey and it's free!

It was my first time visiting in a long while, so my aunty brought me to the museum to check out,…read moresince it was pouring outside. It was a cool and informative spot that gave you a nice surface level on the history of Vancouver, BC. The information wasn't too excessive and the props and displays were well positioned. They even had nice areas throughout the museum that made a good spot for a quick photoshoot! Unfortunately, the staff were not friendly and were bery dismissive and lacked information when asked. There were two at the front desk that were judgemental, as well, as they made some rude comments about us to one another.

This was an absolutely lovely museum. Thank you for hosting us last week at Indigenomics IMPACT…read more The best part of the experience was that all the panels were held in a planetarium and this is the first planetarium I've ever seen with a stage. It made the conference that much more awesome. HIGHLY recommend the museum as an event space! And wish I had more time to view the exhibits, but of what I did see, the retro/back-in-time exhibit was my favorite. It even had a working juke box!

This is an eight acre area right by the water that is the original location of early canning,…read morefishing, and boat building that fueled commerce in the area. The area is accessible as you stroll down a level wooden boardwalk with offshoots to the Shipyard building, Murakami house, Chinese bunkhouse, and other homes that served to house the European, Japanese, Chinese and Indigenous workers who gathered here. Be sure to check out Murakami Boatworks building, as there are boatbuilding programs and maritime demonstrations. There are a host of informational signs, and as I came here right after my visit to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, I felt like I had a broader understanding of the history of the area. If you're not into history, you can check out the waterfowl that congregate on the banks of the river.

Every time I visit Steveston, two things are guaranteed: I will get the best fish and chips at…read morePajo's and have dinner on a bench on the boardwalk, overlooking the waterway and ships; and, I will go to the "village" of historic, heritage buildings that made up this booming maritime village 100+ years ago. (Only recently have I learned that this village of old, waterfront maritime buildings is known collectively as the Britannia Shipyards. I always called it "the old village"). History nerd that I am, I'm always fascinated by historical sites where you can immerse yourself and really "see" life how it was lived in earlier times. This is such a place. I always bring out-of-towners here and, without exception, they all have loved it and learned a lot about life in this area a century ago, and the maritime history of Vancouver. And as many times as I've been here, I never get tired of it. In fact, I always learn something new, too. I could be wrong, but I think this year, they outdid themselves. I visited a few weeks ago (mid-August 2022) and it was better than ever. I think they have new signage erected. More of the buildings were open (in past visits, some buildings were closed and some were off-bounds due to school groups going through them. This time, every building was open and my kid and I were able to tour every one). Furthermore, this year, there were guided tours of the buildings (twice a day!), vintage wooden ships moored along the docks, lots of exhibits in the various maritime buildings, costumed interpreters and historical demonstrations, too. The staff were super nice and very knowledgable, and they had free activity books for the kids (or the kids at heart, like myself lol) which provided a lot of historical background of the area in a manner that kids would understand and enjoy. (I posted a few photos of this activity book with this review). This is a great place for families with young kids, as it is super engaging for young children. And older folks love it too, for its historical significance. And for folks who aren't into history, they too seem to love this area as it is SO picturesque, along a wooden trail along the water, with a beautiful old garden in one area, and picture-postcard ships along the waterway. It's just a pretty, pretty area and a lovely leisurely walk, even if you're not into the history of it all. Those of us who call Vancouver home are so lucky to have areas like this preserved, where we can see and feel how life was here in the past, so we can see where we as a city came from.

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.

The Canadian Museum of Flight is located at Langley Regional Airport, Langley, BC, on Canada's…read morePacific coast. The Museum's mission is bringing British Columbia's Aviation Past into the Future.

This is great place for kids and adults be kids as well…read more They have great selection of antique air crafts. Some you can sit on it and some you can walk in side. They have try to provide much information about the each museum item. What they dont have is guide to take us around and help to answer few questions. Back of the museum is over looking the runner way and it great to watch Langley Air port activities like take of landing, refuelling plans and any other movements.

Oriented to the maritime history of Vancouver, the West Coast of Canada, and the Arctic…read more Many ship models, marine artifacts, reconstructed ship sections, and a simulated ship bridge. The main exhibit is the St. Roch, an RCMP vessel designed and built for the Arctic seas. The history of the ship and its crew is a compelling story to read. Totally enclosed inside its own structure, protecting it from the elements. Some exhibits were closed, and admission was discounted. Pay to park is available.

This museum is a great place to know Vancouvers maritime history. Well maintained and clean. They…read morehave strict instructions about the paths to take and where to go in and come out from. We visited today (June 14th 2020) and due to covid, the place was empty. Also as of today, the ship on display is only available to explore up to the deck. The other areas (cabin, rooms etc) have to be viewed on an interactive pad. The paintings are stunning but the ship models are breathtaking. Go there with some time in your hand to read the information which is super interesting. Over all a great place.