Britannia Mine Museum

I will be dead honest and say this was a total joke of a «museum».
First and foremost there are VERY few exhibits to view. I am talking like 2 small buildings full of material.
Second most of the items were not even labeled or catalogued. My wife and I were looking at several things wondering what the hell we were looking at. Is that not what a museum is about? Maybe you could let a few school kids research and label for you.
Third was the train ride. Wow. You go in 30 feet, stop, listen to a drill, watch the lights go off, and hear another machine. That is your 45 minute underground tour. Also please do not try and fit 36 people on that train (aka 3 to a row about 3 ½ ft). Works with children. Not adults.
Last was the price. 30 bucks a person is downright piracy for what you get. Oh and I loved the «We are not a profit museum» sign every couple of yards. Please… lol

We hadn’t planned on going here but headed back to Vancouver from the sea to sky ride we decided to stop. We are so glad we did. It was fascinating to learn about the mining town and the procedures the miners had to follow. You take a short train trip into the middle of the mountain to learn about the responsibilities of a miner and then walk through the mines for a short distance. The highlight of the tour is the mill in which they retrieve the minerals. Walking in through the barn doors there is not way to describe the colossal 8 story interior. It is beyond words to imagine a mere few decades ago men were still climbing the stairs that lead to the top (which you cannot even see-​that is how high up the ceilings are). There is also a few more exhibits to see and gold panning for kids (and adults!).

Expect some loud noises! My experience was great due to the amazing staff and especially if you have a very knowledgable tour guide. The tour guide who brought the guest into the tunnels talked about when the mine first opened and how life was like back then until the days before the mine closed. It gave guest a perspective as to how the lifestyle was like back then. Outside on the grounds of the mine was semi interactive for kids and adults to experience being in a cart and panning for copper/​gold.
It would of been nice to see the lifestyle that people had back in the days when the mine was opened.
Side note: dress warmly. The tunnels can be pretty damp.

Informative and gives you an idea of what mining life was like back in the day. However I would’ve liked a longer tour of the mine itself. Ticket was $ 27 per person. Seemed a little steep of an entrance for what it had to offer. All in all, glad we went but we did leave wanting a longer more I depth tour of the mines themselves.

I think I got my childhood dream of exploring a coal mine from several Nintendo/​Sega video games that for some reason took place in mines (Sonic, Donkey Kong, Mario, etc.) That dream was fulfilled at the Britannia Mine Museum! Maybe we weren’t racing down the tracks and dodging bats, but the whole experience was still pretty cool, and I’d say worth paying the $ 20+ fee at least once.
They give you a fascinating history of mining — one of those things most people wouldn’t look up on their own but when you’re in the depths of the mountain its suddenly fascinating. The old town surrounding mine has a ghosty feel to it… hard to believe a community once thrived at Britannia Beach. The old pictures are haunting. Some of the original buildings still stand and you can explore them and their exhibits at your leisure.
Also, for any X-​Files fans, they filmed a very important episode at this mine in Season Two. A great stop along your self-​guided Vancouver X-​Files tour.
Not to mention the breathtaking drive on the way to mine.
If you’re looking for a good, relaxed and unique restaurant to check out when you’re finished, go to Mountain Woman for their fish and chips or buffalo burgers. Just a short walk away from the museum, and a gorgeous view of Howe Sound.

The tour was great. Had a wonderful time. Staff was amazing and helpful. Tour was informative and fun Had fun panning for gold

Wow! We’ve been visiting Whistler for 15 years and this is the first time we made the effort to stop. A rainy spring day off from skiing led us here. So glad we visited. Melinda was an enjoyable guide, and I think the tour can be summed up in the little boy’s question before we went on the tram, «Is this a magic mine?» We found 3 flecks of gold while gold panning, our 16 y.o. girls loved the exhibits, and how can you go wrong with a huge Tonka truck?

Amazing what people can accomplish and what people can do to each other. When you see the main processing building and see the 70 degree stairs that the workers had to climb, the machinery they had to operate at their peril and the working conditions, you will be reminded of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
Oh the tour, they take you into the mine in an old mine train and demonstrate the drills that were used at different periods.
The drive from Vancouver is gorgeous.
They even talk about the environmental consequences of the mine and what happened to the water quality after the mine closed.

It’s not everyday that one can visit a mining museum this close to a city, in this part of the world.
Parking is available in a nice large lot in front.
Admission is $ 21.50 for adults and $ 13.50 for kids. Not bad for 1 – 2 people, but if you have a large family, hopefully you have deep pockets.
Good:
Train ride — this covers only a small portion of what’s actually there (there are actually 200+ km of tunnel), but you get an idea of the insanely dark and miserable conditions that the miners had to go through.
Tool demo (during the train ride) — holy geez that wood drill is loud! How technology has advanced beyond that drill, and candlelight!
Mill #3 (that huge building you see as you drive by) — no idea how they managed to build the entire structure in only 18 months. There is a ridiculous amount of engineering inside this building. There’s also a reason they use this building for filming horror flicks — there are 500 ways to die in here without anybody noticing.
Gold panning — most places charge extra, but it’s free and unlimited here. And the best part? There is still gold left in the sand. Patience is your best friend.
Bad:
The initial part of the museum — film was meh, and the main exhibit was rather lacking. The mineral and gold displays were pretty neat though. Oh, and don’t forget to hit the dynamite plunger near the entrance. Boom.
This attraction is definitely checking out once. Put it on your bucket lists.

Very interesting, great guide (Kevin), gold panning was fun but not worth $ 21.50 per person for an adult.
It was neat to visit and had loads of interesting information but I found it to be extremely over priced. Paying $ 43 for a couple to go in is not worth it.

We were driving from Vancouver to Whistler and saw the giant truck off the road. When you see a giant truck, you stop to take a picture, right? Well, we ended up stopping and doing the entire tour.
This is clearly a place where all West Coast Canadian fourth graders go on a field trip. This being said, us thirty-​something year old tourists, had a great time. We spent about an hour and half, we did the mine tour and poked around the grounds, deciding to skip the museum portion in a rush to get to Whistler.
The staff is great and we enjoyed the tour, which is educational, but also has moments of ‘oh, that’s so cool” and «wow». At one point this was the biggest copper mine in the British Empire. It’s an impressive place.
Great for elementary aged and older kids. The walk to the mine tour has a lot of steps and uneven terrain… it is not handicap or stroller accessible. The grounds do have nice waiting areas, including a café and gift shop.
This is a great side activity while driving through.

One of the biggest highlights of our entire 21 day road trip from Los Angeles to Whistler and back!
We had driven north to Whistler and missed this place entirely. Heading back to Vancouver we saw the ginormous dump truck and turned around. I wanted a picture next to it but it was at night. They have fencing and a moat around it so we did not even try.
The next day we went back. It was cheap by Canadian standards, under $ 100 to get a family of 4 in. They have a neat museum with all sorts of displays telling the history about the mine.
When it was our turn to go into the mine, we put on real hard hats and boarded real mine cars and rode into the mine. To my surprise, they actually had multiple demonstrations of mining equipment and it gave us an incredible feeling of what it was like to work in a mine.
After leaving the mine, we went through the core sample room, which was impressive because of it’s age. Then we went into the massive ore processing building that is over 7 stories high and built into the mountain. This was awesome. I especially liked the vertical railway built to go from the bottom of the building to the top.
After this, the tour was over. We roamed the grounds and looked at more displays which were well done. There was a room that had lots of artifacts from the people that used to live at the mine. Finally, there was an area we could pan for gold which the kids loved.
All in all a great time and my kids (8 and 10) loved it.

⁸⁄₃₀ Day Challenge!
Coming from Vancouver up the Sea-​to-​Sky highway towards Whislter, this hard to miss building is just before the city of Squamish. There is a huge yellow dump truck that is probably about the size of 50 minivans parks right by the highway.
Growing up in Vancouver and driving pass the mine museum many times, I’ve always wondered if you actaully get to go into the mines. Decided to finally check it out bc of a Groupon and OMG! YES you do!
The train ride into the mine isnt very long, but you get to walk around. Just being able to see the old working environment, the tools they used, the darkness, really allows you to relive it a little.
The tour is must. There is also a 15 min intro video that goes into the history is also a must watch. Gold panning is super fun if you have the patience. We were able to pan out small piece of copper, fools gold, as well as some semi precious gem stones.
I definitely recommend that you check this place out. Tour + Roaming around, allow for about 2 hours.

Picked up a groupon and went with my wife and baby. Was a neat tour. They indicated that there was loud noises on the tour but could have baby avoid them. Once on the tour we couldn’t avoid it. That was the only negative. Tour person was super friendly, was educational and fascinating. Would recommend for adults with teenagers. Would be not so great with a toddler or a preteen I suspect.

First off, I would like to point out that this was not my idea. Somehow I got suckered into this little day trip by «friends». Now I like diamonds, don’t get me wrong, and I’m a huge fan of Snow White and the 7 Dwarves, but this was a copper mine. Sure, it was the largest copper mine to the British Commonwealth back in the day, but frankly if it ain’t bling, then I don’t give a damn.
The cost to get in was like $ 24 after tax (holy shitballs right?) or if you’re hardcore you can get a membership for $ 47 although I’m not sure why you would ever want to go back cuz it’s freakin BORING. That’s probably why they rape you on the entrance fee, they know you ain’t comin back. There was some buildings to wander through and look at old machines and little rail cart things, and then there was a tour into a cave on a little train. Imagine me, all diva’d up going through a stanky-​ass cave where miners worked.
I had to wear a hard hat to go in.
Ummm… no. First off, we have a hair problem. My hair does not fit under a hard hat. Secondly, it is cold in those caves damnit! If you enjoy livin life like a scrub, maybe this tour is for you, just throw on your grubbies and get dirty. I felt like freakin Zoolander down there!
There were some interesting things about the tour that I learned from our guide, like when she turned the lights off and showed us what it would have been like for the miners working romantically by candlelight. That’s when it occurred to me that maybe this tour could be alright if it had a facelift. To me, this tour would be way cooler if they told you the dark history of the mines, and ghost stories about people who still live in the mines, cuz creepy shit is cool and interesting. Tell us about how many times the XFiles filmed up here and which episodes they were, give us something to relate to!
All in all, I did my civic duty by supporting this non-​profit charity and paying their crazy entrance fee, but it wasn’t really my piece of pumpkin pie. If you like minerals, maybe this mine would interest you, but if you like rocks (like me haha!) perhaps you should give this one a skip.

I love this museum. I bought a Groupon last year and took my parents, thinking it would kill a couple of hours and be kind of interesting. It was amazing, and my parents were super impressed. The museum itself is great, the video is humorous and interesting and the displays are great. The restored buildings and information about the people who worked and lived near the mind was awesome, but the tour of the mine itself is incredible. The staff are awesome, informative and funny, the information is at a level that is understandable and interesting but not overly «dummied down», and they infuse the right mix of humour and human element into mining. It’s fantastic, and totally worth the stop. 2 hours is a great amount of time to spend, and every penny of your admission is going to the restoration of this amazing site. Really great, a must-​stop along the sea to sky!

The tour was fun and quite educational. Like that I actually got to walk around inside the tunnel a bit. Experienced the dark working mining environment in the early 1900 was awesome. They did restored the place and it was full of interesting displays. The highlight for me was to be in Mill #3. One question though: Is that gold I see in my pile of sand?

Wow, what a fun day I had here! Aside from how cool the trip inside the mine was, the drive up was an amazing and beautiful break from the reality of city life/​exam studying.
Admission is a little steep at $ 21.50 for adults, although it’s definitely reasonable as to why because they are doing lots of restoration and everything is kept in really good shape. Students get a couple bucks off, I think it’s $ 16, but we had two groupons anyway so we paid $ 20 for two admissions. The admission price includes a tour underground in the mine, through the newest processing mill, and a few of the outdoor exhibits. This is also a very kid-​friendly place, and most of the kids there seemed to enjoy the panning for (real!) gold as well as climbing around all of the cool props.
One things I really enjoyed about the trip was learning about the cultural history of Squamish. Since I’m pretty new to BC, I basically had no prior knowledge so that was really cool for me. I’d love to come back here sometime.

This is a great stop between Whistler and Vancouver to spend as little as one hour, or half a day. We stopped here on the way back to Vancouver with our kids (4 and 2). While the admission is pricey ($ 21.50 CAD for adults, but free for kids under 5), this included the underground mine tour, as well as all of the different museum exhibits. The adults can really enjoy many aspects of this museum, while several hands on and interactive displays were great for kids such as the gold panning area.
I think the best part of this visit is the underground tour into the mine on a small train. But be warned, there is a long wooden staircase (47 steps) up to the entrance, which would not be wheelchair or stroller friendly. Additionally, there are several parts of the underground tour with loud noises (earplugs provided) which may scare younger kids. It is decently lit inside, but not for the claustrophobic either. The end of the underground tour ends on the other side of the mill, so those backing out at the last minute will have to walk down the stairs, around to the other side of the museum, and up a gravel hill to meet rest of your group (as my son had to do).
Last, bring a sweatshirt or light sweater as the underground part is cooler (54 degrees F). Also, there is only a small snack bar at the museum for ice cream, ships or sodas, and not a great lunch stop. Parking is ample in the free gravel lot.

Every time I have one of those days in the office when I think things are tough and boo-​hoo, poor me, I think back to our visit to the BC Museum of Mining. The tour through the mine reminded me that (a) there are way worse jobs in the world [1], and (b) at least my job won’t literally kill me. When they demonstrated the evolution of different drills with names like the widow-​maker, the only differentiation was this one will kill you quick (recoil) or slow (inhalation of toxic fumes).
It isn’t all doom and gloom and it was pretty interesting stuff. The mine was in operation from 1904 — 1974 churning out tons of copper ore. You can take an underground tour, complete with hard hats, of the mine and there is an area outside to pan for gold and specks of precious gems. Both were a huge hit with the kids. I was more awestruck by the mill with all the levels and almost vertical tracks to transport the ore (cue childhood nightmares of runaway trains).
And there is a little bit of Hollywood magic here since the underground mine, mill and historic village have been used in over 50 movies and TV shows (Insomnia, MacGyver, Double Jeopardy, Scooby Doo Two, Smallville, The X Files, Dark Angel). They have autographed photos of the stars in the Chatterbox gift shop alongside minerals, rocks, fossils and jewelry for sale. The museum is located between Vancouver and Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway, so it was a perfect spot to stop on our drive to Whistler.
[1] The entry level job for every miner was to haul the portable crapper around the mine. That way they learned the tunnel system and met all of the miners.