The Britannia Mine Museum will reopen to members and Squamish residents this weekend and then to general public on Monday, June 1.
The mine will have new COVID-19 safety measures and procedures in place, including enhanced staff training, opening with limited attendance and tour sizes, advanced ticketing and reservation required, accommodating appropriate physical distancing, and implementing site sanitation protocols.
Operating hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with limited guided tours and BOOM! showings in order to maintain proper physical distancing.
People are being asked to check the museum’s website for specific tour times and to purchase tickets in advance.
“Our team at the Britannia Mine Museum has been working hard to get our operations back up and running so that we can once again welcome visitors,” says Kirstin Clausen, Executive Director at the Britannia Mine Museum.
“We are facing challenging times, and the safety and well-being of all our visitors and staff have been at the forefront of all our planning efforts. It is important for our future viability that we figure out how to do business in these new times and I thank our communities, members and our supporters for their encouragement to do so.”
Visitors can enjoy fun, educational exhibits, attractions and crowd favourites, like:
BOOM! Mill Show: A live-action, multi-sensory special effects experience that brings the historic 20-storey Mill building back to life, transporting visitors back in time to the 1920s when the Mine was booming as the largest copper producer in the British Commonwealth.
Historic Mill Building: A National Historic Site and one of the last remaining gravity-fed concentrator mills in North America, the 20-storey Mill building has been the symbol of Britannia throughout the years. Restored in 2007, each of the 14,416 panes of glass was hand-puttied into the frames to maintain its heritage and the building can be seen from miles away on the Sea-to-Sky highway.
Underground Mine & Train Ride: A memorable underground train that takes visitors deep inside a mining tunnel where they will experience what life was like for miners in the 70 years Britannia existed as a mine.
Beaty-Lundin Visitor Centre: The central exhibit hall that houses several mining displays, a mineral gallery, theatre space, and gift shop.
Machine Shop – The 1908 Machine Shop is home to a number of historic machines and equipment donated by mining companies from across the country.
The Britannia Story Building – A fully restored heritage building that features the stories of the Britannia Beach community ranging from love letters and antiques to historic photos and videos of former Copper Queens, showcasing what life was like in the old mining town.
Gold Panning Area – A scenic boardwalk and cedar-post covered area where people can spend hours panning for gems and real gold.
