Summer is buzzing at the Britannia Mine Museum with daily drop-in interactive science, history and 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 which are all included with admissions from now to September 1st.
Step into the Terra Lab STEAM learning space and take part in the daily drop-in interactive sessions “Live in the Lab: Chemistry of Cleanup”from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. These hands-on experiences invite guests to roll up their sleeves and explore the science behind environmental remediation and sustainability. Learn how natural elements like rain, oxygen, and minerals contribute to acid rock drainage, and discover innovative methods used to mitigate its impact.
Inside the Britannia Story building at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., visitors can learn about “Whatever Happened to Mt. Sheer?”, the historic mining townsite hidden deep in the mountains above Britannia Beach. While life up on the hill can be challenging and isolated, the Mt. Sheer townsite, was where miners and their families lived in cottages, bunkhouses and a hotel, which was separate from the Britannia Beach townsite located at the base of the mountain. At one point in 1940, the population at Mt. Sheer reached 1,200 with 200 families and it was a vibrant community with a cookhouse, recreation centre, theatre, high school, hospital and even an outdoor swimming pool. Learn what happened to this townsite and what is still left up at Mt. Sheer.
Also inside the Britannia Story building at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., 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 when there was a 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 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 plus time for Q&A afterwards.
On Monday, August 4th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the museum will be celebrating BC Day with fun games and live music from the ensemble band, The Little Mountain Brass Band, who will be performing 30-minute sets at 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Vancouver-based British-style brass band ensemble is a group of musicians with dazzlingly polished brass instruments featuring cornets, flugelhorn, Eb alto (tenor) horns, baritone horns, euphoniums, trombones, basses and percussion. From humble beginnings, the band has developed over the years to become a popular ensemble in Greater Vancouver, performing concerts in the Lower Mainland, the Okanagan, and Whistler, amongst others.
The museum’s 50th Anniversary exhibit, A Museum’s Journey, is also on showcase from now until Sunday, September 21st, 2025. The exhibit takes visitors on a journey through time looking back throughout the decades on how the museum has changed and developed in its 50 years history since it first opened as a museum in 1975.
The 50th anniversary exhibit features interactive displays and never-before-seen archival photos and news clippings from deep within the museum’s collections, which has grown to include several historical buildings, more than 7,000 artifacts, over 11,000 photos, and 3,000 archival documents. Each of the last five decades of the museum’s history is highlighted and explored from the grooving 70s, retro 80s and Y2K right up to modern-day 2025.
Located 45 minutes north of Vancouver on the picturesque Sea-to-Sky highway, the Britannia Mine Museum provides unique and memorable experiences that engage visitors of all ages. Visitors can enjoy fun exhibits and crowd favourites like the underground mine train, gold panning, the award-winning special effects BOOM! show inside the historic 20-storey concentrator Mill building, the minerals and gem gallery, the gift shop and theBeaty Lundin Visitor Centre.
