The Exploration Place Science Centre and Museum

Are you an explorer? How about a historian?  Ever touched a corn snake or watched a turtle being fed (did you know they have to eat in water)?  If you have an interest in science or a love for history or dinosaurs, then The Exploration Place is where you’ll want to hang out!

The Exploration Place is a combination of a museum and science centre, housing both live critters and interpretive galleries of science and history.

23,000 square feet make up the fun that is The Exploration Place, with over 8 galleries to visit. Travel back millions of years in the paleo gallery, put your head inside a T-Rex skull and dig for moulds of fossils.  Or, give your feet a rest and let the kids run wild in the Children’s gallery.  A sternwheeler play centre is the focus of this gallery complete with slides and fun house mirrors.  Or, have your kids learn about river systems with the water table.

Moving upstairs you enter the world of the First Nations and local history.  Learn about what our first aboriginal people have experienced through the seasons.  The history hall comes complete with a billiards table which came over on the BX Steamer- check out the authentic boot marks left on the table from the loggers! 

If billiards aren’t your game, try your hand at figuring out what our critters are; Have you ever seen a Madagascan hissing cockroach?  And how much DO you know about a rosy haired tarantula? (did you know only the females will moult?) The Explorations Gallery will blow your mind with all the cool live critters and unique specimens of the wild world.

The Sports Hall of Fame is our newest gallery and contains our very cool Citizen Sports machine. This interactive machine has 5 sports you can actually play- hockey, soccer, football, basketball and baseball. This machine measures things such as accuracy and speed and has proven to be a very popular addition to our museum. There is also a punching bag, boxing display and many other hands on and “body on” activities.  

Been collecting some interesting things on the road?  Bring in your natural items that you or your kids have found in nature and tell them what you know.  The Nature Exchange gallery is a kind of swap shop.  They’ll award points based on how much you know and then you can trade them in for things in their collection.  Collect 25,000 points and you could trade in for a genuine shark’s jaw!

Finally, if you’re not too exhausted, take a ride in the Via Virtual Voyages theatre - you’ll get petrified trying to free the Tyrannosaurus Rex, or be amazed by the underwater world while searching for the giant squid.

Hours of Operation:                 

Monday to Sunday 10am-5pm from May long weekend thru Thanksgiving weekend

Wednesday to Sunday 10am-5pm from Thanksgiving weekend thru to May long weekend.