 Coast Salish Dancer,
Chris Cheadle photo Forestry and fishing industries have played an integral role in shaping the history of Vancouver Island. The BC Forest Discovery Centre provides interactive exhibits, as well as restored machinery and vehicles. The Whale Centre & Maritime Museum in Tofino specifically focuses on the Pacific Coast whaling industry. Learn More about Museums in the Vancouver Island regionMaritime Museum of British Columbia
U'mista Cultural Centre
Quw'ustun' Cultural & Conference Centre
BC Forest Discovery Centre
Whale Centre Maritime Museum
Qualicum Beach Museum & Historical Society  The Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria displays more than 5,000 nautical artifacts on three floors, including the 150-year-old Tilikum, a three-masted, converted dugout canoe. The Museum's galleries include exhibits of early Pacific exploration, shipwrecks, piracy, traditions of the Royal Canadian Navy, coastal passenger ships, and the whaling industry.
 The U'mista Cultural Centre brings the heritage of Alert Bay's First Nations to life through exhibits, films and live traditional ceremonies. The main exhibit, "The Potlatch Collection," is housed in a ceremonial longhouse, and displays potlatch regalia, such as masks, baskets and copper implements.
 The Quw'ustun' Cultural Centre in Duncan features live demonstrations, hands-on activities, and a moving multi-media presentation of their oral history. The Centre has 2.4ha/6ac of landscaped grounds and a number of traditional buildings to stroll through.
 The BC Forest Discovery Centre chronicles the history of logging in the British Columbia. There are indoor and outdoor exhibits, including operating steam and gas rail equipment plus logging trucks. Visitors can also enjoy a ride on the 1920s steam train.
The Whale Centre Maritime Museum houses an eclectic collection of artifacts, old photographs and wildlife exhibits that was collected and donated by Tofino locals. Items on display include a complete 12m/40ft whale skeleton, native jewellery, basketry and whaling equipment, a stuffed bald eagle, ancient navigational charts, and sea-life composites.
Qualicum Beach Museum & Historical Society features an excellent paleontology exhibit, which includes a 70,000-year-old walrus skeleton.
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