Museums
Antiques in a window (David Gluns photo)
Sechelt and the surrounding area offer several compact, intriguing museums that bring the Sunshine Coast's culture and history to life.
House of Héwhíwus (House of Chiefs)
The House of Héwhíwus, or House of Chiefs, proudly documents the culture of the Sechelt Nation, who have resided on the Sunshine Coast for thousands of years. Exhibits showcase traditional weaving and salmon-smoking methods, colourful masks and paddles, stone carvings, and more. Performances with live singing and dancing take place in the adjacent Raven's Cry Theatre.
Ask museum staffers about Talaysay Tours, which offers customized kayaking tours in Porpoise Bay Provincial Park, including viewing First Nations pictographs and enjoying traditional meals.
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Sunshine Coast Museum
Located about 23km/14mi south in Gibsons, the Sunshine Coast Museum sits in the historic Gibsons Landing section of town overlooking the harbour. It was founded in 2002. Beyond the gift shop, the two-floor museum teems with intriguing memorabilia and is loaded with books on BC history.
Visitors can learn about local maritime history, spanning from explorer Captain George Vancouver to the 19th-century Union Steamships. They can also admire a model of a Coast Salish village, pore over vintage logging equipment, and get their pop culture kicks from exhibits on the hit CBC TV series The Beachcombers (filmed in Gibsons for 19 years) and baseball star Ryan Dempster, a Gibsons native. With 9,000-plus documents and photographs, the on-site archives are worth checking out too.
More Sunshine Coast Museums
In the seaside village of Egmont, 51km/32mi north of Sechelt, the Egmont Heritage Centre has welcomed visitors since 2006. The 279sq m/3,000sq ft museum is situated across the road from the entrance to Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park, and displays everything from First Nations artifacts to ship steering wheels to old salmon can labels.
Nature lovers and families with children are well-advised to visit the Iris Griffith Interpretive Centre. It's housed in an environmentally friendly building next to the Denise Cargill Wildlife Sanctuary, which abounds with dragonflies, turtles, and various bird species. Learn about the nesting habits of marbled murrelets in old-growth forests, check out salamanders in aquariums, or view samples of the ancient yellow cedar trees in the nearby Caren Range.
For more details on museums in Sechelt and the surrounding area stop by the Visitor Centre.
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