Tours & Programs
Story Time
Weekdays at 10:30am & 3:30pm, Weekends at 3:30pm
Enjoy a biodiversity story with our museum educators.
What’s that Smell? Puppet Show
Weekends at 10:30am
Barry, the black bear cub, delights in the variety of scents in the local forest and ocean habitat around him. He will use his keen nose to get to the bottom of a mysterious odour with the help of human visitors like you!
Naturalist 101
Daily at 12:30pm
It’s your chance to develop your naturalist skills, identifying and learning about the life history of organisms from BC. How much do you know about small mammals? Discover the amazing world of mice, voles, shrews, and rats with this hands-on activity.
Backyard Biodiversity Tour
Weekdays at 3:00pm, Weekends at 11:30am & 3:00pm
By looking closely at the life around us, we can further appreciate backyard biodiversity. On this tour, you will explore the museum’s collections while discovering rare, cryptic, and genetic diversity in our incredible, provincial backyard.
Raising Big Blue Documentary
Daily at 10:30am, 1:30pm & 4:00pm
Mark Miller Productions and the Discovery Channel present Raising Big Blue, a documentary feature following the story of our blue whale skeleton from PEI to Victoria to Vancouver. See the behind-the-scenes drama involved in recovering, cleaning, and restoring the skeleton of the largest creature on earth. Watch this featured film in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum’s Allan Yap Biodiversity Theatre. Run time is approximately 45 minutes. Parental accompaniment is required. Some imagery may be overwhelming for sensitive visitors.
To check our daily schedule visit the What’s On Today page.
Drop-In Activities
Discovery Lab
Visitors of all ages can get hands-on in the lab through our new stations; exploring writing, making, magnifying, crafting, and getting up close to real museum specimens.
Scavenger Hunt
Build your own backyard biodiversity field guide through twelve exhibits in the Beaty Museum. Complete one page or more each time you visit; take home your book after assembling it in the Discovery Lab
Backyard Biodiversity Trivia
Our ocean backyard is home to many amazing creatures. Test yourself at our trivia station!
Whale station
Learn about Blue Whales, the largest creature to ever have lived on earth, at our Blue Whale station. Answer whale trivia; try your hand at the bone puzzle; and, if you are brave enough, smell 20-year old blubber recovered from our blue whale skeleton.
Self-Guided Activities
Looking for activities or lesson plans to participate in before, during and/or after your visit? Check out our Educator Resources page for
Scavenger Hunts
Nature Guides & Logs
Crafts & Activities
Pre & Post Museum Visit Activities
Additional Resources for Educators
Many of our activities are organized into Beginner, Moderate and Challenging categories or have a grade level indicated so it is easy to find something for every age and stage.
Looking for more in-depth information for older kids? Many of our Collection webpages have further activities and information such as our Entomological Collection and Fish Collection.
It costs only $35 for a Family – 2 adults and 4 children, to spend the day at the Museum. Kids under 5 are free. Or for $70 get a Family Membership which pays for itself in two visits.