Welcome to the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre Courtenay, Vancouver Island.
Open Hours
Tuesday – Saturday
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
For over 50 years we’ve been keen about the natural and cultural heritage of the breathtaking Comox Valley, located on the shores of the Strait of Georgia – and we like to show it off. Are we serious about what we do? You bet – award winning natural and cultural history, academic research, interpretation, preservation – and having fun!
Be our guest to find out why the Comox Valley – past and present, is one of the most plentiful places on earth. Take a fossil tour and travel 80 million years back in time; browse our galleries to delve into the stories that make our history come alive.
Fossil Tours are Back!
Our very popular, fun and informative fossil tours are back! It’s an exciting outing for you or visiting friends & family! Due to the popularity of the tour, pre-booking is required and weather dependent in early spring and late fall. Tours will run Tuesday to Saturday, at 9am and 1pm.
Your adventure begins in the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Center where our informative guide will give a brief lecture about the famous discoveries made in the local area.
A short 10 minute drive and an easy 5 minute forested walk brings you to one of the many beautiful fossil sites along local rivers. Here, you’ll experience the thrill of hands-on discovery. After a brief discussion about the history of the site and proper collection techniques, participants will have a chance to find a fossil of their very own. Hammers, chisels and goggles will be supplied. You can keep any fossils that you find on the tour. If the species is of scientific value, you may be asked to donate the fossil to the museum collection, with the finder’s name attached.
Upcoming Exhibit
Models & Miniatures
Opening Late April
Explore this exhibit as if you were a giant, and enjoy the new perspective that miniatures give us to see the world. This Courtenay and District Museum curated exhibit showcases items of various scales and sizes almost entirely from the museum’s collection. These artifacts represent well over 100 years of artists with a deep understanding of dimension, texture, and detail.
Our New Book!
Step into Wilderness
A Pictorial History of Outdoor Exploration in and around the Comox Valley
by Deborah Griffiths, Christine Dickinson, Judy Hagen, Catherine Siba
From shores to peaks, Step into Wilderness recounts moments of ingenuity and hardship as well as fun and enjoyment in and around the Comox Valley.
The spectacular landscapes in and surrounding the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island have long shaped the lives of the valley’s diverse inhabitants. From expansive shorelines to snowy mountain peaks, the region’s wide variety of attractions – including such landmarks as Forbidden Plateau, Comox Glacier and Mount Washington – have lured people over their thresholds for sustenance, recreation and survival.
Featured Video
Learning with Finley: Episode 1, Finley Discovers the Elasmosaur
Explore the exhibits and collections of the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre with Finley the Fish a curious fish who wants to learn all about the Courtenay and District Museum’s exhibits and collections. Finley invites children to learn with him as he explores the museum’s natural history galleries and delves into the elasmosaur discovery, how ammonites got their shape and name, mysteries of the rat fish, how mosasaurs roamed the sea and more.
