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.
Our Famous Fossil Tours
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 be available in the early spring.
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.
Current Exhibit
Dinosaurs of BC
Now until February 1, 2025
Dig into prehistoric British Columbia and get up close and personal with “Buster”, the Iron Lizard of the Sustut River, and the other dinosaurs that once roamed the province’s highest peaks, densest forests and most remote river basins. Through research done by the Royal BC Museum’s palaeontology team, we’re learning just how many ancient creatures once called these lands home.
Upcoming Events
Elasmosaur’s Birthday
11am – 2pm on November 16, 2024
Courtenay’s very own Puntledge River elasmosaur is turning 80,000,036 this November! Join us at the museum on Saturday, November 16th for a special birthday party for the elasmosaur and celebrate its official designation as the provincial fossil of BC.
Lecture: A New Look at the Dinosaurs of British Columbia
7pm on December 3, 2024
Dinosaur fossils are rare in British Columbia compared to places like Alberta or Montana, but new research by the Royal BC Museum’s palaeontology team is uncovering the stories of BC’s dinosaurs from all corners of the province and through over 40 million years of geologic time.
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.
