Burnaby Village Museum & Carousel

I came for the free christmas lights, but was pleasantly surprised at all the other things happening. I guess I haven’t been since I was a kid, so it was pretty fun to check out all the different areas and actors telling us about the moving of the houses and the trains running through burnaby back then! There was a scavenger hunt for kiddies and yummy hot chocolate and mini donuts to keep you warm. The smell in the ice cream shop was pretty appetizing, we may be back for some cheap date night dinners :) I also popped into the little gift shop by the carousel and found some reasonably priced handmade christmas ornaments for stocking stuffers! Very fun winter date material here :)

Went to this place with my husband for their Christmas display. It was actually a lot of fun! I highly recommend it for a interesting date night. The carrousel is fum for all ages! Loved it!

This open-​air museum is one of the coolest ones I have been! Recreated as a Canadian village of what Burnaby was like in the early 1900s, this museum park features many authentic-​looking «downtown» complete with an auto shop, a bank, a saloon, and even a tram stop with a restored tram.
You can even walk in these buildings too!
The best part is that almost all buildings are manned by enthusiastic volunteers who are more than happy to tell you about the lifestyle of 1900s, and some buildings have hands-​on experiences. Plan to spend a few hours here to get the most out of this museum. I highly recommend this free-​admission attraction especially for family fun!

Neat little museum located conveniently close to Deer Lake Park. Great for learning about the history of Burnaby. Could’ve guessed but didn’t know that the city is named after a guy.
Parking is available in the nice large lot in front of the entrance building. If this fills up, there are plenty of spots on the side streets.
The hours a bit short, even during the summer, but if one moves at a moderate pace, it’s possible to see the entire location.
Special mention goes to the quaint little historic street. It’s very well maintained, and because of the surrounding trees blocking out all the nearby modern buildings, it feels just like travelling back in time. Very easy to lose oneself in this setting. There is an ice cream parlour that also serves food at one end of the street, as well as tiny little church that can be rented out for weddings.
The exhibits can feel a bit empty, but the displays are very informative.
Another special mention is the blacksmith demo. This is honestly a dying art, so it’s neat to see what life was like before the age of computers. I’m sure the little kids got as much of a kick out of this as my friends and I did.
I couldn’t find the famous carousel for some reason, even though my friend and I thought we walked the entire site.
This would be a great place to take kids or family to spend the day, relax, and learn a thing or two.

This unpretentious place makes for a nice outing with children. Nothing much different or extraordinary compared to the other places like that in Canada (Calgary Heritage Park comes to my mind) or in the world but it is real and the carousel has a lot of charm. Their seasonal programs, activities or events might be worth a look.

I love this place!
It’s beautiful and so well done. We always plan to make it out there when there is a holiday event. They put on great celebrations.
My kids would ride the carousel all day if they could.
The staff roaming the village wear gorgeous costumes and tell great stories.
It’s also reasonably accessible, not totally wheel friendly, but easy enough to navigate most areas and there is ample free parking… which is a huge plus when you have one visually impaired child and one physically impaired as we do.

We did some wedding photography here on Saturday and had horrible services, leaving the bride and groom unhappy.
I like that fact that they allowed photography in such a wonderful place, especially since it was raining the entire day. However, the service was horrible. The staffs are SO rude, which made the bride very unhappy not because she didn’t get to go on the carousel, but because the staffs were just plain rude!
We wanted to take a few photos in the train, but the staff told us there are too many people (guests) that we would intrude if we were to take photos. There were no guests and it was a pretty quiet time!
We went to the carousel at 4:30 when they had the last ride. We wanted to ask if it was possible if they opened it for an extra ride for the bridal party. We were ignored. There was 2 old men running the carousel (apparently one of them is the boss). and he pretended we weren’t even there! So we asked if we can take photos on the carousel even if it wasn’t running. Again, ignored and shut the door loud. At least have the decency to tell us you can’t or that you are sorry but it is closed. It is a wedding and it only happens once!

I wanted to give this 2.5 stars but rounded up to three because I’ve got a yummy lunch and feel generous.
My husband and I went during their Heritage Christmas this past December. The place was beautifully done up Christmas style. Christmas lights everywhere, wreaths, carollers, etc. I loved their homage to the Twelve Days of Christmas, in particular the maids a milking.
Heritage bulidings are beautifully done up/​restored (?). The village is adorable and looks right out of a storybook. My husband and I enjoyed walking in and around the beautiful houses and shops.
Parking is horrendous during this time since tourists and parents alike are all fighting for a space in their two tiny lots. I wish there was either more parking or more transit options.
Parents let their kids run amok here so if you’re expecting to learn about history, know this and come with the right mindset (or a good pair of earplugs).

Excellent value all around. Turn of the century and later period goods and services, a carousel, restaurant, farm house, church, real interurban tram, interpretors, and more. At Christmas there is a great display of lights. Lots of things for children to do, all while learning about the history of the area.
Heritage village is a top end attraction and educational experience.

I’ve been meaning to check out Burnaby Village Museum for a long time so when I heard they have a Christmas theme happening, I made time to go.
This place is adorable. Think old Vancouver with cute ice cream parlours and heritage shops. The museum is hands on so you can really get a feel of the past and there’s even a blacksmith shaping iron, just like the good ol’ days.
I walked around during the day, but I’ll be going back during mid December at night for their Christmas lights. Burnaby Village Museum is a great place to take your kids. Let them run around and tire themselves out while learning a little bit of history!

The Burnaby Village Museum is a really neat trip back to the past. I came here over the Christmas holidays, and couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed myself. The Village is open until 9 PM during the holiday season (December 15^th to January 4^th), with entry being free. There are plenty of Christmas lights lit all around the museum, and you can walk into all of the different buildings along the village street.
The amount of antiques staged in all of the buildings is neat to see. I especially enjoyed looking around the general store and the drug store. If you have any questions, there are staff walking around in costume that not only know a lot about the history, but also seem to enjoy their jobs. You can easily spend a few hours here just wandering through the buildings, checking out the silent movie theater, and enjoying some ice cream. For kids, there is also a scavenger hunt that you can complete.
My sister-​in-​law and I decided to ride the authentic 1912 Carousel near the park entrance. It costs $ 2.30 to ride, which is a pretty good deal and last for roughly two songs on the Wurlitzer organ. Warning: the carousel goes pretty fast, but it’s definitely worth checking out.
If you want an old-​timey wedding, some family friends got married here over a year ago, and have nothing but nice things to say about the venue.
If you’re looking for something fun to do with the family that’s budget friendly, definitely check out the Burnaby Village Museum.

While looking for holiday things to do in Vancouver, we came across an ad for the «Illuminations at Heritage Christmas» at the Burnaby Village Museum. It looked like a very interesting place, so we decided to stop there on our way out of town.
This was a very good idea.
It IS a very interesting place and we had a great time exploring the village. My husband and I are both fans of the olde, so we loved looking at the olde train and all the olde stuff inside the exhibits — like the fabulous stoves and drugstore paraphernalia and various tools and machines of yesteryear.
I LOVED the REAL PANTRY in the Jesse Love Farmhouse. I loved seeing the village blacksmith and village printing presser in action. I loved watching the (holiday-​themed) silent movies in the olde cinema. I loved visiting all the buildings in the village that have clearly been built and maintained with care and attention to detail.
The Wurlitzer military band organ, that plays the music for the Carousel, is most definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
The folks who work here are all friendly, eager to share information, and are obviously proud of the museum and Burnaby.
So glad we found out about the Burnaby Village Museum and took the time to visit. (Should the opportunity present, I would definitely be interested to go back and check out the village’s Halloween happenings.)

Wow, what a surprise.
It’s a hidden gem of a place that doesn’t advertise too well.
It’s such a great place for fun run around times with the kids… they have the carousel and random places to venture into… like a mini Barkerville.

We have been to the museum many times as we used to live in Burnaby. The Carousel is still a hit with my kids, but the museum is a great place to bring your out of town friends.
We recently went to their Halloween event they have for 3 days usually the end of October, the last weekend of the month. The times were 6pm-​8pm, and we got there about 7pm. It actually wasn’t advertised but it went til 9pm. It was fabulous, busy busy, like long line up to get in, busy, but it was so much fun. You couldn’t actually go into the exhibits, but they decorated inside and you could walk up to the windows and have a look at the great decorating and displays. Then they also had trick or treating for the kids, and dressed up people outside the exhibits giving out candy. They had street performers, a DJ in the gazebo, and ghouls and witches would come out and dance with you in the main street. The carousel was also free with admission, $ 14.00 for adults and $ 9.00 for kids.
Absolutely fabulous! If we were to pick the Stanley Park Ghost Train or this, we’d pick this because there was so much to see, and do, you could easily spend the whole night here and even my 6 year old who was screaming to not go on the Ghost Train, wasn’t scared at all here, but preferred not to look at some of the exhibits.
We will probably check out their Christmas exhibit too. Must do on your Halloween things to do in the city, and great for families and small children.

I’ve wanted to get my nerd on for a while now, but I’ve visited the aquarium in the recent past, and I’m not feeling the current exhibit at Science World (sorry, Leonardo!). I received an email from Savvy Insider (if you live in the Vancouver area and haven’t signed up for this newsletter, go do it!), and it mentioned this place. I went online, I read the website, I looked up the bus route, and off I went.
This place is definitely cool! Of course, I’m a big time history junkie, but strolling through this heritage village is a great way to spend the day. The buildings are 1920s style — some of them original, some of them recreations, but each one is just as fascinating as the next. The buildings include a general store, a dry goods store, a blacksmith, a school, several homes, and more. The staff are even dressed in time period appropriate attire.
I stopped in at the ‘ice cream parlour’ for a small bite. I enjoyed both the sunshine and my sliver of five-​layer (yes, FIVE) chocolate cake on the beautiful patio.
Although I didn’t participate in any, there seems to be many little activities and presentations going on throughout the day, including a scavenger hunt, printing press demonstrations, and of course, the carousel.
History springs to life in this mini village, it’s a beautiful and relaxing walk and a step back into yesteryear all in one. I can’t think of a single thing I would have enjoyed more today.
Highly recommend!

If you’re planning on visiting for Heritage Christmas this year, do it at night time! The place just looks so much cooler! :) I went last year, and even in the rain it felt MAGICAL. The place has a lot of little events like Scavenger Hunts and draws to keep you busy, and the 1920s feel just kicks right in the moment you’re there! Lots to see and explore for my group; we couldn’t stop snapping pictures. The staff were also wonderful! We also ate at the diner, where just being inside gave us such a comfortable feel.
A must-​add to your to-​do list!
Hours:
Nov 27-​Dec 15, 12 – 4:30pm
Dec 16-​Jan 2, 12−8pm
Dec 24 & 25, closed

Can I review this place even though I work here? I don’t actually work in the village itself, I’m in the basement cataloging.
But the village itself is always a fun day. It’s staffed by ‘interpreters’ dressed in period 1920s clothes, in most buildings. The buildings themselves are from the 1920s — the interpreters used to dress in Victorian clothes, but then the staff decided to dress them according to when the buildings were actually built. It’s an interesting period for a living history museum. Everything is jsut on the cusp of modernity, so you see the old timey stove and the phonograph that plays cylinders, and the clothing that’s just beginging to look like something that could pass on the streets today.
There’s a school house, a blacksmith’s where you can see people smithing around (and they offer classes) a movie house, dentist’s real estate, dry goods (clothes etc), general store, logging exhibit, model T ford you can ride in, trolley car in a station, bank, bakery, working print shop, chinese herbalist, farm house, regular house, locomotive engine car, café where they serve food and ice cream, and of course the carousel. There are more buildings but I can’t remember them all off the top of my head. They were all moved from their original locations to a conglomeration in the village.
I’m often surprised by how few people even know about this place. I shouldn’t be though, since before I started working here I didn’t know about it either. But if you like history, or if you like going into mini villages, I reccomend a visit.

I love anything with history. I like old stuff. I’m old.
This place is fun. It’s a throwback to the older days before internet, LCD TV’s and hybrid cars. It’s a past that you rarely get to see in the lower mainland. I think it’s good for those young and old, and new to the area to see and learn about our history. How rich and diverse it really is. In the winter time it’s pretty festive, especially if there is snow. They have carolers, singing and hot chocolate and it’s pretty festive in the winter. Most people will go and see it in the summer when the weather is nice, but it’s just as nice on a cold crisp autumn/​winter day too!
My brother has been caroling here for years. Great place.

This was a classic field-​trip destination back in the day, and it’s still a lot of fun. I attended the annual Haunted Village event the other night. It was a stroller crush, but lots of fun for the adults while not being too scary for the little kids.
The village street was all done up in Halloween style, and the kids could go collect candy from the various stores and houses. For example, the music store, where you’ll normally find the player piano, was decorated with snakes to «advertise» snake charming music. Actors roamed the streets, dressed in period costumes but a bit scarier than usual, and the kids really got into the drama of having to look out for «candy bandits.» The human statues were also pretty cool.
Riding the restored carousel is always a highlight.
I think I’m going to have come back soon for the Christmas event — the decorations are always amazing.

My favorite horsee is the white one with the pretty flowers in its mane.
On the carousel of course!
This is a neat museum about what life was like in the 20’s around the Vancouver area.
What makes it so neat is it is set up like a village or town, and there are different things to do or buy at each house. And some of the houses are the original houses that have just been moved.
Main attraction has to be the original 1912 carousel with Wurlitzer organ. But they also have an old trolley car, printing press, school house, blacksmith… neat stuff I tell ya.