Blast from the past: A guide to checking out the Burnaby Village Museum

The Burnaby Village Museum has finally opened its doors again for sping break.

Walking into the Burnaby Village Museum feels like you’ve been transported back in time. It features 39 different places to check out with historic buildings you can enter and people walking around in period costumes. What’s even better is admission to this open-air museum is free.

Upon entering the museum I was greeted at the door by a very nice staff member who handed me a map of the area. After that, I was off to explore the Burnaby Village Museum on my own. Upon entering you cross a wooden bridge with signs talking about Deer Lake Brook. Once across, the trees open to the most noteworthy part of the museum: the Village.

Entering the Village feels like you’re walking down a Burnaby street in the 1900s. The sides of the streets are filled with different kinds of stores that you can walk in like the Burnaby Lake General Store, Wagner’s Blacksmith Shop, the Burnaby Post, and the Royal Bank. Each one offers a little bit of history about how it contributed to the development of Burnaby.

An important addition to the Village is the Indigenous Learning House where you can learn all about the history of the Indigenous peoples who lived here before Burnaby was colonized. There is also a Japanese Ofuro that represents the local Japanese community and their history as well.

After you check out everything to see in the Village, you can head over to the Meadow where the Vorce Tram Station is. There is a building where you can head inside and view a model of one of the trains that would have run through Burnaby at the time. A train conductor was sitting at the front of the train and another staff member stood outside the train. The staff member told me one of the routes the train took ended up as the route for the Vancouver SkyTrain Expo Line, which is something I never knew before.

To end off the day, I would highly recommend swinging by the 1912 carousel. It does cost $2.65 to ride but it is amazing seeing the vintage machine at work. Then after a long walk, it’s always important to stop for a sweet treat at the ice-cream parlour!

The Burnaby Village Museum is open to visitors from March 14 to 25 from 11 am to 4:30 pm

Burnaby Village Museum

Address: 6501 Deer Lake Ave