Part of 2024-2025 Island Trip
USA ISLANDS 1 - USA ISLANDS 2 - CANADA ISLANDS 1 - CANADA ISLANDS 2 - USA ATTRACTIONS 1 - USA ATTRACTIONS 2 - CANADA ATTRACTIONS 2

Since I had less distance to cover than my 2022 road trip, I stopped at a few attractions along the way! It’s sometimes surprising what you can discover in any given region. There are some industrious people out there.

Hand of Man Museum

First ( and greatest ) of them all, just an hour away from Victoria in Maple Bay is this awesome museum featuring the collection of one guy, Jim Shockey, who lived a pretty badass life of traveling the world organizing big game hunts and doing travel/wildlife documentaries. The guy seems to have every hobby and to be kicking ass at them. Almost more than anything else, it’s a testament to how you could live a life. He bought this old elementary school and literally filled every square inch of it with stuff.

Redditors hate this place so you know it’s going to be good. In my opinion it’s the actual best museum on Vancouver Island at least in terms of quality for price and sheer density of things to see.

(plastic) Mamenchisaurus skeleton at the entrance. Awesome already

There are several life-sized plastic skeletons outside

Entry is by donation but if you give them something you get these ipads with information!

As soon as you enter you are just slapped in the face with hoarder-levels of decoration density

There's hundreds of these fish along with all sorts of hunting/fishing gear

There's random artwork/clothing scattered about as well

Not everything of the highest quality perhaps

There's a gallery where most things are for sale

I was kind of tempted. These fish were the size of a bus and that was in their actual mouth

As you can tell, unlike most museums, it's not the most organized. He's just going for density. Love it

There's thousands of native artifacts from all around the world as well

Oh no please someone cancel the native americans oh no how dare they

Boundless awesomely offensive 19th century stuff in here.

The old school teather has a huge Gigantonosaur skeleton and endless other things

Jim has "found" a lot of things as well. What does it mean? No idea. But this is cool

You can spend the entire day learning about each surprising thing he put in here

This room has a huge collection of mammoth tusks and a full skeleton as well

Yes that's random vintage furniture in the back. Why? Why not

There's a room of taxidermied birds of Canada. Just about every single one is there.

It's hard to explain just how many things Jim has collected over 50 years

Room full of skulls and antlers

He's also shot every type of game and animal in Canada

Sometimes multiple ones! Redditors really really hate him

This is quite amazing, a Narwhal skeleton. You just don't see those very often

There's endless books and artwork about exploration and travel

Really love those 17th-19th century plates with goofy animals on them

Unfortunately one of the coolest parts of the museum, the “African Room” is one you can’t take pictures of. The stated reason is that Jim was tired of the controversies emerging every time Karen would stumble upon his collection of taxidermized African game animals.
Pictures can’t ever do this place justice, you just have to see it for yourself. Thousands of animals, artifacts, books, pieces of art, musical instruments… A gun made out of pearls…

Chemainus Museum

This is one of the very typical museums of the region, a “knick-knack” museum and archive with just random things that were collected from the region. These are usually free and run by volunteers, acting more as an archive of the community than some amazing tourist attractions. It’s always interesting to spend an hour or two going back in time.

Chemainus is the "city of murals" with hundreds of them painted on various buildings around town

Water wheel outside the museum

So yeah, "knick-knacks". Various period clothes and household products

Very often military/service uniforms donated by people in the community upon their death

This place has a secret cool item though!

World's largest whistle? Could it really be?

It is the world's largest factory/steam whistle!

Used to be at the old sawmill to mark the start/end of work! There is a recording of it as well

Just tons of typical period artifacts specific to the town and its residents

Lived to 102 smoking every day and drinking whiskey for breakfast ( probably )

Exhibit about the women working as phone operators before automatic switchboards

Reminder for them to call their down syndrome supervisor in case of confusion. At least he's a man!

Many of these little museums have some of these early 20th century "cars" and wagons.

Do they mean the shape or what it's for?

Gabriola Museum

The island museums are similar knick-knack museums usually but they’re hard to visit, often being open just 1-3 days a week and not for very long. The one on Gabriola is definitely worth a little look though! It’s a little natural history museum which I enjoy more than the kick-knack ones. Seeing 200 rusted sawblades from 1915 isn’t that cool.

It's quite small of course, I believe about 3 rooms

Nice display showing the progression of the sea level over geological time

There's several stuffed animals like this bald eagle!

Woah what is this? My wife? Am I right folks? Please clap

Display of shore/sea creatures of the area

Fort Langley

Located an hour outside Vancouver, Fort Langley is a family-friendly reconstruction of a 19th century fort. Some of the buildings are mostly original and there’s many of them to visit with volunteers inside dressed in period costumes who do various presentations and will talk to you as much as you want about old times!
It’s always a nice break to stop and chat with some of these people who tend to be eager to share because they’re not minimum wage eye-rolling teenagers who just want a paycheck to buy more tik toks or whatever it is kids do these days.

The fort is arranged into an easy to visit rectangle

Blacksmith

Storage room. The fort was used mainly for the fur trade

Fun fact: Bear fur was used as packaging for the more desirable beaver furs

The furs were shipped to England and they used the crappy bear fur to make the iconic royal guard hats!

The forts were set up as trading posts with temporary workers, not settlements.

Reconstruction of one of the officer's homes

Bedroom

Baker's bread oven sitting outdoors

Gotta have some fresh eggs as well

Canoe made by a local artisan with period tools/material and donated to the fort

Not a bad place to spend a half day chilling and relaxing

God damned inflation

World’s Biggest Preserved Burl

“A tree burl is a rounded outgrowth on a tree that forms due to stress, such as injury or disease. Burls are valued for their unique and intricate wood patterns, making them popular among woodworkers and artisans.”
Usually located at the Port McNeil Museum. It was closed that day since it’s too early in the season. It was burned in 2023. According to Guiness this one weighs in at around 30 tons but there’s pictures of some that were estimated to be 10 times that weight and 9m tall ( 3x this one ). Sadly they were turned into furniture.

That’s it for part 1!
Just go to the Hand of Man museum, you won’t regret it.

All the links to Salish Sea Adventure:

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Canada Attractions - Part 1