Welcome to the Shawnigan Lake Museum

We're Open!

•Wednesday thru Saturday

•10:30 - 3:30

•Admission by donation

We're hiring a SECOND summer student
Click here for details.

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•Pickup times for online orders will be arranged after you place an order.

  • Our Mission

    Sharing the passion for Shawnigan Lake — past, present and future.

  • Our Vision

    To connect community and visitors with the Shawnigan Lake Experience.

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What visitors say..

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Shawnigan Lake Museum is an unqualified 5/5 visitor experience. I’ve visited many museums large and small throughout my career in heritage preservation, so I have perspective and understanding of the challenges that museums face.
    These days we are constantly told that things are being “curated” for us, often
    without merit, but this place actually is curated in keeping with the original
    and correct meaning of the word.
    Quality artifacts are beautifully displayed and the personalized guidance is exceptional. Welcoming and responsive, it is obvious that curator Lori Treloar
    and her partner Grant delight in bringing history alive for a diverse audience.
    It was also gratifying to visit at an exciting time for this museum as they
    embark on a major expansion while retaining and honouring the historic firehall the museum is currently housed in.

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Highlights

  • E.J. Hughes Gallery

    E.J. Hughes Gallery

    E.J. Hughes lived at Shawnigan Lake for over twenty years until he found it too busy and noisy (circa 1970) and moved to Cobble Hill. Hughes' last studio, in a modest house in Duncan, was a spare bedroom, with a table and easel set close to a single north window. He painted there, in the afternoon, six days a week. Sunday was his day off.

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  • The Last Spike

    The Last Spike

    The Last Spike was  ceremoniously placed by Sir John A. Macdonald in 1886, at Cliffside. He used a silver hammer and pounded a gold spike. In 1883, the British Columbia Government appealed to Robert Dunsmuir to build a railway. The 72 miles of track, which was laid starting from the south at Esquimalt and from the north at Nanaimo, met at Mile 25 (Cliffside, Shawnigan Lake).

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  • Kinsol Trestle

    Kinsol Trestle

    Your GO TO SOURCE for information about the Kinsol Trestle at Shawnigan Lake.  Stop by the Museum on your way to/from the Kinsol Trestle to learn it's history. We have two scale models: one 3 foot and one 10 foot!  There are also historical and a time lapse restoration video of the Trestle for your enjoyment.

    Learn more

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Featured Items from our Gift Shop

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