Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
MuseumsFamily FavoriteRainy-Day PickLocal Favorite

Hand of Man Museum

6759 Considine Avenue · Maple Bay, BC

Why you should go…

The Hand of Man Museum of Natural History, Cultural Arts and Conservation fills the former Maple Bay Elementary School near Duncan on Vancouver Island. Founded by outdoor writer and guide Jim Shockey, it opened in 2018 and displays a 16-foot woolly mammoth skeleton, books more than 500 years old, and handcrafted artifacts from African, Indigenous and other cultures, explained through more than 250 short videos on loaner iPads. Admission is by donation and the museum is open 365 days a year, 10 am to 5 pm.

  • #natural history
  • #mammoth
  • #artifacts
  • #cowichan valley
  • #by donation

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Hand of Man Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Shopping
    Local Favorite

    ArtCraft at Mahon Hall

    Free

    Seasonal exhibition and retail gallery in historic Mahon Hall in Ganges, showing fine art and craft by more than 100 Salt Spring and Gulf Islands artists since 1968.

    4.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    BC Forest Discovery Centre

    Under $25

    A 100-acre open-air forestry museum in Duncan with narrow-gauge train rides, 1930s logging-camp buildings, a Ranger Station and forest and marsh trails.

    4.9 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    The Raptors

    $25–$50

    Birds-of-prey centre near Duncan on Vancouver Island with daily flying demonstrations, hawk walks and hands-on encounters with eagles, hawks and owls.

    4.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    Free Entry

    Salt Spring Island Visitor Centre

    Free

    Volunteer-staffed visitor centre on Lower Ganges Road in Ganges, home base of the Chamber's free Salt Spring Island Visitor Guide and fold-out island map.

    5.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Iconic

    Royal BC Museum

    $25–$50

    Victoria's flagship museum showcasing British Columbia's natural and human history.

    30 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Historic

    Craigdarroch Castle

    Under $25

    Victorian-era mansion of coal baron Robert Dunsmuir in Victoria, a National Historic Site restored to show 1890s life over four floors and 87 stairs.

    30 mi awayMore like this