Self-guided visit to the galleries and lighthouse
What it actually looks like
What the children do
The centre is open to visitors during its posted hours, which in the fall are 11:00 to 3:00 every day except Wednesdays. Inside are ship models, a permanent navigation exhibit in the Hutcheson Gallery, an exhibit on the Uchuck vessels and the Lady Rose, and a 1964 tsunami exhibit with a computer display. The Swan steam launch, the Tatoosh boom boat and the pier panels are outside. No admission price is published, and the site does not say which months of the year the centre is open.
Walk through the Hutcheson Gallery to look at ship models and at the tools and equipment sailors used to find their way along the coast, and try the computer display in the 1964 tsunami exhibit. Step inside the lighthouse. Outside the gallery, look at the Swan, an 11 metre steam launch raised from the bottom of Sproat Lake, and the Tatoosh boom boat, then read the pier panels about ships, industry and wildlife.
Good to know
The address and the fall opening hours are published, and part of the visit is outdoors on the pier. Nothing is said about admission, washrooms, lunch space, parking, or whether a stroller or a wheelchair can get into the lighthouse, so it is worth a call.
Getting there
2900 Harbour Rd, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 7X2, Canada