Location:
The Sooke Region Museum is 40 minutes from downtown Victoria, along
the Sooke Road (Hwy 14), on Phillips Road, just past the bridge over the Sooke
River (downstream from the famous Sooke Potholes). For museum and visitor information,
phone (250) 642-6351. Click here for Official
Sooke Region Museum Homepage.
Information on local Bed
& Breakfast Accommodations, parks, trails and things to do in the area.
The main Museum building, containing many exhibits, video productions, Gift Shop, Visitor Information Centre and Art Gallery. There are also special displays and artifacts found outside on the Museum grounds. These include a working restored steam engine yarder, blacksmith shop, and a rotating lighthouse light.
There is also an extensive archive and a significant collection of photographs from Sooke's past. It's a fascinating trip that will inform and encourage you in your own journey of discovery, as you visit the Sooke area and its many points of interest. When you visit the Museum you can enjoy a unique tour of a pioneer family cottage, as the lady of the house, "Matilda Gordon" (or "Aunt Tilly" as she was known) shows you through her home as it was in the year 1902. One of the oldest standing buildings on Vancouver Island, "Moss Cottage" was constructed from lumber cut in the Muir sawmill, the first successfully-operated steam sawmill in British Columbia. Built of vertical planking it stands from an era before houses were constructed with 2'x4' framing. Home in 1870 to pioneers James and Mary Ellen Welsh, the cottage has seen much history.
Showings of the museum's two film productions, the 30-minute All
Sooke Day Story and the 20-minute video "Fishtraps Of Sooke" takes place
during each day. The Sooke Salmon Enhancement
Society is working to ensure that salmon fishing can continue. Salmon reared
in the Jack Brooks Hatchery replenish local rivers. The Museum's annual open house,
held the fourth Sunday each June, attracts visitors from far and near. They offer
a real West Coast treat... B.B.Q. Salmon, caught right here in the surrounding
waters! Special Tour Packages can be booked all year round. Tours for all ages
are easily arranged, and a youth program sees hundreds of active students from
the schools participating. Sooke Region Historical Society,
which operates the museum, is registered as a nonprofit society, both provincially
and federally, and appreciates all contributions. Voter approval of a tax by-law,
has assured ongoing funding to assist the museum's operations. The museum gratefully
acknowledges financial assistance provided by the Cultural Services Branch of
the Province of B.C. Project assistance and short-term labor assistance has been
provided though federal and provincial government employment programs, and through
the B.C. Heritage Trust and National Museums of Canada.
A gift shop offers local craft works, native crafts and a selection of books, and an art gallery features exhibits by local artists each month, and the museum's own collection is shown. Every year, the Museum proudly presents Fine Arts, one of the largest juried art shows to be held in B.C.! Hundreds of talented artists enter the show annually. You will be amazed by the wealth of creative, artistic talent displayed. Most of the artwork is also available for purchase... a lasting memory of your trip to the West Coast. Throughout the year, many other special events are held in Sooke, including the world famous All Sooke Day which celebrates our logging heritage. Festivals throughout the year, the Sooke Fall Fair in September, and Arts and Crafts Shows.. The Sooke Region Museum also houses the local Travel Information Centre. Our informative, friendly staff can provide you with all the information you need about special events, accommodations, meals, sightseeing, fishing, parks, hiking trails, camping, sports, shopping, entertainment and services, etc. in our area.
Check out the Sooke Region Museum sponsored visit of the sailing ship the Endeavour that visited here in August 1999.
Through living exhibits, videos, special events, displays and books, you will experience the true West Coast people and their environment.
"Thank you for visiting Sooke" sign with display of restored equipment along Sooke Highway
The museum is open daily throughout the summer, however it is closed on Mondays and some public holidays.