Vancouver’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC features a collection of biological exhibits including animal, plant and insect specimens and fossils.
Since opening its doors in 2010, the museum has been designed to shine a spotlight on why biodiversity is so important and how we, as individuals, can help maintain it.
The Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Home to some 2,000,000 specimens, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum displays all kinds of biological organisms including insects, plants and mammals.
Located at 2212 Main Mall at the University of British Columbia, the facility was the first biodiversity museum in Canada to publicly display its scientific findings to help educate visitors on what they can do to help the current environmental crisis.
Hours and Admission Rates
The Museum is open from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm Tuesday to Sunday. It is closed on Mondays.
Admission rates as of early 2021 are the following:
- Adults – $14
- Seniors, Students (with ID) and Youth (ages 13 to 17) – $12
- Children (ages 5 to 12) – $10
- UBC Students and Employees – Free
- Families – either $30 or $45 depending on the family size
Children 4 years old and younger get in for free. There are also annual memberships available for $35 per adult, $25 per senior or student, and $45 to $70 per family.
Beaty Nocturnal Nights
On the third Thursday of most months the museum hosts its Beaty Nocturnal event when they have special evening hours from 5:00 until 8:30 pm and where admission is by donation.
Note: These events have been cancelled for the immediate future because of COVID-19. Click Beaty Nocturnal for the most up-to-date information.
Biodiversity Museum Exhibitions
Some of the permanent exhibits that are displayed in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum are the largest blue whale skeleton in Canada (at approximately 86 feet in length), casts of dinosaur footprints that were discovered in British Columbia, and a timeline of Earth’s history including when various organisms appeared and disappeared over time.
The museum also has many temporary exhibits that change often as well as online exhibits that you can visit without having to go to the building itself.
Other Information
To learn more about the museum see the official Beaty Biodiversity Museum website.
If you’re on the UBC campus and interested in visiting other places of interest, check out the Museum of Anthropology, UBC Botanical Garden or Nitobe Memorial Garden.
For more information about the campus see our article about the University of British Columbia.
Other museums and related places of interest in Vancouver include the following:
- Greater Vancouver Zoo
- H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
- The Museum of Vancouver
- The Maritime Museum
- Science World
- Vancouver Art Gallery
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Kilby Farm Museum
- Maplewood Farm
- Roedde House Museum
- Vancouver Parks and Places in Nature