Shipyard Pals Walking Tours

MONOVA is a museum that hosts historical walking tours in North Vancouver’s Shipyards District with the Shipyard Pals who are a pair of theatrical characters.

In 2024 the tours run on Wednesdays and Sundays from June to October.

The tours are educational, entertaining, a lot of fun and free! They run independently from the museum, so you can do the tour or visit the museum or do both. You can choose. You have to pay to see the actual museum, but it’s well worth a visit, either before or after your time with the Shipyard Pals. The tours are free to do.

To learn about the walking tours and the museum, either continue reading or visit the Museum of North Vancouver‘s website.

This article contains the following information about the walking tours:

MONOVA and the Shipyard Pals

MONOVA is the name of the museum in North Vancouver which opened in late 2021. It’s a great museum full of stories, artifacts and historical information. As of July, 2024, the museum is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus special days. Admission costs $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for youth and students. Children under the age of 5 and Indigenous people are free.

The Shipyards is a historical area in North Vancouver at the bottom of Lonsdale Avenue. It’s about a block or so east of Lonsdale Quay and the SeaBus Terminal.

The Shipyards has been a major shipbuilding area for over 100 years, and ships are still built and maintained there. The neighbourhood is home to historical buildings, a pier and a couple of large plazas where events take place at various times of the year.

MONOVA: the Museum of North Vancouver hosts historical walking tours with the Shipyard Pals who are a pair of storytelling characters. Shipyard Sal and Shipyard Sam give free tours of the area four times a week – twice on Wednesdays and twice on Sundays. The tours run for about an hour and there is no need to book in advance.

Visit monova.ca for full details about the museum and its walking tours.

Where are the Shipyards and When are the Tours?

The Shipyards are at the waterfront in the Lower Lonsdale District of North Vancouver. It’s about a five-minute walk from Lonsdale Quay. The address for MONOVA: the Museum of North Vancouver is 115 West Esplanade.

The Shipyards is more or less the area between the Polygon Gallery (located at 101 Carrie Cates Court) and the Burrard Dry Dock Pier and Shipyard Commons. MONOVA is at the edge of the Shipyards, about a block or two up from the SeaBus Terminal at the waterfront.

The Shipyard Pals tours begin at the museum. You’ll recognize the guides by their 1940s-era clothing. The tours go all around the Shipyards. Along the way Shipyard Sal and Shipyard Sam tell stories and describe the history of the area. They also sing, dance and entertain.

This year the tours happen twice a day, at both 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, on Wednesdays and Sundays between June and October.

For full details about the tours, visit the Museum of North Vancouver‘s website.

What to Expect

On the tour you’ll learn lots about the history of the Shipyards District. You can also expect to be thoroughly entertained.

When we joined one of the tours there were about 20 people which Shipyard Sal said was much larger than average. Normally there is just a small number of guests. In our group people ranged in age between about 6 and 70 and everyone loved the experience! Even the little kids were gripped!

On the tour Shipyard Sal and Shipyard Sam take the group all around the area. They walk past and talk about the Pipe Shop, Shipbuilders’ Square, Shipyard Commons and the giant crane in the plaza. They also spend some time on the St. Roch Dock and walk along the Burrard Dry Dock Pier.

One place the tour doesn’t go to is MONOVA which is the attraction that puts on the tours. You need to go to the museum later on your own. It’s well worth a visit and complements the tours very nicely! The tour starts, however, right outside the museum.

On the tours, along the way around the neighbourhood, the two actors tell stories and explain what life was like in the old days. The duo also sings, dances, impersonates other characters and acts out little skits. They are an impressive and talented pair! They are also very knowledgeable about the area.

Note: Shipyard Sal and Shipyard Sam do a fair bit of dancing and singing. The audience, however, isn’t expected to participate. You can just sit back and enjoy the fun!

Visit monova.ca for full details about the museum and its walking tours.

Shipyard Pals in North Vancouver — Shipyard Pals Photos by Rosie Aceves

How to Book a Tour

The tours with the Shipyard Pals are free of charge (although donations are greatly appreciated). Tours take place at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays between early June and late September. You can just show up for a tour. You don’t have to book in advance.

Lower Lonsdale Tours

In addition to Shipyard Pals, MONOVA also offers a second series of walking tours. Lower Lonsdale Walking Tours are 1-hour guided tours that take participants around the Lower Lonsdale District of North Vancouver. They happen on Thursdays at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm and 5:30 pm between August and the middle of October.

The same as with the Shipyard Pals tours on Wednesdays and Sundays, admission for the Lower Lonsdale Walking Tours is by donation. Different from Shipyard Pals, however, the Thursday tours aren’t led by characters in costume who sing and dance. Both types of tours are highly recommended.

MONOVA: The Museum

MONOVA: The Museum of North Vancouver is an exceptional museum. It’s full of all sorts of interesting things to see, learn about and interact with. In addition to joining in on one of the museum’s tours, be sure to explore the museum too.

Running until January 2025, the museum has a special featured exhibition called Found in the Mountains which examines how North Vancouver’s mountains shape the way locals live and connect with the land. Below is a photo of the temporary exhibition. It’s very interesting, as are all the displays in the museum’s permanent exhibition gallery.

To learn about the museum, see our article about MONOVA or visit the monova.ca website.