Love learning interesting pieces of local history? BC has over 90 national historic sites you can visit, including buildings, landscapes, railway stations and lighthouses. So if you’re keen on checking them out for yourself, we’re here with a list of them all to cross off one by one.
Among the most ‘unique’ sites are the Burgess Shale and McAbee fossils, the former of which are some of the oldest fossils in the world, situated at Kootenay National Park.
The latter can be found at a site north of Highway 1/97 east of Cache Creek and west of Kamloops. Known for its fantastic record of Eocene biodiversity, the heritage site is the most diverse in Canada, with preserved insect, plant, fish, spider, and crawfish fossils.
BC is also home to a handful of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and the ancient village of SGang Gwaay in Haida Gwaii.
Recent Posts:
On a house hunt? These are the 9 best regions for first-time homebuyers in Canada
12 stunning road trip destinations to check out in BC this spring
From castles to shipyards, here are all the national historic sites you’ll find in BC:
- 223 Robert Street
- Abbotsford Sikh Temple
- Barkerville
- Bay Street Drill Hall
- Begbie Hall
- Binning Residence
- Boat Encampment
- Britannia Mines Concentrator
- Britannia Shipyard
- Butchart Gardens
- Chee Kung Tong Building
- Chilkoot Trail
- Chilliwack City Hall
- Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point
- Christ Church
- Church of Our Lord
- Church of the Holy Cross
- Congregation Emanu-El
- Craigdarroch Castle
- Craigflower Manor House
- Craigflower Schoolhouse
- Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
- Doukhobor Suspension Bridge
- Emily Carr House
- The Empress
- Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway Roundhouse
- Esquimalt Naval Sites
- Estate of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
- First Crossing of North America
- Fisgard Lighthouse
- Former Vancouver Law Courts
- Former Victoria Law Courts
- Fort Alexandria
- Fort Hope
- Fort Kamloops
- Fort Langley
- Fort McLeod
- Fort Rodd Hill
- Fort St. James
- Fort St. John
- Fort Steele
- Fort Victoria
- Gastown Historic District
- Gitwangak Battle Hill (Kitwanga Fort)
- Gulf of Georgia Cannery
- Hatley Park / Former Royal Roads Military College
- Howse Pass
- Kaslo Municipal Hall
- Kicking Horse Pass
- Kiix?in Village and Fortress
- Kitselas Canyon
- Kitwankul
- Kiusta Village
- Kootenay House
- Lions Gate Bridge
- Malahat Building / Old Victoria Custom House
- Marpole Midden
- McLean Mill
- Metlakatla Pass
- Miner’s Union Hall
- Motor Vessel BCP 45
- Myra Canyon Section of the Kettle Valley Railway
- Nan Sdins
- New Gold Harbour Area
- Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre
- North Pacific Cannery
- Orpheum Theatre
- Pemberton Memorial Operating Room
- Point Atkinson Lighthouse
- Point Ellice House / O’Reilly House
- Powell River Townsite Historic District
- Rogers Building
- Rogers Pass
- Rossland Court House
- Royal Theatre
- SS Moyie
- Saint Paul’s Roman Catholic Church
- Similkameen Spirit Trail
- Skedans
- St. Andrews Roman Catholic Cathedral
- St. Ann’s Academy
- St. Roch
- Stanley Park
- Stave Falls Hydro-Electric Installation
- Tanu
- Triple Island Lighthouse
- Tse’K’wa
- Twin Falls Tea House
- Union Club of British Columbia
- Uplands
- Vancouver Japanese Language School
- Vancouver’s Chinatown
- Victoria City Hall
- Vogue Theatre
- Weir’s (Taylor’s) Beach Earthworks Site
- Whaler’s Shrine Site
- Xá:ytem / Hatzic Rock
- Yan Village Indian Site
- Yuquot
And that’s a wrap on some national historic sites to check out in BC.
