stave falls visitor centre

I had been planning to visit this centre for a while so did so right after they opened for the 2015 season. I was most pleasantly surprised by the quality of the exhibits which arc the development of electricity generally and of this area of British Columbia specifically. In a sense this is a time capsule of the technological development of a by-gone era with excellent sociological insights into what it would have been like to live in a place touted as the best work camp in B.C. I particularly liked the artifacts from the 1950s when the push was on to bring electrical appliances into everyone's homes (Maybe because I remember seeing some of them when I was a kid growing up.) This is well worth a visit particularly given the beautiful park-like backdrop in which it is located. I think admission was $6.00 and was worth every penny (if we still had them that is ; )

Inexpensive, lots of parking, interesting and child friendly. Never crowded and for a long time, sadly no more, dog friendly too. One room has hands on stuff for the kids to try. I have been about 6 times and am always proud to show this place off. A hidden gem!

Well worth the time for this free tour. Dropped in a couple of years ago while exploring the lakes in the area. Wanted to have a look at the old BC Hydro town. Did some TV antenna work there in 1973. not much left from what I remembered.An interesting place to visit.

Our tour guide Janis has such an amazing knowledge and pride in this place, she made the past come to life with such passion and emotion.... it was wonderful to find out she had a family connection to it all..a true asset to Stave Falls Visitor Centre.

This hydroelectric generation utility was built in the 1920s, and only shut down in 2000. Since then it has been transformed into a historical site with educational displays. Tours are self-guided, and at $6.00 the cost to see this site is pretty cheap. A couple of hours should be enough to see all the exhibits. The interactive exhibits are likely to be a hit with kids. There's a lot more hands-on stuff than you would typically find in an exhibit or museum. They also offer hosting for children's birthdays (you have to bring the food, cake, etc.).There are picnic tables adjacent to the parking lot, and a picnic isn't a bad idea because the nearest restaurant (the nearest anything in fact) is at least a 20 minute drive. There is coffee and water in the lobby, but not much else.

This is a great little trip for anyone that likes history, science or mechanics and takes about 1.5-2.5 hours. It would also be a lot of fun for families with kids. There are several hands on exhibits dealing with electricity as well as hydro, solar, wind and other forms of power production. You can then tour the site and see the original electric turbines that powered the city of Vancouver into the modern age as well as learn about the history of the local area when the damn was built and first operated in the early 1900's.

This is an excellent educational site. I am surprised it is not advertised as much. Great for kids in grade 4 and above to learn about power, electricity and magnetism.

Took the BC hydro training here, great place to learn the generation process. Visited the power house as well, really good.

Fascinating look back at the history of power in the area. Also gives a sense of the changes in the way we use power and an insight into some of the electric appliances that we saw as new a few years ago.

We love to stop in for a tour and walk about looking at the amazing way power is generated and the great electrical displays and historical artifacts!

Great activities,it is nice to know about BC hydro history and the old and new technology.We had fun on hands-on games.Great for scocial studies too!

this tour covers all aspects of power generation. Visitors tour the entire power dam with many information stations along the route. Lots of related displays on the construction as well as history of common household electrical devices. For those visiting in the fall, they host an excellent haunted house.

The Visitor Centre at Stave Falls has now been reopened by BC Hydro and is one of the best tourist sites in the Mission area. If you have not had a chance to see it, put it on your list of must see spots. Stave Falls is one of the main reasons Vancouver became a major port at the beginning of the twentieth century. Without its power Vancouver and the Fraser Valley would of taken longer to develop.

It's a very nice setting and to take a tour through the old BC Electric power plant is very neat. It's also a great place for a picnic, located on the river. Never been crowded when I was there and fun for kids to run around and play.

As a National Historic Site, the Stave Falls Powerhouse is a step back in time to the early 20th century. Great tour. Highly recommended.