Watch history come alive!
Stroll through heritage buildings and discover how families lived, worked, and gathered on this island generations ago.
A Living History Park
OUR STORY
Heritage Acres is a living history park — a rare place where you don't just look at the past, you experience it. Climb on a tractor. Watch steam engines breathe. Stroll through heritage buildings and discover how families lived, worked, and gathered on this island generations ago.
We are a community-supported, volunteer-driven heritage site dedicated to preserving the tools, stories, and spirit of Vancouver Island's history for generations to come.
Heritage Acres BC is owned and operated by the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society, a registered Canadian non-profit organization.
Entry to the museum buildings is by voluntary donation, that you can make on site, or by the button below:
29
Heritage Acres
130+
Years of Artefacts
30K+
Artefacts
3D
Virtual Tour
29 Acres to Wander, Wonder & Breathe
Enjoy being in nature, sitting beside our pond or walking our forest trail. Explore the past by visiting our living history park packed with historical artefacts. Walk through our heritage buildings and learn what life was like in bygone times. Look at our collections of antique vehicles, carriages, farming equipment and steam engines. Don’t forget to take a ride on the train!
Please call (250) 652-5522 to arrange access for group visits.
Dogs are welcome but please keep them on a leash.
THE GROUNDS
Interested
in the Trains?
The miniature railway at Heritage Acres is operated independently by the Vancouver Island Model Engineers (VIME) — a passionate club of railway enthusiasts. For train ride schedules and club events, visit them directly.
THE GROUNDS
Our Collections:View Our Unique Items!
Elegant
Buggy
Beautifully crafted by John Meston of Victoria BC. Circa 1900.
CASE 1/2 scale Traction Engine
Working Steam traction engine gifted by Raymond Rae in 2016
Armington and Sims steam engine
Used to power the first electric generator in Victoria at the Naval dockyard. Circa1890
100 Years of Island Sound
FEATURED COLLECTION
Our media collection spans nearly a century of recorded sound, broadcast technology, and computing history.
From bake-o-lite to silicon, it captures how Vancouver Island listened, watched, and connected to the wider world.
We’ve added some contemporary media to the mix! We’ve put together a narrated walking tour of Heritage Acres. Learn about our exhibits in your own time and comfort.
Keep the Tractors Running and the Music Playing.
Every voluntary contribution goes directly toward restoring and maintaining our antique machinery, preserving our collections, and keeping this living piece of history open for everyone.
Heritage Acres is a registered non-profit. All donations support preservation & restoration.
Visit Us
Address
7321 Lochside Drive Saanichton, British Columbia V8M 1W4
Office Hours (for Enquiries)
Monday - Friday
9am–noon
Phone
(250) 652-5522