Get Hands-On at the Museum of Surrey

The Museum of Surrey in Historic Cloverdale is bright, interactive and completely free, which sounds modest until you see what they've done with the space. Surrey's wild origin story, logging, farming and the Interurban tram, gets the full touchscreen treatment alongside a working textile studio, so you're not just reading panels and nodding politely at each other. You can also talk at normal volume, which is a feature in museums that deserves far more credit. When you're done inside, Historic Cloverdale is walkable and threaded with coffee spots and antique shops, so the afternoon has a natural second act built into it. Rainy-day-proof and wallet-proof, which in Metro Vancouver is not a minor thing. Come without a plan. Leave with an opinion about where Surrey actually came from.

Duration

1½–2 hours

Best time

Daytime

Price / person

Free

Setting

Indoor

Neighbourhood

Historic Cloverdale

Best season

spring, summer, fall, winter