The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, is an astronomy museum located at Vanier Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum was opened on October 28, 1968 containing a Planetarium Star Theatre. Today the museum includes an exhibit gallery and demonstration theatre where public lectures and events are hosted. The museum shares the building with the Museum of Vancouver. Next to the building is the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory.
The Space Centre is named after H. R. MacMillan, a local lumber magnate and philanthropist, who paid for the inclusion of the Planetarium Theatre into the design of the Centennial Museum Building. To this day, locals also refer to the Space Centre as the Planetarium.
The space show was fun and informative but 45 mins almost seemed to long with all the information crammed Into the show. The staff were really nice and I really liked how at the end of the show they described what the night sky in Vancouver would look like. I really liked this because it was a clear night so we got to experience the sights right away.
Gurjinder VirkFeb 14, 2018
I have fond memories of doing science camp here as a child (queue nerd heckling). Also saw quite a few music laser shows here until they discontinued it. They now show at BCIT in Burnaby.
Greg TaylorFeb 23, 2018
Great museum for families with kids from 7 or so. The space show was amazing and surprisingly long, about 40 minutes. The actual museum section is a bit smaller than I expected, but they combined well the entertainment and the information.
Livia EvergreenNov 14, 2017
Very Small, a lot of broken/ out of order displays. Both of the shows were interesting with the star theatre show (The Universe) was almost worth the cost of admission. The planetarium also seems to share the space with the Museum of Vancouver, which I found odd, it would be nice to see more space allotted for the planetarium exhibits.
Saving MoneySep 25, 2017
I've been to 2 after hour events for adults & they've been really fun & interesting. I do wish more of the displays worked & there was more to do there. But the planetarium talks & trivia games were fun & I learned a lot.
MJ MSep 28, 2017
Try on a discount day! Some of the materials are quite outdated but there is still fun to be had!
Neill MMar 31, 2018
It wasn't what I remembered as a kid. The planetarium show was informative and fun, but the space center is shuffled off to the side and has limited offerings to make a day of it. I recommend spending a little more and paying for access to all three park attractions (maritime museum and the Vancouver museum) to get the most bang for your buck. The gift shop has tons of amazing local First Nations made products to buy and the kids trinkets are good as well. Wouldn't say you could make a day of it there. Maybe a hour or two.
Malista Kara McIntyreApr 19, 2018
A little old, outdated, and expensive, but still an interesting place with helpful, respectful, and knowledgeable staff. If you're from out of town with some extra time, might as well go over to the space center. The MacMillan Space Centre is usually quite empty, so there's no need to push past crowds.
Ryan RuanMay 3, 2018
Disappointing. It feels like an old abandoned attraction from well over a decade ago. The information is outdated, comparisons to the past are to 2005 (as the present day) and there have been more recent launches that exhibited. Most of the interactive exhibits are not working/broken/turned off but no 'out of action' signs. Staff on front desk were unhelpful, incompetent and couldn't care less. She gave us the wrong ticket to planetarium show which apparently starts 5 mins before and closed doors on the hour. Not knowing this we turned up in the hour and waited. After ten minutes the front desk staff passed and said nothing. After fifteen mins we werr close to giving up, the usher then turned up and rudely explained all this to us. We went in and saw the last half hour of the show which was definitely the highlight but I would have liked to see it from the start ... Overall quite disappointing!
Poppy MorrisMay 25, 2018
Not worth the 40 minute drive to the place. There are not too many exhibits to begin with and half of the exhibits were not working. The staff showed no interest in talking to visitors or to fix the exhibits. The theatre experience was nice but we missed the live demo as the schedules clashed. There is absolutely no reason why it has to be that way and why they couldn’t be better scheduled.
Puneet MahajanJul 13, 2018
Our young family LOVED this place! Great for budding astronomers & astrophysicists! Lots of info on how Canada contributes to space tech - and cheaper than the World of Science (we have one of those at home anyway)
Cass RJun 23, 2018
Went to see a "show" which ended up being a university student explaining a power point, essentially. He was very nervous, and while I'm sympathetic towards him, I am disappointed that for 20 dollars I paid to watch somebody stumble and speak in monotone about a galaxy. It was laughable.
Emma MatthewJul 14, 2018
With admission you get one Planetarium show. Make sure to get one with a MOVIE. Some shows have a movie like National Geographic quality while other shows are basically a low-budget terrible powerpoint presentation. For the price there shouldn’t be such a difference in value!! The rest of the museum is a bit small, better for kids. The gift shop is pretty nice.
Liz TaittJun 12, 2018
The space show was fun and informative but 45 mins almost seemed to long with all the information crammed Into the show. The staff were really nice and I really liked how at the end of the show they described what the night sky in Vancouver would look like. I really liked this because it was a clear night so we got to experience the sights right away.
Gurjinder VirkFeb 14, 2018
I have fond memories of doing science camp here as a child (queue nerd heckling). Also saw quite a few music laser shows here until they discontinued it. They now show at BCIT in Burnaby.
Greg TaylorFeb 23, 2018
Great museum for families with kids from 7 or so. The space show was amazing and surprisingly long, about 40 minutes. The actual museum section is a bit smaller than I expected, but they combined well the entertainment and the information.
Livia EvergreenNov 14, 2017
Very Small, a lot of broken/ out of order displays. Both of the shows were interesting with the star theatre show (The Universe) was almost worth the cost of admission. The planetarium also seems to share the space with the Museum of Vancouver, which I found odd, it would be nice to see more space allotted for the planetarium exhibits.
Saving MoneySep 25, 2017
I've been to 2 after hour events for adults & they've been really fun & interesting. I do wish more of the displays worked & there was more to do there. But the planetarium talks & trivia games were fun & I learned a lot.
MJ MSep 28, 2017
Try on a discount day! Some of the materials are quite outdated but there is still fun to be had!
Neill MMar 31, 2018
It wasn't what I remembered as a kid. The planetarium show was informative and fun, but the space center is shuffled off to the side and has limited offerings to make a day of it. I recommend spending a little more and paying for access to all three park attractions (maritime museum and the Vancouver museum) to get the most bang for your buck. The gift shop has tons of amazing local First Nations made products to buy and the kids trinkets are good as well. Wouldn't say you could make a day of it there. Maybe a hour or two.
Malista Kara McIntyreApr 19, 2018
A little old, outdated, and expensive, but still an interesting place with helpful, respectful, and knowledgeable staff. If you're from out of town with some extra time, might as well go over to the space center. The MacMillan Space Centre is usually quite empty, so there's no need to push past crowds.
Ryan RuanMay 3, 2018
Disappointing. It feels like an old abandoned attraction from well over a decade ago. The information is outdated, comparisons to the past are to 2005 (as the present day) and there have been more recent launches that exhibited. Most of the interactive exhibits are not working/broken/turned off but no 'out of action' signs. Staff on front desk were unhelpful, incompetent and couldn't care less. She gave us the wrong ticket to planetarium show which apparently starts 5 mins before and closed doors on the hour. Not knowing this we turned up in the hour and waited. After ten minutes the front desk staff passed and said nothing. After fifteen mins we werr close to giving up, the usher then turned up and rudely explained all this to us. We went in and saw the last half hour of the show which was definitely the highlight but I would have liked to see it from the start ... Overall quite disappointing!
Poppy MorrisMay 25, 2018
Not worth the 40 minute drive to the place. There are not too many exhibits to begin with and half of the exhibits were not working. The staff showed no interest in talking to visitors or to fix the exhibits. The theatre experience was nice but we missed the live demo as the schedules clashed. There is absolutely no reason why it has to be that way and why they couldn’t be better scheduled.
Puneet MahajanJul 13, 2018
Our young family LOVED this place! Great for budding astronomers & astrophysicists! Lots of info on how Canada contributes to space tech - and cheaper than the World of Science (we have one of those at home anyway)
Cass RJun 23, 2018
Went to see a "show" which ended up being a university student explaining a power point, essentially. He was very nervous, and while I'm sympathetic towards him, I am disappointed that for 20 dollars I paid to watch somebody stumble and speak in monotone about a galaxy. It was laughable.
Emma MatthewJul 14, 2018
With admission you get one Planetarium show. Make sure to get one with a MOVIE. Some shows have a movie like National Geographic quality while other shows are basically a low-budget terrible powerpoint presentation. For the price there shouldn’t be such a difference in value!! The rest of the museum is a bit small, better for kids. The gift shop is pretty nice.
Liz TaittJun 12, 2018
The space show was fun and informative but 45 mins almost seemed to long with all the information crammed Into the show. The staff were really nice and I really liked how at the end of the show they described what the night sky in Vancouver would look like. I really liked this because it was a clear night so we got to experience the sights right away.
Gurjinder VirkFeb 14, 2018
I have fond memories of doing science camp here as a child (queue nerd heckling). Also saw quite a few music laser shows here until they discontinued it. They now show at BCIT in Burnaby.
Greg TaylorFeb 23, 2018
Great museum for families with kids from 7 or so. The space show was amazing and surprisingly long, about 40 minutes. The actual museum section is a bit smaller than I expected, but they combined well the entertainment and the information.
Livia EvergreenNov 14, 2017
Very Small, a lot of broken/ out of order displays. Both of the shows were interesting with the star theatre show (The Universe) was almost worth the cost of admission. The planetarium also seems to share the space with the Museum of Vancouver, which I found odd, it would be nice to see more space allotted for the planetarium exhibits.
Saving MoneySep 25, 2017
I've been to 2 after hour events for adults & they've been really fun & interesting. I do wish more of the displays worked & there was more to do there. But the planetarium talks & trivia games were fun & I learned a lot.
MJ MSep 28, 2017
Try on a discount day! Some of the materials are quite outdated but there is still fun to be had!
Neill MMar 31, 2018
It wasn't what I remembered as a kid. The planetarium show was informative and fun, but the space center is shuffled off to the side and has limited offerings to make a day of it. I recommend spending a little more and paying for access to all three park attractions (maritime museum and the Vancouver museum) to get the most bang for your buck. The gift shop has tons of amazing local First Nations made products to buy and the kids trinkets are good as well. Wouldn't say you could make a day of it there. Maybe a hour or two.
Malista Kara McIntyreApr 19, 2018
A little old, outdated, and expensive, but still an interesting place with helpful, respectful, and knowledgeable staff. If you're from out of town with some extra time, might as well go over to the space center. The MacMillan Space Centre is usually quite empty, so there's no need to push past crowds.
Ryan RuanMay 3, 2018
Disappointing. It feels like an old abandoned attraction from well over a decade ago. The information is outdated, comparisons to the past are to 2005 (as the present day) and there have been more recent launches that exhibited. Most of the interactive exhibits are not working/broken/turned off but no 'out of action' signs. Staff on front desk were unhelpful, incompetent and couldn't care less. She gave us the wrong ticket to planetarium show which apparently starts 5 mins before and closed doors on the hour. Not knowing this we turned up in the hour and waited. After ten minutes the front desk staff passed and said nothing. After fifteen mins we werr close to giving up, the usher then turned up and rudely explained all this to us. We went in and saw the last half hour of the show which was definitely the highlight but I would have liked to see it from the start ... Overall quite disappointing!
Poppy MorrisMay 25, 2018
Not worth the 40 minute drive to the place. There are not too many exhibits to begin with and half of the exhibits were not working. The staff showed no interest in talking to visitors or to fix the exhibits. The theatre experience was nice but we missed the live demo as the schedules clashed. There is absolutely no reason why it has to be that way and why they couldn’t be better scheduled.
Puneet MahajanJul 13, 2018
Our young family LOVED this place! Great for budding astronomers & astrophysicists! Lots of info on how Canada contributes to space tech - and cheaper than the World of Science (we have one of those at home anyway)
Cass RJun 23, 2018
Went to see a "show" which ended up being a university student explaining a power point, essentially. He was very nervous, and while I'm sympathetic towards him, I am disappointed that for 20 dollars I paid to watch somebody stumble and speak in monotone about a galaxy. It was laughable.
Emma MatthewJul 14, 2018
With admission you get one Planetarium show. Make sure to get one with a MOVIE. Some shows have a movie like National Geographic quality while other shows are basically a low-budget terrible powerpoint presentation. For the price there shouldn’t be such a difference in value!! The rest of the museum is a bit small, better for kids. The gift shop is pretty nice.
Liz TaittJun 12, 2018
Monday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Thursday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Friday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Saturday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Sunday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
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