Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art and History
Touchstones Nelson
A museum housed in an 1902 Romanesque stone former city hall, telling the story of the gold rush, silver mining and social change in the Kootenay region.
Touchstones Nelson Museum is located in a Romanesque Revival stone building completed in 1902 on Vernon Street. It originally served as a federal building and city hall, and it is one of the most eye-catching historic buildings downtown. The permanent exhibitions cover local history, including the Indigenous peoples, the silver mining boom, railways and steamboats, American draft resisters who settled here during the Vietnam War, hippie culture and the history of Nelson’s Chinese community. The museum also has a contemporary art gallery and an archive. It is a moderate-sized museum, and a visit takes about 1 to 1.5 hours. Admission is about 10 Canadian dollars.
Opening hours
Tue–Sat 10:00–17:00 (check the official website)
Nearby sights
- Baker Street Heritage District
- Nelson Electric Streetcar No. 23
- Cottonwood Falls Park
- Lakeside Park & Big Orange Bridge
- Pulpit Rock Trail
- Whitewater Ski Resort
- Kokanee Creek Provincial Park
- Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park