Historical Summer Walking Tours in beautiful downtown Fernie.
Allow time before or after your walking tour to explore the Museum. The building itself is an important example of Fernie's beautiful architecture and features the permanent exhibition: 'This is our Fernie', Visitor Information Centre and an airy exhibition gallery on the 2nd floor featuring special exhibits & events. Public washrooms are available on each floor.
SUMMER TOUR SERIES
- On the surface, Fernie might seem like any mountain town: beautiful vistas, interesting shops, and over 90 accessible hiking and biking trails. But if you dig a little deeper, you will discover a rich and dramatic history.
Join one of our knowledgeable local guides for a 90-minute walking tour of historic downtown Fernie. Explore the stories of movers and shakers, rumrunners, devastating fires, coal mining disasters and legends of a Ktunaxa curse and discover how these people and events have helped to shape Fernie as we see it today.
Our guides will also share the inside scoop of where to find the right memento, a perfect latte or a great place to eat in our community. We endeavor to make your stay in Fernie, whether long or short, a truly memorable experience.
- Every Saturday & Sunday from July 1 - August 27, 2017
- Tours depart at 11am & 2pm and last approx 90 minutes.
- Tickets $10
- Purchase tickets in advance online or at the Museum.
Exploring the Ruins Bus Tours
- The history of the Elk Valley is riddled with the cycle of boom and bust. Hosmer and Morrissey enjoyed a brief heyday before the mines were closed prior to World War I. Coal Creek and Michel-Natal were the economic engines of the Elk Valley before the mines there too closed following World War 2.
Local historians will host each tour, providing insights and stories that will bring these coal mines and towns back to life.
The tour will take place in all weather conditions. Please wear appropriate footwear for walking outside on uneven ground. A weatherproof warm jacket and an umbrella are encouraged.
- Tickets are $30, which include admission to the Fernie Museum and light refreshments on the tour. Tickets are available online on the Museum's website or at the Fernie Museum.
- All tours depart from the Fernie Museum at 1pm:
- Saturday, July 8: Coal Creek townsite, July 8, 4 hours
- Saturday, July 22: Michel-Natal townsite, 4 hours;
- includes a stop at the Sparwood Museum. Presented by the Michel-Natal Sparwood Heritage Society.
- Saturday, August 5: Morrissey mine and Carbonado/Morrissey townsites, 3.5 hours
- Saturday, August 19: Hosmer townsite and mine ruins, 3.5 hours;
- includes a stop at the Hosmer Hall to review the Hosmer: Boom, Bust and War exhibit.
Cemetery Walking Tours
- If these tombstones could talk, the stories they would tell! Join knowledgeable tour guides on a walk through time to learn about the people, Join knowledgeable tour guides on a walk through time to learn about the people, personalities, and events that shaped the Elk Valley as we see it today.
The tour will take place in all weather conditions. Please wear appropriate footwear for walking outside on uneven ground, some steep uphill sections. A weatherproof warm jacket and an umbrella are encouraged.
- St. Margaret’s Cemetery, Fernie
- July 15, 29, August 12.
- 1:00 to 2:30 pm
- Tour the heritage section of the cemetery and learn about the people and events that shaped early Fernie. Presented in partnership with the Lost Souls’ Society.
- Tickets are $10, which include admission to the Fernie Museum. Tickets are available at the Fernie Museum.
- Hosmer Cemetery
- 1pm, August 26.
- As a mining community, Hosmer enjoyed a short but vibrant history. This tour of the Hosmer Cemetery introduces stories of immigrant miners and pioneers that shaped this early community.
- Tickets are $10; meet at the Hosmer Hall.
