Nanaimo Museum tops the list of what to see in Nanaimo
Most of what there is to see is museums or galleries: 11 of 13. 12 places to visit are mapped inside Nanaimo’s municipal boundary, and one more within 5 km of its edge. Further afield lies Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, at 28 km.
Top of the list in Nanaimo
Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Map of the places
Gabriola Museum, 9.9 km away, is the farthest on the map.
The dashed line is Nanaimo’s municipal boundary; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Statistics Canada 2021 outline
The mix
Green: inside Nanaimo. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
The full list
The 12 inside Nanaimo come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Provincial and city parks are on the Outdoors page instead.
Historic places in Nanaimo → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Nanaimo →
Further away
Places well known beyond Nanaimo (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a Parks Canada property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Questions before you go to Nanaimo
What are the main attractions in Nanaimo?
The best known inside Nanaimo’s municipal boundary are Canadian Indigenous Art, Cheeky Monkey Glassworks and Museum of Natural History.
Does Nanaimo have a museum?
Yes, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nightmare Oasis and Vancouver Island Military Museum, all in Nanaimo or within 5 km.
Is there a Parks Canada property near Nanaimo?
Not within 5 km of Nanaimo: none is on our list.
How is this list made?
Museums, galleries, national historic sites, forts, lighthouses, gardens, national parks, waterfalls, ski hills, zoos and theme parks from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, ODCAF and the heritage registers are merged into one list. A historic building needs a sign it welcomes visitors (opening hours, a fee, a website, a heritage operator or a Wikipedia article); hotels, restaurants and tour operators are left out. Each place is put in the town’s 2021 outline or within 5 km of its edge.
Places to visit: Canada publishes no open tourism list, so this one is assembled from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0), Statistics Canada’s ODCAF museums and galleries (2020, Open Government Licence – Canada), the federal and Québec heritage registers and CPCAD’s national parks, and it reflects what mappers and editors have recorded. Forts, houses, lighthouses and churches count only with a sign that visitors are welcome. Places sit in each town’s 2021 census outline; visitor counts are Wikidata’s latest, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Englishman River Falls Provincial Park: th0rstenhell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).