cape breton miners' museum

I am a coal miner with 31 years experience underground in the coal mines of Cape Breton.The tour of the mine here very much resembles the coal mines of years ago when our grandfathers worked in the mines. The only difference now is has more advanced equipment. The darkness and damp cold air and gas in the mine are always there. I toured this mine a few times with friends , always a great story from one of the tour guides. Do not miss this opportunity. Also visit miners restaurant on site for authentic home cooked meals available in tourist season.

We were first hesitant going here because we thought it may not be too exciting and weren't keen on being in a mine shaft, you know...dark and dirty. Well, it is now 5 months since we were there and this attraction has impacted us the most... we are still talking about it. It would have been our biggest mistake not to see it since it was such a big part of Cape Breton. We were each given a cape and hardhat and we strolled down the mine... no elevator shaft. Our guide was one of the best storytellers we've ever encountered, (most entertaining), and then we learned so much. It was one of the most interesting attractions in Cape Breton and all we can say is please don't pass this one by. We just loved it.

Nova Scotia used to have many coal mine although the last of them have shut down. In order to keep the memory of the mines and especially the people who were lost in the mines, the Cape Breton Miner's Museum was established in Glace Bay which is a short distance out of Sydney Nova Scotia. A visit to the museum includes a 1 1/2 tour of a coal mine led by retired coal miners who do it so that we do not forget.Although the mine visited was built specifically for the museum and is not a real coal mine, the replica shows exactly what the miners experienced in real mines - minus the danger, the muck and the ear splitting noise. The miner who led our tour who had worked in the mines for years was extremely interesting and gave all of us a graphic description what it was like to work below, the injustices perpetuated upon the miners by the mine owners and by the province government, and the hardships experienced by their families. The descriptions of the work underground done by children as young as 12 were heartbreaking.One of the things that I did not know was that the ceilings in some places were as low as 42 inches. Imagine doing hard physical labor underground for 12 hour shift where you have to work bent over all the time. Also imagine that you are paid by the amount of coal you send to the surface where the first 3 - 4 hours of your shift was spent preparing the coal face so that you can start taking coal of of the mine. Then imagine that you are working for a company that has every reason to try to cheat you of the wages that you should have earned. That is the life that the miners and their families led.You must visit this museum. It is an experience not to be missed.

Actually visited in Sept 2013. Unbelievably complete museum on Cape Breton mining and miners. Had a private tour by a seasoned / retired miner who worked the Glace Bay mine.

The mine tour with Eric Spencer (retired after 55 years in the mines) was eye opening. His stories were fascinating, informative as well as humorous. I'd never been in a coal mine and this was an education. Thought I was in pretty good shape until the mine ceiling got down to 42 inches and I had to duck walk a ways. Really brought home what those miners had to tolerate during their 12 hour shifts. His stories of the mine owners' brutality toward the workers, many 10 years old, were unbelievable...........and I thought the treatment of miners in West Virginia & Pennsylvania were bad.

This is a must see if you are near Glace Bay. We actually go into a mine. Our tour guide, Sheldon was excellent. I am 5'9" and it was hard on my back but it made it easy for me to imagine what it was like to for the miners to be in there 12 hours a day! Learning about the mining industry and the miners was interesting. Well worth it!!!

As part of my visit to Cape Breton over the thanksgiving weekend, my sister and I made our way to the Miner's Museum in Glace Bay. We had a great time going through the museum exhibit, with the highlight being the mine tour. We did not book ahead given that it was the shoulder season, but as indicated in other reviews you may want to consider doing so depending on the time of year.Our tour guide, Eric, had a great sense of humour and related the story of the Cape Breton coal miners over the last two centuries in great detail.As someone who is over 6 ft in height, I did have to crouch throughout the mine tour (but I would not have expected anything else).We would recommend the museum and the tour to people of all ages, including younger children (6 and above). Enjoy your visit.

Sheldon, a retired miner, was our guide when we visited this museum. We have been to plenty of coal mining museums on our travels around England but our friends had never been down one. They thoroughly enjoyed it apart from being too tall! It was so interesting to hear all their fascinating tales of life underground. It must be very frightening to only have the small light from a head lamp to see by as of course the underground tour is well lit.We enjoyed looking at the exhibits in the museum as well as looking at the miners houses and company store.

The tour guides are all former miners and give first hand accounts of how hard life was for the Cape Breton miners and how difficult life was once the mines closed for good. The tour underground is very well done but in places it is very low so anyone over 5'9''or with a back problem may well find it difficult. The film and museum are very informative and well worth spending some time on.

There is nothing like a first hand introduction to coal mining in Cape Breton by someone who lived that life for many years. The underground mine tour led by a retired coal miner was fascinating and a highlight of our time in Cape Breton. Highly recommended!!

My dad and I stopped in Glace Bay during a recent trip to the Maritimes, at the recommendation of a good friend who grew up there. He’d suggested we tour the Miners’ Museum, which initially sounded like it would be mildly interesting. What an understatement that turned out to be! We walked straight into one of the underground tours, which was simply astounding. Unlike many “sanitized” mine tours, this one gives you a genuine feel for what miners actually experienced… all while listening to incredible stories from people who worked the mines for most of their lives. Our guide, Wish, was engaging with a sense of humour that belied the harsh conditions in which he used to work. This was an amazing and thought-provoking way to see some of Cape Breton’s history!

A wonderful history of coal mining in Cape Breton. The tour underground was definitely interesting...be prepared to stoop down as the ceiling drops to about 4 feet! The guides are excellent.

What a great tour at the Miners Museum! My tour guide, Eric, was very interesting and informative. It was shocking to learn what coal miners had to go through. If you're visiting Cape Breton make sure to stop here and take the tour; you won't regret it! Thanks Eric!

Not for the faint hearted...an hour underground...and stooping most of the time...But so worth it..History we have never fully heard..What an eye opener..Sheldon our guide..was so very good..and having had worked in the Mines as well of a lot of his family...he had personal stories to tell...with a sense of humour & horror..and what the workers & their families lived with...or without...It was very well done....enjoyable day..even though the stories are very sad...

This was one of the more interesting things we did in all of N.S. The guide was a retire miner and had stories too tell as well as quite humorous! He got a nice tip! Allow at least 3-4 hours for the tour and exhibits. The only negative is if you are tall and have any back or knee issues the 5 foot high ceilings in the mine tour can be an issue!!!