Cape Breton Fossil Centre

Cape Breton Fossil Centre Main page for the Cape Breton Fossil Centre & Sydney Mines Heritage Museum!

One of the best things about running a gift store, is coming home to mail like this. That's a lot of dinosaurs!
06/23/2026

One of the best things about running a gift store, is coming home to mail like this. That's a lot of dinosaurs!

Every visit to the Cape Breton Fossil Centre includes a guided tour by one of our three wonderful student interpreters! ...
06/22/2026

Every visit to the Cape Breton Fossil Centre includes a guided tour by one of our three wonderful student interpreters! We are incredibly proud of the work they do, but don't just take our word for it—check out what our recent visitors have to say below!

Already visited? Your admission is good for the entire season! Why not come back and try a tour with a different interpreter? They each bring their own unique perspective, passion, and vibe to the history of our island. Drop by and say hello this week!

We tend to think about plant fossils associated with the coal forests of Cape Breton and the insects and terrestrial ver...
06/09/2026

We tend to think about plant fossils associated with the coal forests of Cape Breton and the insects and terrestrial vertebrates within them. Forgotten is the aquatic realm. The lakes and rivers within and between the swamps were filled with sharks, giant amphibians, and other long extinct watery denizens.

The photos below show two tooth plates of ~320 million year old lungfish. The bumps on the plates functioned the same as those on a meat tenderizer, concentrating pressure and allowing them to crush shelled prey. Our curator found these two teeth today while out doing some reconnaissance fieldwork near Grand Etang.

We had a chance last night to dine with an all-star cast of visiting geologists at Governor's in Sydney. Middle right ar...
06/08/2026

We had a chance last night to dine with an all-star cast of visiting geologists at Governor's in Sydney. Middle right are Drs. Sandra Barr and Chris White, who literally made the geological map of the Island. There are also reps from various Nova Scotia universities. Most of the table is made up of German researchers who made a pilgrimage here after a conference in St. John's.

Why? Because, as we at the Fossil Centre love to tell anyone who will listen, this island is a very special place. Our amazing Coal Age and Ice Age fossils are the divas of the geological world, and they grab all the public attention. But just as interesting to scientists are the deep "basement" rocks that lie under them. These rocks tell a story that goes back 300 to 1,200 million years further than the coal.

It's these rocks that brought these—ahem—rock stars to the island in an ongoing quest to untangle our island's deep origin story: where the components of the island came from and how they relate to the rest of the world.

Did they figure it out? Not yet! As with most good science trips, they've left with *a lot* of rock samples... and even more questions.

Birthdays at the Fossil Centre? You bet! We're excited to announce we're taking a limited number of bookings for birthda...
06/07/2026

Birthdays at the Fossil Centre? You bet!

We're excited to announce we're taking a limited number of bookings for birthday parties at the Fossil Centre for the summer/fall. This is a brand new offering, and will likely book up fast, so reserve today!

Our basic package for up to ten kids is $150 and includes:
•Two hour use of a private room with kitchen facilities & big screen TV—that you can decorate!
•A special backroom tour of the gallery & paleontology lab
•A dedicated staff member to help with the fun
•One exploration adventure activity (real fossil dig, rock & mineral kit, or dino arts & crafts)
•A free t-shirt for the birthday child!

Additional kids, activities, and fun extras are available.

Click here to book today! https://forms.gle/Dk94bueZfQmbpn387

Great to get out an interact with kids and families at the YMCA of Cape Breton Children's Expo! Lots of budding paleonto...
06/06/2026

Great to get out an interact with kids and families at the YMCA of Cape Breton Children's Expo! Lots of budding paleontologists and geologists!

05/31/2026

We open *Tuesday*. (On the radio we said June 1st, but that's a Monday. Our hours are Tuesday-Saturday. Oops!)

Had a blast supporting the MS Walk today in North Sydney with Terry the Pterosaur and Baby Dino. Made a friend along the...
05/31/2026

Had a blast supporting the MS Walk today in North Sydney with Terry the Pterosaur and Baby Dino. Made a friend along the way. Fred Tilley MLA Northside Westmount

🎉FREE SCHOOL TOURS THIS SUMMER! 🎉 We're thrilled to announce we've received sponsorship from GFL Environmental Inc. that...
05/20/2026

🎉FREE SCHOOL TOURS THIS SUMMER! 🎉 We're thrilled to announce we've received sponsorship from GFL Environmental Inc. that will allow us to waive the full cost of admission to the Fossil Centre for 500 kids this June!

It's our dream to make access the Centre free for all of Cape Breton's youth and this sponsorship is a big step towards making that happen.

We'd love to extend this free offer to even more kids. This is where you can help: Every $3 donation provides access to child. To support this campaign, use the link below! *Note: All donations are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.* https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/sydney-mines-community-heritage-society/campaign/free-school-access/

If you're a teacher looking for a memorable field trip, please use this sign up form. Spaces are limited for the summer, so reach out to secure your place! https://forms.gle/xv8NXrt2Tvi6ZKdN7

Thank you, GFL Environmental, and thank you to our incredible community for helping us share our passion for Cape Breton's fossils with the next generation!

We'll be on Main Street Cape Breton at 4:15 pm today to announce something we're pretty excited about! Tune in. :)
05/20/2026

We'll be on Main Street Cape Breton at 4:15 pm today to announce something we're pretty excited about! Tune in. :)

Address

159 Legatto Street
Sydney Mines, NS
B1V5S6

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+1 902-544-0992

Website

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