Whitehorse Cultural Tours: Top 5 You Can’t Miss

Whitehorse, way up there in Yukon, isn’t just a jumping-off spot for wilderness adventures; it’s so a surprisingly awesome hub of culture and history too, it’s almost as if you didn’t know it, eh? From First Nations traditions passed down through generations to the exciting tales of the Gold Rush, the city has a story to tell, or even many stories to tell. Figuring out where to start can be quite a challenge though, yet never fear. I’ve pulled together my top five must-do cultural tours to show off the finest of what Whitehorse has to offer.

1. Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre: Honouring First Nations Heritage

At the top of my list has to be the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. You can find the centre right by the Yukon River. This place is so dedicated to the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, yet it’s much more than just a museum. With displays that teach you about the culture, it really gives a window into a history going way, way back. The traditional crafts and arts being done really connect the past to our now. Keep an eye out for storytelling events or even workshops; those give pretty cool chances to engage with the community’s customs. That building? Super inspiring too. The design gives a nod to the longhouses that the Kwanlin Dün people lived in.

During my visit, I was lucky enough to see a demonstration on how they make birch bark baskets. The carefulness and the knowledge that these crafters put into it just blew me away, really connecting the culture with this thing you could literally see being put together right in front of your eyes. The story got passed down from older generations, and the feeling? Very real and very moving.

Read our full review: Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre Full Review and Details See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre)

2. MacBride Museum: Stepping Back into Yukon’s Gold Rush Days

Next stop? The MacBride Museum. This spot is the place to get familiar with the tales of the Gold Rush, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and also the nature that’s up there in the Yukon. The museum’s set up well so you can check out everything starting from the indigenous people that first lived there, and going to the geologists who explored, plus the Mounties keeping justice. But what got me hooked, really, was learning more on how they got by, what kind of challenges came their way and all those victories up on that rough part of the continent.

This might also hook you, but one cool thing, the museum keeps the old telegraph office of the Yukon up and running! It shows you how critical communications was to the guys up in the mountains at the end of 1800s.

Read our full review: MacBride Museum Full Review and Details See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (MacBride Museum)

3. Yukon Arts Centre: Spotlighting Northern Creativity

For anyone keen on seeing creativity going on right in the Yukon, go to the Yukon Arts Centre. It shows talent from every corner of the territory! They really are committed to showing artists from the Yukon on one hand and artists from everywhere else too. You could catch plays, dance things, some kind of music gig or art displays. You can tell the programs seek to make arts of all types easily available for communities far and wide. Getting to visit let me know about new visions and let me respect all the creative work made.

While I was up in the area, I saw that a multimedia exhibition happened. Seeing all those digital, sculptured and paints up close was very compelling, it let my imagination cut loose for the afternoon.

Read our full review: Yukon Arts Centre Full Review and Details See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Yukon Arts Centre)

4. Old Log Church Museum: Discovering Pioneer History

The Old Log Church Museum provides a pretty special peek into Whitehorse’s olden days, which were very religious days. The Anglican church that’s in there got made out of logs around the 1900s and stands for how devoted some early missionaries were. You’re going to see displays and archives about church personnel, along with glimpses of the way the region spiritually evolved. What made that tour pop for me were some heartfelt tales and insights of the missionaries getting by in all of the remote landscapes and really attempting to get involved with indigenous populations back in the old era.

Seeing old photos from then helped me understand the past on a deeper plane, almost giving me some empathy for times long gone. Even in case you usually aren’t big on architecture things, that rough old style will probably stay stuck inside your mind.

Read our full review: Old Log Church Museum Full Review and Details See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Old Log Church Museum)

5. Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society: Riding Through History

And speaking of things sticking in your mind, I should definitely recommend the Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society. As they travel alongside the stunning Yukon River, and taking advantage of views from Miles Canyon, you have this train. It doesn’t just have you looking; but it has you understanding the past! A narrative brings you details on Yukon transportation history as nature is everywhere! You know that railway also has ties with resources that helped to make that region bloom in general back when resources, particularly mineral deposits, were all they got in terms of commerce.

That scenic excursion gave fantastic angles of some geological beauties plus some of what I could consider awesome works on human’s part as humans tackled what it meant to work that region back during a difficult epoch.

Read our full review: Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society Full Review and Details See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society)