Had an excellent time. It had been years since I was here. The volunteers who work here are amazing. Please be kind to them. The bakery is definitely worth a visit. Very tasty treats. Plan to attend some of the shows, the characters are good and it's fun for all ages. I think I appreciate it more as an adult but definitely great for kids. You can easily spend a few hours here. Check out the blacksmith and get yourself a steak turner. They were very popular when we visited. (They have left and right handed ones). Fun fact, you can also book a stay at Barkerville and stay in their hotel or cabin. It's private and the interior is not available for viewing to the general public.

We had an amazing full day at Barkerville! It is truly a very well done historic town, larger than I expected with many many things to see. We enjoyed an incredible guided tour that was performed by one of the actors of Barkerville. I can highly recommend the little bakery in town with sweet and savoury treats and attending the theatre show at 2pm that was a wonderful interactive experience. Having been there I would happily visit again!

I had a wonderful experience going back in time to relive a historical event. The staff was friendly and engaging, staying in character throughout the day. We arrived at 9 am, but next time, I would aim for 9:30 or 9:45 am since everything doesn’t open and start until 10 am. The facility was clean and well-maintained. This was a family adventure, and our kids really enjoyed themselves. Keep in mind that it can get pricey if you decide to purchase everything, so be prepared for that.

A great historic experience. Barkerville is a delight to walkthrough and explore, the actors are great at what they do, and are a delight to communicate with. There's plenty of things to buy and eat, to immerse yourself further. Me and my wife went there on a Saturday and got a special treat of hiking with a guide (acting as an actual historic figure of the era) to Jack town, the immersion in history and culture of the time period is on point and maintained with a lot of care respect

Had the best time here with my 6 year old and some family friends! We did 2 days. The first day we arrived after 4pm, so we just walked the streets and looked at everything. Some stores were still open, but things start to quiet down at this time. We came back the next day at 10. My son enjoyed the 1030 school house presentation and we booked tickets for the horse carriage ride, which you should do ASAP as they book up. We hit the bakery, which had the BEST Boston cream donuts and pistachio Macrons! The Strauss Co coffee shop had fantastic coffee, and for $8 you buy a tin cup, they personalized it with name and date, and you get free refills all day! The coffee was really tasty. We enjoyed looking at each exhibit and really enjoyed all of the characters acting as well. The Pickwick assembly was hilarious and historically founded. I would suggest getting a schedule at the welcome centre and following the paid actors around as they act out historical scenes. We got to learn all about how water wheels were used to dredge the river and there was a big drum circle at 5. Highly recommend sitting for a photograph at the photo shop. They have a huge selection of props and costumes. It was pricey, but a really good keepsake, just book early because they only have so many bookings in a day. There is a discovery tray to practice gold panning, for children under 7 or so I wouldn't waste money doing actual gold panning. There is lots of places to purchase food, but I would suggest bringing a picnic, there were several shady spots to have one. Parking was free.

Spent the day there for the first time. It's a very special place. It is, I guess, an open air museum, but there's something more to it. It's as if the day goes by naturally in Barkerville, the employees are busy working, either printing, forging things, taking piano lessons, randomly. It's as if they couldn't really see the visitors sometimes, and just live and go on with their day. It felt very natural, and this is what I loved the most about it. I stayed until the late afternoon as the town got quieter, to join the drum circle with Mike and Cheryl, and it was such an ideal conclusion. A shame that most visitors didn't stay for this occasion and walked by. Especially since it was National Indigenous People Day. The pastries at the bakery were also pretty good, I didn't get to try the rest in the other shops.

Barkerville is a jewel to visit, and break from your typical activities in this area for which you probably came into Quesnel area -- camping, fishing, hiking, hunting,... It is really nice to see that we managed to preserve one of historical sites and have an active program in presenting history of bc. It is not usual, walk around and read writings place. Barkerville offers live street shows, theater show, interpretive tours, and some nice food. We tried their bakery, and local ice cream. Nothing to complain about with our choices. They do have general store, restaurants, including Chinese one, and China Town to visit. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to make a break in it's voyage or regular activities.

Going from Barkerville to this was a bit of a letdown. It is free and maintained but lacks that wow factor. Few houses and almost everything was locked up. I thought the general store would be open and selling gifts but no. Don't forget to donate to help them spruce this place up. Not dog friendly.

Wow sad root cellar roped off so cant go in any more not a soul to be seen on a Wednesday July 23 builds were locked up other then could look threw main house doors and windows and barn half doors were open to look in. Guess nothings like it used to be with cut backs to everything

Lovely alternative to Barkerville if you don't want to do the drive out.

We spent some time at Cottonwood House in 1998 We also operate a historic roadhouse hotel, which is located in Langley British Columbia It has been operating for 150 years and we use the name Princess and the Pea Hotel It would be great if Cottonwood House was also open as a hotel

What a beautifully well maintained historical site! We met Jordan who was working there the day we stopped and he was absolutely fantastic, energetic and knowledgeable! I do wish when we went to Barkerville that they would have mentioned or even suggested a stop here as they are both important historical sites. The cabins are a wonderful addition.

What a great part of our history. I met Sharon, a caretaker and herself a part of our history as she's been involved with Cottonwood House as well as Barkerville for 45 years. When she told me that, I mentioned she may have been at Barkerville when I was there as a child. She shared some stories and helped us get to Barkerville. What an absolute gem of a woman and I can't thank her enough. She loves what she does and it showed which warmed my heart. Ty Sharon 🇨🇦❤️ Go see Cottonwood House, it's just down the road from Barkerville and check out the amazing history of the Gold Rush!

Cottonwood house is a great place to camp! They have little cabins, camp sites, & RV hook ups. Nice, big picnic tables & fire pits and firewood can be purchased. The historic site is really neat to check out. They even have a double barn! This is a place we will definitely stat again.