Miniature World
A downtown miniature attraction for families, visitors, and nostalgic locals.
More than fifty years of tiny worlds, hiding in the Empress basement.
George Devlin opened this in 1971 with nine displays, and it has since grown into more than eighty-five hand-built dioramas tucked beneath the Fairmont Empress. Two of the world's largest dollhouses, a Dickensian London, Camelot, a full circus mid-parade, and a Canadian railway that runs for what feels like miles. It is gloriously analogue: lean in, press a button, watch something light up or move. Genuinely for kids, but the detail rewards any adult willing to stop being too cool for it.
The move
Push every button you pass, that is the whole trick. Hunt down the world's smallest operational sawmill (eleven years in the making) and linger on the antique dollhouses' fifty-plus furnished rooms. Bring kids low enough to read the tiny street signs.
Go when
A grey rainy afternoon when you are already downtown, or with out-of-town kids who need a windless hour. Give it sixty to ninety minutes if you actually read the scenes. Skip it expecting a quick ten-minute lap.
Known for
Perfect for