Churchill Northern Studies Centre

Beautiful place to either visit on a day pass, a 6 day learning vacation or volunteer and stay program. Amazing scenery and observation deck. Good accommodations, very clean with lovely staff. It is a LEED certified building and is quite interesting to go on their Green Building Tour. They are on the property of the historic rocket range which is really awesome to see. They have a tent set up in the middle of boreal forest and have lots of great things they teach about ecology, local culture and animal pelts. Perfect place to view the aurora borealis.

My mom and I are staying in Churchill for 2 nights and decided to do a guided tour. Alex was our guide. She came to pick us up, made a small detour on the way so we could see Miss Piggy, and taught us a lot of history and facts about the area on our way to the center. She was a great tour guide, I highly recommend the guided tour! She made another small detour on the way back so we could see more interesting landmarks in the area. It was such a good experience I can't say it enough. Absolutely worth it, made our trip so memorable! Thank you Alex!!

Look this way if you are looking to sign up for the volunteer expedition during bear season! I had a blast volunteering at Churchill this Nov, 2023 during bear season! I've seen a lot of Polar bears, other Arctic species, Northern lights, as well as met quite a few passionate guests, staff and volunteers. The program is also very educational, I learned about the subpopulation of Polar bears in Churchill, the town's history, researchers' projects and the behind-the-scene operations of the research center's LEED certified green building. I just have a few constructive criticism on the volunteer expedition. They have both short-term and long-term volunteer programs. Long-term is 3 months through a Canadian youth program and short-term is 2 weeks and open to the public (what I did). Expect to share a dorm room with 3 other volunteers during busy seasons and work out bunking situation. During my stay there, volunteers were scheduled to work 6 days in a row for 6 hours a day, 1 day for a Tundra Buggy ride, work another 6 days and 1 day for a town tour/dog sledding. Those 2 days were considered off days for volunteers so there wasn't much room for leisure time. Duties for short-term volunteers were kitchen duties and housekeeping only. Long-term volunteers were responsible for tours, guest interactions, night duties, Rocket Greens harvest and helping out with kitchen duties as extra hands. Volunteers were allowed to take turns to put our names down for a vehicle in a week to go out and explore on our own if there was one available. On days with bad weather or a lot of guests, it wasn't guaranteed to get a vehicle. Best strategy is to reserve a vehicle in advance and check on the day of reservation to secure one. But again, there's no guarantee. Guests and researchers get prioritized for a vehicle before volunteers. We got out quite a bit on our own so that was fun! We asked for a day off and another Tundra Buggy ride, which were both granted. So don't be afraid to ask the staff for some wiggle room as long as you are respectful and open. The staff was a bit overwhelmed during bear season due to staffing issue so I had to chased them down lol. We didn't get helicopter rides but again, don't be afraid to ask. At the end of the day, we all came a long way to experience Churchill, its beautiful nature and wildlife. Volunteers get to go on the helicopter if there's space. The 4 stars are for the excellent experience with hiccups on the miscommunication and volunteer expectations. The research center tried its best to keep the lights green and were dependent on volunteers so it wasn't anyone's fault in particular, the volunteers just happened to be caught in the middle of a storm. But expectations could be set more clearly and realistically. The volunteer expedition description includes both short-term and long-term volunteer responsibilities, which can be a bit confusing for the short-term volunteers. This is also my experience and I can only speak for my own experience, you may get a complete different experience when they are fully staffed. However, I want to write this review to clarify the expectations for anyone who's interested in signing up!

The BEST place for the polar bears or belugas experience. Their organization is great, the place is beautiful and well kept, the people is the nicest and the food is AMAZING. Worth it in every single aspect. Can't stress enough how much I loved my stay here.

One of the lesser known "attractions" of Churchill, but definitely worth a visit to learn about all the important and fascinating research focusing on the local ecosystem.

If you want to see polar bears and learn about them, this is the place. The speakers are absolutely committed to the issue and to global warming. The accommodation has several rooms with two bunk beds each, the bathroom is airport type, the showers have valves for water control ... The food is frugal, it is like a university accommodation ie Spartan. But it's worth. The staff is very kind and helpful, and there are many activities, two days spent watching polar bears, and there are also hiking around, a helicopter ride (weather permitting) and a citytour in Churchill (very interesting). I liked very much!

Extremely good facility! The staff are very friendly and helpful. The rooms are very well equipped with lots of space and outlets for everyone in the room. The labs are very well stocked and clean. Recreation and bathroom facilities are always kept clean and well stocked. The gift shop is a bit on the expensive side but the stuff they sell is very high quality. Safety is taken very seriously and the staff are very good at safely getting you to and from wherever you need to be.

A fantastic, incredibly well-appointed, and vibrant research centre, equally well-equipped for ecotourism as it is for community outreach and valuable scientific research. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, friendly, and extremely capable. Rates are beyond reasonable for researchers and general public alike, and there are a great many resources available for use. A wonderful place to spend time in the north, and highly recommended. Plus: the food is great!

The Churchill Northern Studies Centre is an independent, non-profit research and education facility located 23 km east of Churchill. This was my home during my 2006 Earthwatch trip - Climate Change at Arctic's Edge - led by Dr. Peter Kershaw of the University of Alberta. The Centre sponsors various Arctic research programs and offers various educational programs through various universities and even Elder Hostel. The Centre has comfortable bunk accomodations, a very good cafeteria that serves 3 square meals a day, a gift shop, computer support (including internet access), meeting rooms, laboratory space, equipment support, and transporation to and from the Churchill Town Site, Airport, and Train Station. Alcohol can be consumed on site, but the Centre doesn't sell it. For that, there's a well-stocked (and popular) liquor store in Churchill. During my stay (October) I also got to see a Polar Bear and the Northern Lights, share Canadian Thanksgiving at the Centre, and have a "Northern" meal that included Caribou and Arctic Char. Beluga Whales can be seen at other times of the year. I was so impressed with my stay including the people who run it that I became a member of the Centre and contribute annually. They do great work that deserves my support.

Just back from a northern lights program--see more recent reviews on Trip Advisor. Highly recommend the facility for any of their programs.

I was a volunteer at the CNSC so I have spent a lot of time in the centre. The building itself was only opened in 2011 so the facilities are still fairly new. All of the accommodation is Dormitory style with 4 beds (2 bunks) to a room with bathrooms down the hall and separate showers. To stay at the centre you need to be part of a group, a learning vacation or be a researcher but it is a very affordable option especially with 3 very filling yummy meals a day. It has some other good facilities like an Aurora Dome so you don't have to go outside to see the Aurora, an AV room, a Rec room with Pool Table and even a small Gym. Even if you don't stay here it, it is a good place to stop to use the washrooms, have a coffee for a small donation or go and check out the view from the Aurora Dome. And its worth checking out the gift store cause all proceeds go to the centre. And if you feel like staying in Churchill for a little longer than why not think about volunteering because for me it was a pretty good experience.