GLACE BAY, N.S. -- The Cape Breton Miners Museum is currently closed, the doors locked with a lot of uncertainty surrounding when they might open for the season.

The popular project gives a hands-on opportunity to share in Cape Breton's rich coal mining history. Its new state-of-the-art virtual mine simulator has officials at museum hoping it will attract new visitors - which they desperately need - when restrictions allow.

"We did absolutely no business last year, we were down 95 per cent. That's one year, and we weathered it, but we can't weather another year lik that," says executive director Mary Pat Mombourquette.

There have been a number of renovations inside the facility, including a brand new orientation room, decked out with large screens to learn about mining history.

The goal now is to attract locals, and if they're lucky, other Maritimers once restrictions ease.

"It's been a rough go for everybody, but especially for us as a museum, and as part of the tourism industry, because most of our revenue comes from people who are not from the Atlantic Provinces," Mombourquette says.

The biggest attraction is a brand new underground simulator, giving people with mobility issues and others a chance to experience what life was like for a coal miner.

"I've been underground for 32 years and I've travelled in a lot of different places, a lot of places with low roof and you'd have to bend your head as you're going in,” says Sheldon Gouthro, a retired miner.

"The first time that I travelled in this simulator here, I actually bent my head down, thinking I was going to hit the roof, and that's how real it is."

The museum is already famous for its underground tours, but Mombourquette says this experience is like no other in Canada.

"This is the first that's ever been built. It's unique, and it's unique to Cape Breton. It's unique to our coal mining culture. It's something that we have to come out and support," says Mombourquette.

Support that is needed during a pandemic that has pushed many businesses to their financial limits.

The museum was scheduled to open their doors at the end of this month, but that has been pushed back until the end of June. Like many businesses, there is a lot of uncertainty on what the summer months might look like, especially for tourist attractions like this one.