Museums

Museum exhibits focus on 4 areas - Canada's Navy on the West Coast; the Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC); the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS); army defence of Canada's West Coast. The Museum is part of a National Historic District & its heritage buildings date from the 1890s. In addition to exhibits & displays, the museum houses an expanding archive that include thousands of photographs & documents, histories of Canadian naval vessels, navigation charts, biographies of important leaders in the Canadian Navy & copies of the Navy List.

Museum tours by arrangement - contact staff.

Explore British Columbia's rich maritime history through themed galleries where you will learn about explorers, fur traders and pirates; experience the hardship and adventure of whaling and seal hunting; and relive an era of graceful travel aboard Canadian Pacific ocean liners.

Visitors can also visit our restored Vice-Admiralty Courtroom where Judge Matthew Begbie once presided and take a ride in the oldest operating bird cage elevator in North America.

Visit with us and see the world's smallest operational sawmill and two of the world's largest doll houses, experience one of the world's largest model railroads, visit the wonderful world of the circus, take a spaceship to the stars, travel through the Enchanted Valley of Castles, witness the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and further adventures. Tiny treasures and little pleasures await all who continue into Frontierland, Fantasyland, the Fields of Glory, the World of Dickens and much more. Special effects in lighting, sound and animation. Car park, bus parking, special family rate, air-conditioned.

See all of BC at the Royal BC Museum. Experience galleries & immerse yourself in the tales of where we've been & where we are going. Discover things & people you never knew before. Experience authentic artifacts in highly realistic immersive settings - from Woolly Mammoth in his rocky, icy world, to a trip on the tar-scented HMS Discovery. Stroll through Old Town's wood-cobbled street, enjoy its shops, cinema & railway station. Visit a ceremonial Big House; see an impressive selection of First Nations totem poles & masks. Learn about BC's coastal marine life via a Victoria-era 'submarine' & see live creatures in the 360 litre aquarium. From a wide variety of optional guided tours, to ever-changing presentations by museum staff - there's something for everyone, every day.

Landsea Tours offers daily scheduled half-day & full-day mini-coach sightseeing excursions to include Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler & more - maximum of 24 guests. See it all: Stanley Park, Chinatown, Gastown, Granville Island Market, Alaska cruise ships, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain & Butchart Gardens. Combine a Victoria tour with whale watching or a floatplane flight, or a Whistler tour with the Whistler Mountaineer train by Rocky Mountaineer. Driver/guides create memorable sightseeing experiences by sharing their extensive knowledge of area history, geography & current events & in answering guests' individual questions.

Private tours and transfers are also available: SUVs, Mercedes Sprinter Vans and Mini-Coaches available.

Historic house museum built in 1861; home of the O'Reilly family for 3 generations. Original furnishings & personal effects displayed as in the 1890-1920 period. Early Victoria pioneers. Heritage garden presently being restored to original plan. Afternoon tea served on the lawn overlooking the water 5 days a week May-August. Visitors can arrive by Harbour Ferries from Inner Harbour to our dock for $5. Admission to house & gardens is $6 (adults), $4 for students, $3 for those 6-12. Tea includes tour; $28 including tax. Site available for rentals.