In Vancouver's museums, spend days discovering diverse artifacts and exhibits that detail the city's history, Aboriginal culture, fisheries, boats, policing and more.
Stand amongst a forest of totem poles at the Museum of Anthropology. Climb aboard a nearly 100-year-old wooden carousel horse at the Burnaby Village Museum. Delve into the history of the city itself at the Museum of Vancouver, learn about marine history at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, or see interesting displays at the Vancouver Police Museum. Nearby communities also have museums to visit, such as the Burnaby Village Museum and Richmond's Gulf of Georgia Cannery.
Museum of Anthropology (MOA)
Interested in Aboriginal art and culture? Do not miss the MOA, home to one of the world’s premiere collections of Northwest Coast First Nations art. The building, designed by world-renowned architect Arthur Erickson, houses towering totem poles, a cedar canoe and large carvings. Huge, 40ft/12m high windows provide a spectacular ocean and mountain backdrop.
Many of Bill Reid's works are on display, including "The Raven and the First Men" – an immense sculpture that depicts human creation (look for it on the back of a Canadian $20 bill). The MOA also has thousands of objects from around the world, ranging from African masks and a Cantonese opera robe to 16th-century European ceramics.
Museum of Vancouver
Curious about what Vancouver used to look like? Visit the Museum of Vancouver in Vanier Park. Interactive displays highlight Vancouver’s past and showcase some of the museum’s 10,000 items, which include a trunk from “Gassy Jack” Deighton (one of Vancouver’s best known pioneers), 1950s neon signs, 1960s protest buttons, as well as photographs, toys and clothing from eras gone by.
Temporary installations also rotate through, and have included everything from bicycle culture and taxidermy to fine crafts.
Vancouver Maritime Museum
At the Vancouver Maritime Museum, climb aboard the St. Roch, the first vessel to travel the Northwest Passage in one season, and experience what life was like for the crew of an arctic schooner. Watch model ships being built and learn about lighthouses, shipwrecks, Vancouver's harbour, and deep ocean exploration.
Vancouver Police Museum
Want an interesting photo to send to your friends and family? Get a picture taken behind bars at the Vancouver Police Museum. Housed on the top floor of a 1934 heritage building (which eerily used to be the Coroner’s Courtroom, morgue and autopsy facilities), the museum explores the history of policing in the city. Compare real and counterfeit money, and take a look at confiscated weapons and unusual firearms.
In summer, the “Sins of the City Walking Tour” tells about the days of prohibition, gambling and the early drug trade while walking through some of the oldest parts of Vancouver.
Burnaby Village Museum
Experience what life was like 90 years ago at the Burnaby Village Museum. Costumed staff and heritage/replica buildings recreate a traditional community from the 1920s. Walk through a restored electric tram car, visit the general store, watch a blacksmith make horseshoes, or learn how a newspaper was printed. The 1912 CW Parker Carousel has delighted riders for almost 100 years.
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery
Learn about coastal BC's fisheries industry at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery in nearby Richmond. The old wooden waterfront building, known as the "Monster Cannery," was once the leading producer of canned salmon in British Columbia. See artifacts such as Big Bertha (the revolutionary machine from the 1960s that stuffed 100 cans of salmon per minute) or take a tour through interactive exhibits.
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