 |
| |
Museums
Victoria has several exceptional museums, rated among the very best in North America, including the Royal British Columbia Museum. Whether your interest is military, maritime, aviation history, Native culture, pioneer stories or marine mammals, Victoria's museums capture your imagination with exciting exhibits that bring human and natural history to life.
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia
The colourful story of British Columbia's maritime history is told in various theme galleries, from Early Exploration to Captain Cook, Canadian Pacific Steamships and the Royal Navy.
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia is housed in the historic 1889 Provincial Law Courts building situated in Bastion Square. This is where the province's Chief Justice Matthew Ballie Begbie, known as "The Hanging Judge", once handed down his sentences in the panelled courtroom. As you enter the galleries, you will see the lacy ornamental grill-work of the caged elevator. Considered the oldest operating elevator in the country, it is a must-see on your visit. Beautiful woodwork decorates the public spaces, including California redwood, walnut, cedar and oak. The vaulted ceilings and elegant cornices provide an appropriate setting for a journey back through history.
Hours of Operation
Open daily, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Christmas Day.
|
|
Royal British Columbia Museum
The Royal British Columbia Museum is a place of discovery. Through three unique galleries, the Museum showcases the human and natural history of British Columbia, and features periodic exhibitions of international renown. Highly realistic and inviting displays, such as the Ice Age and Coastal Forest dioramas, provide visitors with a sense of having truly experienced the authentic settings.
Founded in 1886, the Museum is a world-renowned centre for research, education and museum innovation. The Royal British Columbia Museum offers public programs both on-site and on-line, Natural history collections tours explore: ichthyology and herpetology (the study of fish, amphibians and reptiles), ornithology (the study of birds), mammals, comparative faunal collections and botany as well as rocks, minerals and ores.
Hours of Operation, effective until March 4, 2001
Open daily 9 am to 5 pm. Closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day.
|
|
The Canadian Scottish Regiment Museum
The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) Regimental Museum is an accredited museum of the Canadian Forces. The museum was opened by the Regiment's Colonel-in-Chief, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, GCVO, CD, in May 1980. The museum is a non-publicly-funded organization that is operated by a group of dedicated volunteers.
Museum displays include material from the earliest days of the regiment to participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. The museum has a large collection of Lee-variant rifles, one of the most unique firearms collections in Canada.
|
|
Royal London Wax Museum
In 1961, the Royal London Wax Museum opened in Victoria. It represents the first North American exhibition of wax figures from Josephine Tussaud's famous gallery in London, England. Since 1971, the growing collection of wax figures and artifacts has been housed in an historic steamships terminal. The Parthenon-style structure was designed by the renowned architect Sir Francis Rattenbury, who also designed British Columbia's Legislative Buildings and the Empress Hotel.
A visit to the Royal London Wax Museum is a journey through the pages of time. The museum documents a myriad of events, with three hundred authentically-costumed wax figures of the famous and infamous. Through its objects, artifacts, likenesses of pivotal personages, scenarios and multi-media exhibitions, visitors have a meaningful opportunity to experience time standing still; this museum is an important educational resource.
The figures displayed in the museum are specially sculpted for the Royal London Wax Museum. Emphasis is placed on authenticity through research, written descriptions, documentation, death masks, portraits, photographs and, when feasible, interviews with tailors, seamstresses, milliners and dentists.
The Teachers' Resource Guide is available as a printed, bound booklet containing the full version of the thematic tours and all worksheets. Contact the Royal London Wax Museum if you would like a copy (teachers only, please).
Hours of Operation
Open January 1 to May 13, 9:30 am to 5 pm; May 14 to September 2, 9 am to 7:30 pm; September 3 to December 31, 9:30 am to 6 pm.
|
|
|
Sidney Marine Museum
The Sidney Marine Museum is a must-see attraction for anyone interested in whales. The marine mammal exhibit boasts outstanding displays; models, skeletons and murals trace the biology, behaviour and evolution of whales and an interesting film takes you out on a boat with a marine biologist. |
|
|
CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
The CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum is located in Naden, on the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt. The museum has exhibits that spotlight three distinct military groups who have made an impact upon Canada's history and who have left a lasting heritage: the Canadian Women's Army Corps, the Royal Canadian Navy on the West Coast, and the West Coast Defences. In addition to the exhibits, the museum houses an ever-expanding archive and library that is open to teachers, researchers and history-buffs alike.
Hours of Operation
Open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm. Closed on Saturday and Sunday, as well as on statutory holidays.
|
|
