Museums in British Columbia, Canada

British Columbia proudly offers many fabulous museums, including the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, one of the top museums in the world. Step back far in time in these intriguing places of discovery, to view the realistic and inviting displays of native culture, history and artifacts, and study the natural history of this beautiful region. Learn how nature has shaped and cared for the people who have lived in British Columbia for thousands of years, and how that all changed with the arrival of European settlers just over 200 years ago.

The best way to understand and gain an appreciation of the unique and colourful history of British Columbia is by visiting its museums. The larger museums are certainly fascinating to visit, but almost every small town in BC has a museum showcasing the history and heritage of the surrounding region, and it is often the museums and historical societies in these smaller communities that are the most rewarding to visit.

Search our database for more information on the Museums in British Columbia:

Regions

Click 'Find It' after selecting your region.

Below is a list of the larger and more visited Museums in B.C. (Use the search facility above for contact details)

The Islands
U'Mista Cultural Centre	Alert Bay	Historic Kwakiutl Artifacts
Campbell River Museum & Archives	Campbell River	Native and Pioneer History
BC Forest Discovery Centre	Duncan	History of BC's Forests
The Bastion	Nanaimo	Period 1850 to 1880
Sidney Museum and Archives	Sidney	Pioneer History of N Saanich
Sooke Region Museum	Sooke	Logging, Fishing & Native
The Whale Centre Museum	Tofino	Maritime and Whale Exhibits
Hatley Park (Hatley Castle)	Victoria	Dunsmuir, Canadian Forces
Royal British Columbia Museum	Victoria	Provincial Museum
Maritime Museum of BC	Victoria	Maritime History of BC
Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
British Columbia Museum of Mining	Britannia Beach	BC Mining History
Museum of Archaeology	Burnaby	Northwest Coast Indian
BC Farm Machinery Museum	Fort Langley	BC Farm Machinery
Elphinstone Pioneer Museum	Gibsons	Marine, Geology and Native
Hope Museum	Hope	Gold Rush and Pioneer
Maple Ridge Museum	Maple Ridge	Native and Pioneer History
Mission Museum and Archives	Mission	Native and Pioneer History
Pitt Meadows Museum & Archives	Pitt Meadows	Native and Pioneer History
Powell River Historical Museum	Powell River	Local History
Steveston Museum	Richmond	Fishing, Farming & Household
Museum of Flight & Transportation	Surrey	Aircraft and Aviation Library
Surrey Museum	Surrey	History of Surrey, BC
Museum of Anthropology	Vancouver	Northwest Coast Indian
Vancouver Maritime Museum	Vancouver	Vancouver's Marine History
Vancouver Museum	Vancouver	Native History, World Arts
BC Sports Hall of Fame	Vancouver	BC Sports History
Yale Museum	Yale	Gold Rush, Railway History
Thompson Okanagan
Armstrong-Spallumcheen Museum	Armstrong	Local, Railway and Transport
Ashcroft Museum	Ashcroft	Salish, Chinese and Local
BC Wine Museum	Kelowna	Winemaking History & Artifacts
BC Orchard Industry Museum	Kelowna	BC Orchard Industry History
Central Okanagan Sports HOF	Kelowna	Central OK Sports & Athletes
Kamloops Museum and Archives	Kamloops	Native, Pioneer and Fur Trade
Kelowna Centennial Museum	Kelowna	Native and Travelling Exhibits
Kelowna Fire Museum	Kelowna	Firefighting History, Education
Lillooet Museum	Lillooet	Pioneer, Mining, Salish, Chinese
Nicola Valley Museum-Archives	Merritt	Logging, Ranching, Native
Okanagan Heritage Museum	Kelowna	First Nations, Natural History
Okanagan Military Museum	Kelowna	Canadian Military History
Peachland Museum	Peachland	Local and Agriculture History
Princeton Pioneer Museum	Princeton	Native and Pioneer History
Revelstoke Museum	Revelstoke	Railways, Logging and Mining
Salmon Arm Museum	Salmon Arm	Local History set in a Gallery
Similkameen Valley Museum	Keremeos	Local Historical and Native
Summerland Museum	Summerland	History of Summerland
Greater Vernon Museum	Vernon	Railway and Pioneer History
Westbank Museum	Westbank	Local History and Artifacts
BC Rockies
Canadian Museum of Rail Travel	Cranbrook	Railway History
Creston Valley Museum	Creston	Local and Pioneer History
Golden and District Museum	Golden	Local and Pioneer History
Boundary Museum	Grand Forks	Pioneer and Mining History
Kimberley Heritage Museum	Kimberley	Mining, Sports and Business
Nakusp Museum	Nakusp	Steamboats, Native & Mining
Nelson Museum	Nelson	Local art and History
Sandon Museum	Sandon	Historic Gold Boomtown
Silvery Slocan Museum	New Denver	Local Mining, Logging History
Trail Museum	Trail	Local History and Sports
Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast
Bella Coola Museum	Bella Coola	Early Norwegian Settlement
South Cariboo Historical Museum	Clinton	Native, Chinese and Local
Quesnel and District Museum	Quesnel	Mining, Farming and Ranching
Wells Museum	Wells	Social and Economic History
Williams Lake Museum	Williams Lake	Gold Mining History
Northern British Columbia
Atlin Historical Museum	Atlin	Gold Rush and Tlingit Indians
Lakes District Museum	Burns Lake	Pioneer History
Fort Nelson Heritage Museum	Fort Nelson	Transportation Theme
Kitimat Centennial Museum	Kitimat	Development of Kitimat Area
Ksan Historical Village & Museum	Hazelton	Native Village and History
Fraser-Fort George Museum	Prince George	Heritage of the Region
Museum of Northern BC	Prince Rupert	5,000-year History of Area
Queen Charlotte Island Museum	Skidegate	Haida Art, Artifacts & Culture
Bulkley Valley Museum	Smithers	Carrier Indian, Fossils, Railway
Stewart Historical Museum	Stewart	Mining Tools and Displays

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