Top 5 Museums in Vancouver

It’s your first day in the city and you are super psyched to explore the sights. Unfortunately, it’s pouring rain. Like buckets. You might want to save that bicycle tour for tomorrow. 

So what are your options? 

Stay inside the hotel room? Head for the mall at Pacific Centre? Take one of those stuffy, loud, bumpy bus tours? Forget all that nonsense and head out for a day of cerebral expansion with a tour of Vancouver’s finest museums.

To help you ween out the weak, Vancouver Bike Guide has created a list of the Top Five Museums in Vancouver. Here they are:

5. Maritime Museum 

A quick bus ride or a short cycle over the Burrard Bridge will land you at Vanier Park. At the northwest corner of the park you will find our first entry on the Top Five Museums in Vancouver, the Maritime Museum. This museum focuses on Vancouver’s connection to everything seaworthy. Vancouver, being a port city, has a long history with the ocean and this museum’s archives are quite extensive. 

The museum has rotating exhibits and a number of permanent features, with the centre piece being the St. Roch. The St. Roch was a vessel used by the RCMP to navigate Canada’s north. It was the first vessel to complete the Northwest Passage from West to East and the first vessel to completely circumnavigate North America. 

Other exhibits include charts from Captain Cook’s exploration of the Pacific, the boiler from the famed SS Beaver which ran aground off Stanley Park after years of service on BC’s coast and a full recreation of the forecastle (upper deck) of Captain Vancouver’s the Discovery. 

One of the current rotating exhibits is Making Waves: The Story and Legacy of Greenpeace. The protest movement that has a strong maritime connection was first established in Vancouver. 

• Open 7 days a week from 10:00AM-5:00PM
• Thursdays 10:00AM-8:00PM
• Adult Admission: $13.50  

4. Science Museum

Vancouver’s Telus World of Science is located at the east end of False Creek, sandwiched between the Olympic Athlete Village and BC Place. Trust me, you can’t miss it – It’s the giant metal golf ball that looks extremely similar to a certain Disney builing in Epcot, Florida.

With over ten permanent galleries and multiple featured exhibitions, Science World has something for everyone. Personal favourites include the Living Lab, Eureka! Gallery and the BodyWorks Gallery. 

The current exhibit, Cats and Dogs is incredible! Learn the science behind animal behaviour, run the training slalom and test your knowledge of your furry friends.

While you’re there, make sure to visit the OmniMax theatre. The Great Bear Rainforest is an excellent introduction to the unique ecosystems and animals living on Canada’s west coast. I won’t spoil the special narrator, but let’s just say he ditched the green suit for a red one. And no, it’s not Santa…

• Monday to Friday 10:00AM-5:00PM
• Saturday and Sunday 10:00AM-6 :00PM
• Adult Admission: $27.15
• Children 3-12: $18.10
• Under 3: Free

3. BioDiversity Museum

The Beaty BioDiversity Museum is located at the heart of the University of British Columbia’s campus. It’s a little confusing to find, but just ask any of the 40,000 undergrads to point you in the right direction. 

Often looked over by guests visiting Vancouver, the BioDiversity museum is an untapped gem of fossils and natural history information. Permanent exhibits include Dinosaur Trackways, Culture at the Centre (indigenous land and language exposition) and the Earth Timeline. But the marquis exhibit, the one you can’t miss figuratively and literally, is the giant blue whale fossil – the largest animal on the planet takes centre stage.  

This museum is a love song to all life on earth and definitely one of the best museums in Vancouver. Take your time and enjoy.

• Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00AM-5:00PM
• Adult Admission: $14
• Students: Free

2. Museum of Anthropology 

Also on the UBC campus, is the extremely thorough, Museum of Anthropology. The museum is at the far western tip of the UBC peninsula, a hop, skip and five hundred stairs away from Wreck Beach.

The exterior of the building is almost as impressive as the interior exhibits. Designed by Arthur Erickson in 1976, the Haida longhouse-inspired structure is a modernist take on the traditional post and beam dwellings erected by the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. While theirs were made of western red cedar, Erickson’s is built entirely with concrete. Around the back of the building you can view a collection of totem poles and small replica longhouse made of wood.

Inside are more First Nation’s artifacts from across Canada, along with anthropological items from around the world. Give yourself plenty of time for this museum. Also, check at the front desk for the next available tour. Tours are free and the guides are excellent. 

• Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00AM-5:00PM
• Adult Admission: $18
• Students: Free

1. Museum of Vancouver

Located below the Planetarium, just steps away from the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Vancouver, or MOV, is number one on our list of the Top Five Museums in Vancouver. This is a small, unassuming centre, packed with historical info, interactive displays and fun for everyone. 

This museum has a little of everything, from a detailed history of the First Nations communities of the Pacific Northwest, to multiple galleries looking at different decades in Vancouver’s somewhat turbulent history. My favourite gallery is the Neon exhibit: Ugly Vancouver. Vancouver has a long history of neon signs advertising everything from late nite Cabarets, to beauty salons, to seafood houses. Modern Granville Street is a pale reflection of a boulevard that used to rival Las Vegas for neon supremacy. 

For those here for the holidays, check out “Wild Things: The Power of Nature in our Lives.” “Wild Things” is a deep look into the cohabitation of animals and humans on the West Coast. This taxidermy heavy exhibit is on until the 12th of January.  

• Open Sunday to Wednesday 10:00AM-5:00PM
• Thursday: 10:00AM-8:00PM
• Friday and Saturday 10:00AM-9:00PM
• Adult Admission: $20.50