Attractions
Educational
Heritage Attractions
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More About The
Victoria Heritage
Trust
Victoria Heritage Attractions: MUSEUMS
Quick Links: B.C. Aviation Museum | Canadian Scottish Regimental Museum | CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum | Craigdarroch Castle | Heritage Acres | Maritime Museum of British Columbia | Royal British Columbia Museum | Saanich Pioneers' Museum | Sidney Marine Museum | Sidney Historical Museum | Sooke Region Museum and Travel Infocentre |
B.C. AVIATION MUSEUM
1910 Norseman Road, Victoria International Airport
250-655-3300,
www.bcam.net
Daily: Summer: 10 am - 4 pm; Winter: 11 am - 3 pm.
Adults: $7; Seniors (65): $5; Students with I.D.: $3; Children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult, are free. Groups of 10 or more receive special rates with prior arrangements.
Hangar facilities with 20 vintage aircraft; separate Memorial Room with artifacts dedicated to the two Great Wars. Selected aircraft under restoration every Thursday. Gift shop.
CANADIAN SCOTTISH REGIMENTAL MUSEUM
Field and Douglas (Bay Street Armoury) Entrance off Field Street
250-363-8753
www.islandnet.com/~csrmuse
email: csrmuse@islandnet.com
June - August: Tuesday - Friday: 9 am - 3 pm; Rest of year: Thursday: 8 pm -10 pm.
Call to confirm hours of operation.
Admission by donation.
Exhibit includes WWI and WWII memorabilia, regalia, army artifacts, photo collection and library.
CFB ESQUIMALT NAVAL & MILITARY MUSEUM
(Naden Way - entrance off Admirals Road, Esquimalt)
250-363-4312
www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org
Monday - Friday: 10 am - 3:30 pm.
Museum open weekends 10 am - 3:30 pm, open weekends during summer (July-August)
Adults: $2; Children, Students, Seniors: $1; Family: $5.
CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum charts the maritime history of the naval base at Esquimalt. Displays include recreations of a WWII shipboard mess deck, depth charge thrower and officers' mess dinner. The museum is part of a National Historic District, and is housed in a complex of distinguished brick buildings thought to have been designed by prominent Victoria architect John Teague. Erected in the 1890s as a hospital, the buildings now showcase the heritage of the military presence on and defence of, Vancouver Island. Self-guided walking tours of Naden year-round; guided tours of the museum by arrangement.
CRAIGDARROCH CASTLE HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUM
1050 Joan Crescent
250-592-5323
craigdarrochcastle.com
email: info@craigdarrochcastle.com
Daily: June 15 - Labour Day: 9 am - 7 pm; Labour Day - June 14: 10 am - 4:30 pm.
Adult/Senior: $11:75 ; Student: $10:75; Student: (19+) $7.75; 6-18 years: $3:75; 5 and under: no charge.
Victorian mansion built 1887-1890 for Robert and Joan Dunsmuir, Scottish immigrants who made their fortune from Vancouver Island coal. A National Historic Site, Craigdarroch features an extensive collection of stained and leaded glass windows, magnificent woodwork, Victorian furnishings and decorative arts. Self guided tours - 87 stairs (no elevators).
HERITAGE ACRES (Saanich Historical Artifacts Society)
7321 Lochside Drive, Saanichton (north off Island View Road)
250-652-5522
Daily: June 1 - Sept 30: 9:30 am - 4 pm; Rest of year: 9:30 am - 12 noon.
Admission by donation. Membership: Single $20; Family $30.
The Society collects, restores, houses, displays and demonstrates artifacts telling the story of farming, country life and industry on early Vancouver Island. Artifacts are displayed in various locations around the property and within museum buildings. Relocated, restored and replica buildings are grouped into a village setting that depicts early 1900 BC life. Group tours can be prearranged by calling the office about one week in advance. 29-Acre Site featuring nature trails, picnic areas and park land.
MARITIME MUSEUM OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
28 Bastion Square
250-385-4222
www.mmbc.bc.ca
email: info@mmbc.bc.ca
Open daily from 9:30 am
$10 Adults; $5 Children 6-11; $8 Seniors 65 and over; $8 Student;
$25 Family
Come aboard and cruise three decks of dynamic exhibits set in one of Victoria's most architecturally significant buildings!
Be entertained with films presented in the magnificent Vice-Admiralty Courtroom. Wander through the fascinating galleries that tell the story of our coast and its peoples. Check out the rotating exhibits in our special exhibition galleries. Take a ride in Canada's oldest operating birdcage elevator. Visit our nautical gift shop to find the perfect memento.
ROYAL BC MUSEUM
675 Belleville Street
250-356-7226
www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
Museum open daily 9 am - 5 pm
IMAX films hourly 10 am - 8 pm (9 pm in summer)
Closed Christmas Day and New Years Day
Admission from October 15, 2007 to March 31, 2009. Adults: $14:00; Seniors, 65 and over: $9:50; Youth, age 6-18: $9:50; Family: $37:50; Children under 5 free of charge. Museum Annual Pass, Adult $45; Youth $10, when purchased with an Adult Annual Pass. Admission and hours subject to change during special exhibits.
Discover the Royal British Columbia Museum and its famous First Peoples, Natural History and Modern History Galleries. Three-dimensional displays offer a feast of sights, smells and sounds of British Columbia. Walk through a rainforest, view animals on West Coast beaches and in tidal wetlands. The Natural History Gallery includes "Ocean Station", where visitors can explore British Columbia's vibrant undersea world via a Victorian-era 'submarine' exhibit. Sit among aboriginal ceremonial poles and masks, walk through a longhouse, learn of native people's struggles after European settlement and the contemporary culture of the Nisga'a people. Enjoy an extensive display of Haida Argillite carving. Sail through the HMS Discovery, the ship that brought Captain Vancouver to these shores, "slosh" through a fish canning factory, explore the dark world of mining and the dangerous world of logging. Window shop in Old Town, visit the Grand Hotel, see what's playing at the cinema before catching the train home. The 20th Century Hall holds an array of artifacts, reading stations and computer displays that evoke the past 100 years of BC history. The Museum also features a cafe and a fine gift shop with a well-stocked book section and exceptional art and jewelry.
On 1 April 2003, the new provincial Museum Act amalgamated the Royal BC Museum, the British Columbia Archives, Helmcken House and the Netherlands Carillon. On-site heritage attractions also include: Mungo Martin's Big House, a First Nations carving studio, Thunderbird Park, and St. Ann's Schoolhouse.
SAANICH PIONEERS SOCIETY MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
7910 East Saanich Road, Saanichton
250-479-8580
www.saanichpioneersociety.org
email: info@saanichpioneersociety.org
Saturday & Sunday: 12 am - 4 pm. Other times by appointment.
Admission by donation.
The Log cabin contains a large collection of pioneer, including native, artifacts and archives - history of the Saanich Peninsula colonization from the 1850's. We welcome tours, by pre-arrangement, to tour groups, seniors homes, and school children. A quarterly newsletter is available.
SIDNEY HISTORICAL MUSEUM
2423 Beacon Avenue, Sidney
250-655-6355
www.sidneymuseum.ca
Daily: May to October: 10 am - 4 pm; November to April: 11 am - 3 pm; January and February: weekends only.
Admission by donation.
Devoted to the history of the early lives of Sidney and North Saanich pioneers, portrayed through displays, artifacts and photographs. The museum also features a Community Exhibition Centre which features monthly exhibits of local art and hobbies.
SOOKE REGION MUSEUM & VISITOR CENTRE
2070 Phillips Road, Sooke, via Hwy 14
250-642-6351
www.sookeregionmuseum.com
email: info@sookeregionmuseum.com
Hours: Open Daily, 9 am to 5 pm, throughout the year.
Admission by donation.
Regional museum presents the history of the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, featuring exhibits of First Nations, Forestry, Fishing, Maritime, Pioneers, also a Gift Shop and Art Gallery. Personalized interpretive tours of historic Moss Cottage, and the relocated heritage Triangle Island Lighthouse, are available onsite. Check website above to view the centre's attractions. Travel Counsellors will assist with regional information.