As a Seattle resident and RBCM member, I keep coming back because the museum is spectacular. While…read moreI was very disappointed to see the Old Town exhibit (one of the most incredible I've ever seen) removed during the museum's "decolonization" process, I believe that part of the region's history could have been thoughtfully presented alongside First Nations stories and culture rather than taken away entirely (like it or not, they are intertwined, warts and all). I just don't get it. That said, the RBCM continues to hit curatorial home runs. Its exhibits are consistently imaginative, engaging, and beautifully designed--whoever leads their creative direction is a bloody genius.

My husband and I are from The States. We are in town visiting family. We visited the Royal BC…read moremuseum and were very impressed! Senior discounts. The displays told a story from the dinosaurs all the way to modern Victoria. Everything was so thought out and interesting. The museum also had a limited time Egyptian display that was fascinating with tombs, everyday utensils and personal items and other artifacts. A lot of information of what was believed to be the afterlife. Highly recommended!

We actually saw the outside of this mansion/castle 2 summers ago on a city tour excursion from our…read morecruise ship. This summer, we were on a road trip and took the ferry across from Port Angeles to Victoria for a few hours. This was a perfect stop before lunch, and this time we did a self guided tour of the interior. Super friendly people work here. The ticket seller was very nice, the greeter inside the castle set us on our way, and even the souvenir shop lady was exceptionally nice. Maybe its just that they're Canadian? Or maybe they're just...nice. lol Be advised that there's a lot of stairs to tackle on this tour. This is a perfect place to see if you only have a few hours in Victoria. We took a cab from the ferry dock and back later. It was a short ride so not too expensive. Crowd wasn't tooo bad at the time we went in July.

I was here for Upstairs Downstairs a production from a local improv theater company. It was lovely…read more A whole bunch of fun in a beautiful castle!! Wow! This place is cool! I recommend a visit here if you can swing it. So nice! Lots of history of course. When it was built, the tower was the highest place anyone could stand in Victoria.

Wow, gorgeous castle and grounds! When we visited, there were plenty of people taking photos and…read moreexploring the area. I wasn't able to enter as you need a guided tour, although there was enough to do by wandering the grounds. If you're lucky, you might see some peafowl foraging in the grass for delicious food. They're quite skittish. Don't feed them though! Be sure to explore the nearby gardens. There's an Italian garden, Japanese garden, and a rose garden. The Japanese garden in particular is a great place to sit and enjoy the stillness of the area - the pond reflects the sky and the surrounding vegetation and you can really take it all in. It really is an oasis. Of note, the carpark is a pay-to-park lot. There's not a lot of publicly accessible washrooms either.

Hatley Castle, tucked away on Victoria Island, was a serene and picturesque stop on a crisp…read moremorning. Even though the air was chilly and the castle didn't open until 10 a.m., wandering the grounds beforehand felt like a moment out of a storybook. The expansive, beautifully kept gardens and coastal views made the stroll well worth it, offering a quiet and peaceful way to take in the surroundings. Paid parking is available, making it an easy stop to add to a morning itinerary.

The Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC reopened on June 13, 2024, after an 18 month closure for…read morestructural & reno work. The MOA is back & even more grand than before. Do not think the Natural History Museum in London or the Met in Manhattan. That would be an - apples & oranges comparison, with the former two leading the way when it comes to museums worldwide. The MOA while not as grandiose as the Met, really stands out on its own showcasing mainly First Nations art along with other various artwork. It is a splendid museum. Budget to easily spend a minimum 3 to 5 hours here but definitely give yourself more time & do not rush. There's a lot to see here. There are guided tours available with your paid entry fee. Check at the front desk for more information. Make a note to also go outside of the museum & check out the Totems. Make sure you have a big brekkie or lunch before coming here. The cafe here sells limited items & you cannot bring drinks or food into the museum. Do check online for opening hours in order to give yourself enough time here. Limited parking is available. I parked at the Student Union building then walked over to the MOA along Main Mall & then through the Rose Garden to get here - approximately a 20 minute walk one way. It wasn't cheap but I was with visitors from out of town, so I didn't mind as I was showing them around UBC at the same time. Honestly, I can't wait to go again.

This is one of the most fabulous Museums I have been to for Archaeology. It is well run and the…read morecollections are stupendous. There are drawers filled with treasures that you can pull out and look at. The huge totem poles, alone, are worth the visit.

Miniature World has some truly impressive displays, and there were several miniatures that were…read moreincredibly detailed and beautifully crafted. It was clear that a lot of time and talent went into many of the exhibits. That said, the experience felt a bit inconsistent. Some areas were much more engaging than others, and a few of the displays didn't have the same level of detail. At times, multiple audio narrations were playing at once, which made it difficult to focus and became a little overwhelming. We also noticed that several of the interactive buttons and TV displays weren't working during our visit. For $19, I don't regret stopping by, but it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. For me, it's more of a one-time attraction than somewhere I'd visit again. If you enjoy miniature art and displays, it may be worth checking out, but it ultimately wasn't the right fit for my interests.

We had scoped out this as a place to stop with our 4 yr old. We walked over and her entry was free…read more She enjoyed all the buttons to push and the displays, the beginning part through "space" and all the castles and trains. We appreciated the stop. In general, I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to come back but with kids who like small things, trains, dioramas, it was worth doing! I think we were in and out in about an hour. I bet some kids could zoom through in less time (then maybe not worth the price?) and some kids might take 1.5-2 hours, so maybe try to gauge if you think its something you/your family would enjoy. Some displays had buttons that didn't work but for the most part if you looked or read the placard you could figure out what was going on.

I love orcas, and I love this museum. Great video, great information, and a good time…read more Chair lift available, bathrooms were clean, chairs for sitting all around, and the employees were friendly. Check the schedule before going.

It was quite a small museum. When you enter, you are in the gift shop. From there you purchase…read moreadmissions which I believe was $12 then head up the stairs to the museum. There were some interesting things to look at but I expected more. We spent about 20-30 minutes in the museum.

A beautiful place to take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the pleasant smell of flowers and beautiful…read morediverse color variations of flowers. We came on a beautiful day with no rain and sunshine. It was hot but luckily we brought a hat. Very relaxing garden. Came here on vacation and took the ferry from Vancouver. Ate snacks on the boat as well as at the gardens. Pro Tip-make a reservation and buy tickets for the ferry and gardens at the same time. We made the mistake of showing up to the ferry and it being sold out. So we had to pivot our trip. We booked tickets for the ferry and Gardens for the following day and it worked perfectly.

It was a 45 mins drive from the cruise port to the garden. Luckily my friends are smart enough to…read moreuse the public transit route which cost us $6 and it dropped us off right at the entrance to Butchart garden. A short walk and we paid for the entrance which was approximately $45 pp. I think price is a bit steep for a self tour garden. I think it should've been $25-$30 pp but that's my opinion. There's no rides, no shows or attraction whatsoever beside the theme gardens. We entered and saw several souvenir shops and eatery and information desk. Further is the trail towards the flowers garden that lead us to the sunken garden a little to the left. The sunken garden is a beautiful sight from above and below complete with water fountains and pond. The beauty doesn't stop there. Further walk to the right outside of the sunken garden is the rose and dahlia garden. The dahlia is something else! I've never seen so many in quantity and so many variety in one place! Just gorgeous and they're huge! I tried to take photos with my hands for comparison. A little walk further is the Japanese garden and this is what I call serenity, peace, tranquility. It was so quiet except for the trickle of water and the pond. I can imagine meditating in the Japanese garden. At the end we walked through the English garden and stop at the eatery for their huge bowl of chili and a hot dog and refreshment. They do offer complimentary water fyi so bring your water decanter if you have it. I bought a Coke Zero instead Near the exit I stopped by their window garden which is like a greenhouse packed full of flowers. My only disappointment was that I was expecting to see a greenhouse of exotic, tropical flowers and plants. They have an abundance of flowers and plants but they were all common variety. Roses, dahlia, vinca, marigold etc... I was hoping to see tropical orchids, hibiscus, tropical bird of paradise, torch ginger, monstera deliciosa, passion fruit flowers etc... I was also hoping they have a fruit orchard but the only fruit tree I saw was apple tree.

Hey Tourists...don't miss stopping into this friendly, interesting museum in this friendly,…read moreinteresting town! From Nainamo bars and bathtub races, to hockey and 1920's women's fashion, we thoroughly enjoyed this small museum! They did an especially great job with the coal exhibit part. Even the gift shop is full of interesting items at reasonable prices. They were simply requesting a small donation for admittance, and we were happy to do so.

I'm not going to lie; given that the admission is only $2, I had pretty low expectations for the…read moreNanaimo Museum. However, I was pleasantly surprised! There were so many interesting things to learn about, most especially a large (possibly new? It looks new) exhibit on immigration. Very interesting and touching. The gift shop was nice too, with lots of things to buy at reasonable prices.

For a smaller museum, taking only about 20 minutes to walk through, it is a fantastic museum,…read moreshowcasing Orcas Island history. The docent that greeted us was friendly and informative, telling us that the museum was at one time six separate one-room residences that were dismantled and rebuilt to make this current museum. Full of many early and late century household items, placard's describing the way of life on the island, and has loads of interesting artifacts, photographs, and materials showing Orcas Island early community and civilization.

Great spot to come to get a feel of old town Orcas and great for kids. It's not a large museum so…read moreyou can see most of it in about 30 minutes. Was greeted warmly at the front desk and had a good experience walking through a few exhibits and seeing artifacts that give a glimpse of the rise of Orcas as an island.