The Vancouver Art Gallery has the feels where from the outside it looks like it can be as extensive…read moreas one of the large metropolitan museums you would expect from big cities. However, once you enter you see the exhibits are a bit more subdued and it isn't as large as it seems from the outside. Still, that shouldn't discourage you from having a good time and getting a big old "VAG" hand stamp on you to experience this art gallery. The exterior of this museum is all Victorian in the scope of its columns and use of concrete materials. It could be a museum perfectly placed in any other Commonwealth country. Entering inside you go through a long hallway with a gift shop at the very end with a good selection of art related and niche items to buy. On one side of the hallway are lockers and restrooms. On the other is a stairway up to their cafe/restaurant as well as the entrance to the actual galleries for the museum. It doesn't feel aged and instead quite modern and efficiently designed. As most museums, there is a rotation of different exhibits and featured artists. During my visit one of the most visually stunning pieces was an atrium area with curving staircases on both sides with a rainbow pattern of waves on the ground. It was a nice visual and interactive piece and definitely one meant for social media. Continuing on I enjoyed seeing lots of interactive art pieces. One was a prompt on the wall where you could put sticky notes on the wall to answer the question. Another similar piece was found but instead of sticky notes you could hang pieces of paper with words or artwork as your response to their prompt. One of my favorite parts of the Vancouver Art Gallery was their offerings of easy to carry foldable chairs. This meant if you really found something you wanted to spend more time on you had a chair to help sit for a while. I wish more museums had this amenity. First Fridays of each month means free admission, though it is first come first serve so you might be waiting a while. But a free admission to this museum felt worth it. However, if you have to pay to come in unless they have a specific piece of art or artist featured that you like it might feel a bit expensive for the price of admission. Either way, museums are a great insight into any city and if you want to experience the creative side of Vancouver, the Vancouver Art Gallery is a good place to visit while exploring the city.

Is that all there is??? (Cue Peggy Lee)…read more I feel strange giving an art museum a 2 star rating, but... I visited VAG last week - it had been over a decade. The admission fee (no senior discount) was $35. Was looking forward to the Emily Carr exhibit (4th floor) - but it was puzzlingly small. I'm aware that VAG has a large collection of Carr's work in their permanent collection - why isn't more of it being shown??? The second floor gallery was off limits - apparently while a new exhibit is created. OK, the first floor had a pottery and a photography exhibit. Where is the permanent exhibit?? The old masters? The Group of Seven?? I was left with a feeling of scarcity. Until the museum is built up I'd suggest lowering the admission fee to something more commensurate with what's being shown. Honestly, it's a stately building with not very much being offered for public viewing. In the meantime, I enjoyed a tasty well-presented appetizer at 1931 Gallery Bistro.

Great experience. The facilities are clean. Only thing is you have to pay for parking-- but that's…read moreeverywhere now.

Kind of expensive for what it is but also kind of worth it. The kids played the same simulator…read moregames in the nicely air conditioned space over and over for a little under 2 hours. It was almost empty the entire time so they only had each other to fight over activities. Without replay value though there's not much to see/do so YMMV. The worst part was parking which is not free or very close by.

I'm a part-time San Juan Islander and a regular visitor to SJIMA. Over the years, I have been…read moreincredibly impressed by the professional presentation of art at SJIMA. I go to a lot of museum exhibitions. I found SJIMA to present an exhibition that is better than any museum in Washington; better than SAM, better than Bainbridge, etc. I'm not sure what has changed; maybe staff is getting complacent, but the last two exhibitions have been incredibly disappointing. The current exhibition of Andy Eccleshall is flat, does not flow and the lighting is terrible. It really is a disservice to Eccleshall as his work is fantastic. The work in the glass room in front looks like a college student's exhibition. The volume of work in the small room is overwhelming and average at best. Again, something must have changed because the last two exhibitions are not up to what my expectations are for SJIMA. I will probably check out the next one but if it is at the level of the last two, I won't be wasting my time or money again.

NOT the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park. Due to some of the pictures and reviews, I thought the…read moresculpture garden was here. It is not. The San Juan Islands Sculpture Park is on the other side of the island at 9083 Roche Harbor Road San Juan Island, WA 98250. This museum was great, but not the one we were looking for.

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.

It was my first time visiting Vancouver, and the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) was at the top of my…read moremust-see list. The museum is beautifully designed, with a spacious layout, abundant natural light, and thoughtfully curated exhibits. I spent over two hours exploring, and every moment was worth it. Getting there was easy--I took an Uber from my hotel, and the ride was quick both ways. If you're in Vancouver and have an appreciation for museums and history, MOA is absolutely a place you shouldn't miss.

This was an absolutely lovely museum. Thank you for hosting us last week at Indigenomics IMPACT…read more The best part of the experience was that all the panels were held in a planetarium and this is the first planetarium I've ever seen with a stage. It made the conference that much more awesome. HIGHLY recommend the museum as an event space! And wish I had more time to view the exhibits, but of what I did see, the retro/back-in-time exhibit was my favorite. It even had a working juke box!

It was my first time visiting in a long while, so my aunty brought me to the museum to check out,…read moresince it was pouring outside. It was a cool and informative spot that gave you a nice surface level on the history of Vancouver, BC. The information wasn't too excessive and the props and displays were well positioned. They even had nice areas throughout the museum that made a good spot for a quick photoshoot! Unfortunately, the staff were not friendly and were bery dismissive and lacked information when asked. There were two at the front desk that were judgemental, as well, as they made some rude comments about us to one another.

Beautiful exhibits and such a fun way to spend an afternoon. We were lucky and got to see felting…read moreart being completed. All the various exhibits were different and the staff was warm and welcoming.

A very great art gallery and fantastic displays. Have visited many times…read more Hope they get their new location. Very strange people that work there !

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.

Driving the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver, we did slow travel and stopped at the turn outs,…read moretook the side hikes and knew when we got to the Britannia Mine it was a must stop. The entire campus is so interesting. We bought our tickets for the tour and then stepped into the theater to watch a short film and then explored the museum, the shop and then it was time to head up the hill to start your tour. We have done other mine tours and this was by far the best. We grabbed our hard hats, met our tour guides Mike and Connor and found our seats in the mine car. We traveled into one of the mine tunnels about 6 minutes in until the end, while learning about the mine along the way. Once the mine train came to a stop, we stepped out into the tunnel and Mike proceeded to give history of the mine and then demonstrate different types of mining equipment over the years and how tools somewhat evolved. Then we walked from one tunnel to the next and learned about the dynamite that was set and how the Muckers cleaned out the debris from the tunnels with a demonstration of the equipment used. We then walked back down the hill to the huge processing building that stands tall over the valley, the sound and built into the mountain. We explored a bit, Mike and Connor answered questions and talked about the processing of the ore. Then it was time to sit and watch the show "Boom" that explained every step of the processing and it was fantastic. We highly recommend this experience if you ever find yourself on the Sea to Sky Highway. Just a tip, I didn't see an elevator to get passengers to the top to join the ride into the mine shaft, and after the mine portion of the tour, you walk down a gravel hill to get to the processing building. So if you are with someone who has challenges walking, climbing stairs and hills and walking downhill, I don't recommend the mine shaft portion of the tour. You can join in on the multi-sensory "Boom" show much easier.

This guided tour was so interesting. There was history at the mine. The mine started in 1904 and…read moreended in 1974. That was when the museum opened its doors to the public. If you have kids, this guided tour is highly recommended. You learn so much about the history of Britannia. Plus, if you have an amazing tour guide, they make it so much better.

This is an eight acre area right by the water that is the original location of early canning,…read morefishing, and boat building that fueled commerce in the area. The area is accessible as you stroll down a level wooden boardwalk with offshoots to the Shipyard building, Murakami house, Chinese bunkhouse, and other homes that served to house the European, Japanese, Chinese and Indigenous workers who gathered here. Be sure to check out Murakami Boatworks building, as there are boatbuilding programs and maritime demonstrations. There are a host of informational signs, and as I came here right after my visit to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, I felt like I had a broader understanding of the history of the area. If you're not into history, you can check out the waterfowl that congregate on the banks of the river.

Every time I visit Steveston, two things are guaranteed: I will get the best fish and chips at…read morePajo's and have dinner on a bench on the boardwalk, overlooking the waterway and ships; and, I will go to the "village" of historic, heritage buildings that made up this booming maritime village 100+ years ago. (Only recently have I learned that this village of old, waterfront maritime buildings is known collectively as the Britannia Shipyards. I always called it "the old village"). History nerd that I am, I'm always fascinated by historical sites where you can immerse yourself and really "see" life how it was lived in earlier times. This is such a place. I always bring out-of-towners here and, without exception, they all have loved it and learned a lot about life in this area a century ago, and the maritime history of Vancouver. And as many times as I've been here, I never get tired of it. In fact, I always learn something new, too. I could be wrong, but I think this year, they outdid themselves. I visited a few weeks ago (mid-August 2022) and it was better than ever. I think they have new signage erected. More of the buildings were open (in past visits, some buildings were closed and some were off-bounds due to school groups going through them. This time, every building was open and my kid and I were able to tour every one). Furthermore, this year, there were guided tours of the buildings (twice a day!), vintage wooden ships moored along the docks, lots of exhibits in the various maritime buildings, costumed interpreters and historical demonstrations, too. The staff were super nice and very knowledgable, and they had free activity books for the kids (or the kids at heart, like myself lol) which provided a lot of historical background of the area in a manner that kids would understand and enjoy. (I posted a few photos of this activity book with this review). This is a great place for families with young kids, as it is super engaging for young children. And older folks love it too, for its historical significance. And for folks who aren't into history, they too seem to love this area as it is SO picturesque, along a wooden trail along the water, with a beautiful old garden in one area, and picture-postcard ships along the waterway. It's just a pretty, pretty area and a lovely leisurely walk, even if you're not into the history of it all. Those of us who call Vancouver home are so lucky to have areas like this preserved, where we can see and feel how life was here in the past, so we can see where we as a city came from.