Vancouver museums add to the wonderful and dynamic cultural landscape of this largest city in the province of British Columbia. There are a broad diversity of museums that cover a wide range of topics from maritime travel and anthropology, to Vancouver’s history and politics. The best museums in Vancouver BC are easily accessible using the city’s public transportation system. Popular destinations such as the Vancouver Maritime Museum are just a few steps away from popular attractions in the Downtown core like Stanley Park and Science World. If you can break away from all of the amazing outdoor activities like skiing and mountain biking in Vancouver, consider taking some time to explore some of the finer museums.

The Museum of Anthropology Vancouver provides a fascinating glimpse into aboriginal art and culture and shines a light on the First Nations cultures of the Pacific Northwest. To this day in Vancouver, the influence of the First Nations cultures can still be detected in the names of certain areas of land and many more things. This is one of the best museums in Vancouver BC because it tells one of the most important stories about how the land was occupied and maintained long before modern technology and the infiltration of settlers from all around North America and well beyond. You will witness large canoes, totem poles, and other brilliant artifacts, all housed within a building that features massive windows that display the ocean and mountains in the distance. The MOA also features an awesome selection of artifacts from First Nations peoples from around the world, including Africa and Asia.

The Museum of Vancouver is one of the most interesting Vancouver museums, in that it takes people back in time to see what the city was like in decades past. This popular museum is located in Vanier Park and puts on display thousands of items and artifacts relevant to the progression of society and culture in the city of Vancouver. In fact, there are over 10,000 items that include everything from taxidermy to arts and crafts, protest buttons from the 1960s to old modes of transportation. This is the best of all the Vancouver museums if you are chiefly interested in becoming more familiar with the history of the city itself.

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The Vancouver Maritime Museum is guaranteed to be a favorite for any lovers of the ocean and its vessels. You can actually board the St. Roch (the very first boat to traverse the Northwest Passage in one season), and also see just what it was like to live life on the high seas in an arctic schooner. The Vancouver Maritime Museum is a fantastic place to take the children as well. You can see model ships being built and also learn cool facts about sea travel, lighthouses, and much more. You can rent boats from here, take lessons on how to operate them, and get the kids involved in an interactive manner in learning about the ocean and its vessels.

The best museums in Vancouver BC cover a wide range of subjects and are well worth visiting if you are planning an upcoming trip to the city. Science World and the Vancouver Art Gallery make excellent complements to the city's museums.