What to Expect at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria

After first visiting the Royal BC Museum in Victoria as a kid, I was so excited to go back this summer with my own kid and experience the museum after its recent renovations.

Our June 2026 museum visit absolutely blew me away! From the moment I saw the deers on display in the coastal rainforest – complete with rushing water and gusts of wind – I knew we were in for a fun few hours of museum exploring!

Every exhibit – from woolly mammoths to Egyptian tombs to Indigenous languages – was so immersive and interactive. There was always something to see, touch, hear and even smell; way beyond reading plaques on the wall in a boring old museum.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when we walked into the museum since I hadn’t visited for many years and most of the review posts online are pretty dated.

But I was so impressed and now I want to spread the word so more people add the museum to their Victoria to-do list!

Below I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the Royal BC Museum. We’ll talk logistics, like hours and ticket info, and then dive deep into what you can expect to see, do and experience throughout the museum.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Royal BC Museum hours, tickets & location

All info below is accurate as of Sep 2026. Click here for the most up to date info.

Hours

The Royal BC Museum is open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It is closed on Dec 25 and Jan 1.

The concessions, IMAX theatre and museum shop have slightly different hours than the main museum. Click here to double check before you plan your movie, snack and shopping time.

Tickets

The regular adult admission rate for the museum is $32 CAD ($23 USD). There are discounted rates for seniors, youth and students; Indigenous Peoples and children under five can visit for free.

To be honest, I think $32 is a little bit steep, especially after all of the incredible free museums we visited in London. But there is a lot to see at the Royal BC Museum, so you can get your money’s worth.

However, when putting together this guide, I saw that Viator actually sells the tickets cheaper! Adult admission on Viator is $29.95 CAD ($21.75 USD) instead of $32 CAD ($23 USD). I know it’s only a couple of dollars, but every dollar counts, especially if you’re buying tickets for the whole family.

So save some money and buy your Royal BC Museum tickets on Viator here. I wish I had known about this before we visited!

Senior and youth tickets are also cheaper on Viator: $19.95 CAD ($14.50 USD) for seniors, instead of $22 CAD ($16 USD), and $16.95 CAD ($12.30 USD) for youth, instead of $22 CAD ($16 USD).

Location

The Royal BC Museum is located in downtown Victoria, BC (Google Maps link here). It’s directly between the famous Fairmont Empress Hotel (where you can get afternoon tea in Victoria) and the BC Parliament Buildings.

Regardless of how you get to Victoria, the Royal BC Museum will be easy to add to your Victoria itinerary, since it’s located right downtown, next to two icons you’ll want to see.

If you arrived in Victoria by seaplane, you can walk to the museum in less than ten minutes! From any of the downtown hotels, it’s a short walk or bus ride to the museum.

Natural History Gallery

Our first stop at the Royal BC Museum was the Natural History Gallery where we got to explore the forests and coastlines of BC, while meeting some of our province’s coolest wildlife.

While I’ve been to some pretty impressive natural history museums, like the ones in London and New York City, I think the Royal British Columbia Museum really held its own!

I was so impressed walking into the first rainforest scene. Not only did the animals and greenery look so real, but there were sound effects, like rushing water, plus changing lights and gusts of air. It really felt like you were in the forest!

The next room, Endless Seas, was even more realistic. Besides the beautiful backdrop and huge sea lions, there were tide pools with actual living creatures.

Every part of this gallery felt so immersive and like there was more to discover the longer you stayed. You could read about the different species of trees or hunt for hidden animals, tucked away in the foliage.

Another highlight of the Natural History Gallery was Ocean Station, a recreated submarine with a control room, portholes, periscope, specimens in cages and so many things to interact with. This room was so well-designed and fun for both kids and adults.

And we can’t forget the museum’s famous life-size woolly mammoth! They say it’s mandatory to snap a photo with this giant on your way in.

Ancient Egypt: Obsessed with Life

After the Natural History Gallery, we crossed over to the current featured exhibition, Ancient Egypt: Obsessed with Life. This exhibition is on until January 2027.

I think most of us went through an Ancient Egypt phase as kids, so naturally, this was a highlight of our family’s visit. I loved that the exhibition followed “a journey through death, rebirth and the afterlife,” rather than a more general “Ancient Egypt” lens.

There weren’t as many large-scale artifacts here as, say, the British Museum in London. But once again, I was very impressed with how the Royal BC Museum made this exhibition so hands-on and engaging.

Like the Natural History Gallery, there were elements for all of the senses – lights, sounds, smells and lots of objects to touch. I got to open up jars and smell different embalming ingredients and play with a mummy whose body lit up to show different symbols.

There was a large theatre that took viewers on a ride through some of the myths of the afterlife. It was fascinating and one of my favourite parts of the gallery, full of information I had never heard before.

Another highlight was walking into a tomb, colourfully decorated with symbols and characters. It was also large enough to go in with our stroller, which was a bonus!

Old Town, New Approach

One of the Royal BC Museum’s most famous exhibitions is Old Town, which was reopened in 2023 under the new name “Old Town, New Approach.”

The idea is that you’re walking into a BC town in the early 1900s, complete with shopfronts, a saloon, a train station, and a second level. I love a recreated historic room and get even more excited when it’s a full street I can walk through!

I was so impressed with the level of detail in Old Town. Looking through some of the shop windows, I couldn’t believe how much work went into setting the scenes. It reminded me of a film set or, you know, actually going back in time!

Like everywhere else in the museum, there were lots of interactive aspects to Old Town. The first room shows a movie, there are old-timey chairs to sit on, and there’s a selfie station in the Hayashi Photography Studio.

The biggest change the museum made with the 2023 reopening was working with community partners to incorporate “new voices and histories that haven’t always been included.”

I love that instead of closing or excusing a dated exhibit because it only told one version of history, the museum decided to update and expand it to include a more inclusive version of our province’s history.

And I really love that they worked with community groups to properly tell these stories. It was so moving to read about the Chinese Canadian nurses and Black sleeping car porters, communities that don’t always show up in history class.

Buy your Royal BC Museum tickets at a discount here!

Jonathan Hunt House & Our Living Languages

Another one of the most well-known exhibitions at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria is the Jonathan Hunt House. This is a recreation of the house that Jonathan, a Kwakwaka’wakw chief, lived in.

The house was installed in 1977 but repainted in 2004 by master carver and artist Richard Hunt, Jonathan’s grandson, and Jason Hunt, Richard’s nephew. How cool that the Hunt family was able to take on the restoration!

The house itself is quite sparse but I love that the museum has dedicated such a large space to it that allows people to walk around and take it in. In addition to the house itself, there are house posts, chief seats and other beautiful carvings to admire.

Next to the Jonathan Hunt House is Our Living Languages, an exhibit on Indigenous languages in BC. This was a smaller gallery, but I felt it was very much worth exploring, especially as a Canadian who only speaks English.

Our Living Languages shares “the history of disrupted languages in BC, the complexity of these languages, and the people working tirelessly to document and revitalize them.”

My favourite part of the exhibit was the interactive stations that showed where in BC a language was spoken with a button you could press to hear the language. It was really cool to see all of the languages mapped out and hear them out loud.

PS: Can’t make it to the museum? You can explore both the Jonathan Hunt House and Our Living Languages virtually. So cool!

HMS Discovery, Industry in BC & Forgotten Landscapes

We had time to visit a few more of the smaller exhibitions during our afternoon at the Royal BC Museum.

I loved stepping aboard a replica of the HMS Discovery, a “Royal Navy ship commanded by Captain George Vancouver during his 1791–1795 expedition to map the Pacific Northwest coast.”

Just like Old Town, it’s always fun to walk right into history and admire the level of detail. C loved running up and down the stairs leading onto the boat.

Next to that was Industry in BC, where we learned about the Fraser River Gold Rush in the 1850s with a working replica of a water wheel where you could pan for gold. Being able to touch the water was another highlight for our toddler.

We also learned about the salmon canning industry, which boomed in the late 1800s. Both the gold mining and cannery exhibits did a good job of sharing the history of these industries, but also how they impacted ecosystems, natural resources and Indigenous communities.

Our last stop was Forgotten Landscapes, a small exhibit that provides a peek at the museum’s history. During the 2023 renovations, hand-painted landscapes panels from the early 1900s were discovered and put on display once more.

Our daughter, C, was obsessed with the Kermode American black bear display. She kept running back to the room to look at them. How cool that those same bears and painted landscapes were being viewed at the museum over 100 years ago!

IMAX at the Royal BC Museum

Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to an IMAX movie on this visit, mostly because we were travelling with a 1.5 year old who isn’t ready for that much screen time. But I love the idea of finishing off your museum visit with a film!

This is the largest IMAX screen in the province with “images in IMAX 4K Laser and wraparound digital surround sound,” so you know you’re in for a great viewing experience.

You can watch a documentary, many of which relate to the current exhibitions at the museum, or you can watch a Hollywood feature film.

As of Sep 2026, there are four documentaries screening, with a different one playing every hour. And there’s a current Hollywood feature with one showtime per night on select evenings. Check current showtimes here.

PS: If you are planning to see an IMAX movie, buy a combo ticket as it’s cheaper than buying your museum ticket and your movie ticket separately.

Other exhibitions at the museum

When we visited in June 2026, there were two other exhibits on display, both of which closed on July 5, 2026. We walked through Orcas: Our Shared Future but missed Critical Distance, as it closed at 3:00 PM.

The exhibits that replaced those are GO FISH and Island in the Middle of Everywhere, both on display until January 10, 2027.

GO FISH is an immersive video installation about the annual herring spawn in the Salish Sea and Island is a photo and video project about Xwe’etay/Lasqueti Island. The visuals look stunning – what a great way to explore the province!

There are also a number of food truck and cafe options in and around the museum. Click here for the food and drink options and opening hours.

Royal BC Museum gift shop

Our last stop inside was the Royal BC Museum gift shop. I love a gift shop, especially one at a museum, as they’re always so well-curated.

The museum’s gift shop was huge and very well stocked. There were tons of plushies, books, art, jewelry and homeware. Many BC artisans and authors were proudly on display.

Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of items that were directly tied to the museum. I usually like to buy a magnet, postcard or other small object that has the museum’s name on it. I didn’t find many options like this at the Royal BC Museum shop.

So if you’re looking for a BC-related gift, this is a great place to shop. But if you’re looking for something specifically about the museum and with the museum’s name on it, you’ll be out of luck like I was.

Museum grounds

Before you leave the Royal British Columbia Museum, don’t miss the historic structures on the grounds, called the Cultural Precinct. These are located outside of the main museum building and can be visited/viewed without an entrance ticket.

Here you can check out:

• Native Plant Garden: A winding garden with over 400 species of plants native to BC.
• Netherlands Centennial Carillon: This is the largest carillon in Canada at 90 feet tall and houses 62 bronze bells that play hourly tunes. You can check out the seasonal playlist here.
• Thunderbird Park: Giant totem poles that have been on display since 1941.
• Helmcken House: One of the oldest surviving homes in BC, built in 1852. You can step inside, but unfortunately it was closed during our visit.
• St. Ann’s Schoolhouse: Another historic home, it was built in 1844 and moved to the museum in 1974. You can’t go inside but you can view the outside like we did.  

Bonus: Is the Royal BC Museum good for toddlers?

Absolutely! I think the Royal BC Museum is great for families and people of all ages, including toddlers.

Our daughter, C, was 17 months old when we visited and enjoyed herself the whole time. She loved looking at the animals in the Natural History Gallery and Forgotten Landscapes exhibit.

C also loved all of the immersive exhibitions, like walking through Old Town, into the Ocean Station and onto the HMS Discovery. Some of the interactive elements were designed for older kids, but C still had fun with them.

Unlike many of the museums we visited in London with our baby, there weren’t any rooms or exhibits that were specifically designed for little kids.

There wasn’t a play room and I was surprised that I couldn’t find anything on the museum’s website about kid-friendly activities.

But despite not catering to young kids specifically, I do think the entire museum is very toddler/kid-friendly. And perhaps that’s better, because it means you can experience the museum as a family, rather than having an adult section and a separate kids section.

Wrapping up: Is it worth visiting the Royal BC Museum?

Yes! I think it is absolutely worth visiting the Royal BC Museum and it should be a must-do on any Victoria itinerary.

I was blown away by the exhibitions at the museum – the level of detail, the interactive elements, the storytelling, and the regard for local communities and underrepresented voices.

There was such a variety of things to see, do, touch and even smell!

As a Canadian and BC resident, I loved learning more about the history of my province. But even visitors from outside of BC will love meeting a woolly mammoth, walking through a navy ship, learning about Ancient Egyptian mythology, and seeing giant totem poles up close.

I’m so glad we spent an afternoon at the museum and I look forward to visiting again when C is older and can take more of it in. I know she’ll love getting hands-on with the exhibits and seeing her first IMAX movie!

I hope I’ve convinced you to put the Royal BC Museum at the top of your list of things to do in Victoria. It’s such a great place to learn more about BC’s history in a way that’s engaging and fun for the whole family.

After the museum, don’t miss a free tour of the BC Parliament, afternoon tea at Pendray Teahouse or another Victoria tea spot, petting goats at Beacon Hill Park, and a walk through the beautiful Butchart Gardens. There’s so much fun to be had in Victoria!

Buy your Royal BC Museum tickets at a discount here!