Arts and Culture

Vancouver’s Best Museums & Galleries

By Vancouver Magazine /

B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and Museum: The museum reopens in November after renovations to BC Place with a new 6,000-square-foot Olympic gallery complementing existing homages to historic B.C. athletes, including Terry Fox and Rick Hansen. Gate A, BC Place Stadium, 777 Pacific Blvd., Yaletown. 604-647-7414. Bcsportshalloffame.com

Burnaby Village Museum: A B.C. Electric tram-stop village is created with heritage and replica buildings, along with staff dressed in period costumes and a restored 1912 CW Parker Carousel. Fortieth anniversary. 6501 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby. 604-297-4565. Burnabyvillagemuseum.ca

Canadian Museum of Flight: In the ’70s, a group of flight enthusiasts banded together to prevent the export of historic Canadian aircraft, pooling their resources to purchase a Handley-Page Hampden; more than 20 aircraft are now on display. The Millennium Kids Room allows children to learn how aircraft fly and what makes an engine tick. Hangar 3, 5333, 216 St., Langley. 604-532-0035. Canadianflight.org

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives: Adjacent to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, the centre hosts a permanent collection of artifacts tracing the history of Chinese-Canadians in B.C. 555 Columbia St., Chinatown. 604-658-8880. Cccvan.com

Fort Langley National Historical Site: The site of the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post is credited with being the start of the B.C. colony. Today, costumed interpreters demonstrate barrel-making, blacksmithing, and even gold-panning. 23433 Mavis Ave., Fort Langley. 604-513-4777. Pc.gc.ca/fortlangley

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre: Listening to Pink Floyd while staring at galaxies and pattern effects is as good now as it was when you were 16. Next door is an observatory with a half-metre Cassegrain telescope for glimpses beyond Metro Vancouver. 1100 Chestnut St., Kitsilano. 604-738-7827. Spacecentre.ca

Museum of Anthropology: A trove of artifacts from Nisga’a, Haida, and other First Nations is on hand, including works from famed artist Bill Reid. The internationally celebrated museum, open all year, completed its expansion last year. 6393 NW Marine Dr., UBC. 604-827-5932. Moa.ubc.ca

 

Museum of Vancouver: Holdings include everything from neon signs to Native artifacts, while feature exhibits have ranged widely, from local hippie culture (with footage of the Stanley Park Be-In) to Bhangra.me: Vancouver’s Bhangra Story (to October 23). 1100 Chestnut St., Kitsilano. 604-736-4431. Museumofvancouver.ca

Vancouver Art Gallery: The art gallery has attracted global attention for its innovative programming, which has featured work from hometown hero Brian Jungen—most famous for his aboriginal masks crafted from Nike Air Jordans—to comprehensive surveys of European painting. For decades, its exterior has formed a natural gathering spot for all comers; a move and expansion are now in the works. 750 Hornby St., Downtown. 604-662-4719. Vanartgallery.bc.ca

Vancouver Maritime Museum: The best part of the museum is the St. Roch, an RCMP schooner that patrolled the Arctic in the ’30s and ’40s, but there’s plenty in the way of pirates, warships, and shipwrecks. Kids can get hands-on with the action at the maritime discovery centre. 1905 Ogden Ave., Kitsilano 604-257-8300. Vancouvermaritimemuseum.com