{"id":23352,"date":"2010-04-16T21:37:45","date_gmt":"2010-04-17T04:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelswithmiranda.uskeba.ca\/?p=6313"},"modified":"2016-09-14T20:51:13","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T17:51:13","slug":"the-royal-bc-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/the-royal-bc-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"The Royal BC Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Royal BC Museum<\/a> is the quintessential museum every big city has with exhibits about the geological and human history of the province. It is seriously over rated and over priced. At $15, its price is only second to the Royal Ontario Museum (well worth its $22 ticket fee) and a joke when compared to the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s $12. I know what I sound like, the jaded, ‘been there, done that’\u00a0 traveler, but I do feel that I my observations are valid. Someone visiting the RBC museum who has never been to this type of museum would definitely get a lot out of it and find the entry fee worthwhile. A seasoned traveler might read this and decide to save their money for something else.<\/p>\n

So, the RBC has two levels of exhibits with an Imax theatre (not included in the basic $15 ticket fee). The first exhibit floor is about the geological history of BC and the second level is about the history of the native people and settlers of the province. The exhibits were extremely well done and up to date; I was really impressed with a lot of the dioramas and the occasional touch screen information panels. Money is definitely well spent at the RBC museum.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the museum for me was the theatre in ‘old town’ that played a scene from the Charlie Chaplin movie The Gold Rush<\/a>, which I had never seen! Everyone was in stitches watching him and a friend try to get out of a house teetering on the edge of a cliff.<\/p>\n

Flash photography isn’t allowed in museums and the RBC is kept very dark, so I only got a few shots worth sharing, but they will provide a good taste of this museum:<\/p>\n

\"this<\/a>

this magnificent mammoth is the first exhibit you’ll see<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this plaque is about the 2003 Kelowna forest fire and was included to show just how up to date the exhibits are<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this guy is a gigantic pine beetle, the scourge of the lumber industry<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a plaque about the pine beetle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this is an interactive touch screen; pressing the yellow button brings up new information<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I thought this was a good explanation of the difference between climate and weather<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this exhibit was about climate extremes in BC<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Ashcroft<\/a>

Ashcroft BC is the driest place in Canada other than the Arctic<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this is exhibit is about the hardy Sitka spruce, the only deciduous tree capable of withstanding the harsh coastal Pacific climate<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I liked this walrus<\/p><\/div>\n

\"an<\/a>

an exhibit that made me realise just how hardy are creatures who live on exposed beaches<\/p><\/div>\n

\"an<\/a>

an exhibit about the return of sea otters to BC<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the differences between sea and river otters (sea otters are the cute ones who float on their backs and use their chests as tables)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I thought this cliff with seagulls was well done<\/p><\/div>\n

\"an<\/a>

an exhibit about the Fraser River, which drains one quarter of BC<\/p><\/div>\n

\"This<\/a>

This marsh exhibit with lots of birds was impressive. I learned that the reddish brown plumage is rust caused by iron-rich soil.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Alaska<\/a>

Alaska king crab. Yum!!! (weird since spiders give me the willies!)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this exhibit was well done; it is a wall covered with sea creatures that you view through a ‘port hole’<\/p><\/div>\n

\"orca<\/a>

orca tooth<\/p><\/div>\n

\"view<\/a>

view of the Netherlands carillon from the 2nd floor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"view<\/a>

view of the Legislative Building from the 2nd floor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"view<\/a>

view of the Empress Hotel from the 2nd floor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this man greets you at the entrace to the First Nations exhibit<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this exhibit is about the smooth black shale-like stone used for carving<\/p><\/div>\n

\"there<\/a>

there was lots…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"and<\/a>

and LOTS to see! Impressive works of art!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"more<\/a>

more about the stone<\/p><\/div>\n

\"interior<\/a>

interior of a real lodge house that was relocated to the museum<\/p><\/div>\n

\"interior<\/a>

interior of a real lodge house that was relocated to the museum<\/p><\/div>\n

\"hall<\/a>

hall of totems<\/p><\/div>\n

\"ceremonial<\/a>

ceremonial dress<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this exhibit was about how small pox decimated the First Nations population because of their lack of immunity<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this exhibit was about the prohibition of potlachs–extravagant gift giving exchanges that marked changes in power<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this man accused of celebrating a potlach insisted that it was actually a Christmas celebration, but the authorities still jailed him<\/p><\/div>\n

\"This<\/a>

This plaque talks about marriages between important families being more about treaties and wealth than about love. Sounds rather ‘European’ to me…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"ceremonial<\/a>

ceremonial dress<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The following plaques are about the Nisga’a Treaty, a major milestone in Canadian-First Nations history. It is the first step in redressing the many wrongs of the Indian Act.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"CIMG0059\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0060\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0061\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0062\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0063\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0064\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0065\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0066\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0067\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0069\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"CIMG0070\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"as<\/a>

as part of the treaty, the RBC has sent back many exhibits to the Nisga’a people<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this was a rock carving that spawned the legend of the man who fell from the sky… and lived to tell the tale (another visitor an I had a mad laugh about this man!)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"plaque<\/a>

plaque about the pit house<\/p><\/div>\n

\"pit<\/a>

pit house, showing the ‘staircase’ used to climb out of the smoke hole<\/p><\/div>\n

\"pit<\/a>

pit house interior<\/p><\/div>\n

\"pit<\/a>

pit house exterior showing poles covered with mud<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a shawl (?)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"plaque<\/a>

plaque about the Slim Jim painting<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Slim Jim painting that once hung in the BC Legislature (it is worth Googling more about it)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"entrance<\/a>

entrance to old town<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a 1920’s ice cream churn<\/p><\/div>\n

\"love<\/a>

love the image \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n

\"June<\/a>

June 1945<\/p><\/div>\n

\"This<\/a>

This exhibit about the 1990’s features a poster of Vancouver’s Bryan Adams, my favourite singer of that decade<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a 1990’s cell phone<\/p><\/div>\n

\"real<\/a>

real floppy discs!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a VHS camera!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Leonardo!<\/a>

Leonardo! My Little Pony! NINTENDO! (And I can’t believe I remembered that the Ninja Turtle with the blue is Leonardo!)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a walkman!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a Discman!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a Victorian toilet<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Charlie<\/a>

Charlie Chaplin in a house teetering on the edge of a cliff<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a house teetering on the edge of a cliff<\/p><\/div>\n

\"there<\/a>

there is indeed<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Old<\/a>

Old Town<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this is what a kitchen should look like \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a plaque about washday pre-washing machines<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I was surprised to learn from this plaque that people actually imported food instead of growing it locally<\/p><\/div>\n

\"horse<\/a>

horse at pasture on a farm<\/p><\/div>\n

\"paddlewheel\"<\/a>

paddlewheel<\/p><\/div>\n

\"farm<\/a>

farm outbuilding<\/p><\/div>\n

\"salmon<\/a>

salmon cannery<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the Chinese were so efficient at butchering fish that when a machine was invented that could almost match their speed it was called the Iron Chink!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"tins<\/a>

tins of salmon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Diorama<\/a>

Diorama of the Stikine Valley (gold rush era)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the HMS Discovery<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the HMS Discovery<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the HMS Discovery<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Plaque<\/a>

Plaque about George Vancouver. He was a good captain who cared for his men. He lost only 5 of 180 in all his journeys.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"outside<\/a>

outside a ‘pub’<\/p><\/div>\n

\"outside<\/a>

outside a ‘pub’<\/p><\/div>\n

I think the 1990’s exhibit, small as it was, was my favourite. I can’t believe that things out of my childhood are now antiques! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n

The museum can be done in 1.5 to 3 hours depending on how much you decide to read. I did it in 2, mostly because there are a lot specialized interpreters and I stopped to listen to what they had to say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Royal BC Museum is the quintessential museum every big city has with exhibits about the geological and human history of the province. It is seriously over rated and over priced. At $15, its price is only second to the Royal Ontario Museum (well worth its $22 ticket fee) and a joke when compared to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1442,632,635,5,3,1416],"tags":[800],"class_list":["post-23352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-britishcolumbia","category-canada","category-north-america","category-rving","category-travel","category-victoria-vancouver-island-bc-canada-travel","tag-natural-history-museums"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23352\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}