Royal BC Museum in Victoria, BC

Long considered a world-class cultural facility, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is well into its second century of providing education and enjoyment to visitors. Founded in 1886, the Royal BC Museum is also the archival site for the province of British Columbia.

The facility houses hundreds of rare and important artifacts and documents, as well as specimens of natural history uniquely tied to the development of British Columbia. With particular attention to understanding the province's history, natural development and human impact, the museum attracts millions of visitors.  A unique ability to tie the past to the present and the future puts the Royal BC Museum at the forefront of cultural and social institutions.

Originally housed in a room of the Capital Buildings, the museum was first directed by John Fannin, an outdoorsman, adventurer and collector of artifacts.  While it was moved and relocated twice in the first decade or so of its existence, the Royal BC Museum was visited by thousands. Some estimate the number of visitors at nearly 10,000 in those early years.

The museum was significantly expanded in the 1960s, and Queen Elizabeth dedicated the cornerstone for the new building.  The move to the facility was made in 1968.  New exhibits in 1977 and 1979 added still more to the importance of the Royal BC Museum as a leading historical and cultural venue.  An extensive Natural History program and associated galleries have attracted hundreds in the last two decades.  In 2003, several entities joined forces under the Museum Act to "create a unique cultural precinct" in the capital city.