Helmcken House

Helmcken House was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, a surgeon with the Hudson’s Bay Company. It is one of the oldest houses in British Columbia still on its original site. Dr. Helmcken set up house in Victoria when he married the daughter of Governor James Douglas in 1852. He went on to become a statesman and helped negotiate the entry of British Columbia into Canada, as a province. The good doctor’s original 19th century medical kit is among the interesting items on display.

St. Ann's Schoolhouse

Join our friendly and informative guides and embark on a special sixty-minute tour in the museum’s modern history galleries. Tours are free with same-day admission or membership.

What makes a good story?

In parallel with our upcoming exhibition Family: Bonds and Belonging, campers will explore this question within the museum's collections and from family histories. Fun field trips, engaging guest speakers and behind-the-scenes access will inspire campers to craft and share their own stories.

Ages 7-11

The Royal BC Museum is partnering with The Director's Cut to unleash campers' imagination and creativity this summer.

In this lego animation camp, young filmmakers will work in small crews using their lego characters to create backgrounds, sets and a storyline. They will learn how to use stop motion technology and then add titles, sound effects, voices and special effects in post-production.

Ages 6-10

Join Provincial Carillonneur, Rosemary Laing, for a live recital. Music will feature songs written for the carillon, as well as Canadian folk tunes, and popular songs. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the music from the Native Plant Garden. 

You will hear the carillon's automated player from the Inner Harbor area on the hour between 10 am to 5 pm from October to February and between 10 am to 8 pm from March to September.

Join sometimes witty Curator of Vertebrates Dr. Gavin Hanke on this nature walk through the different habitats of Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park. Bring your curiosity and binoculars (if you’ve got them) as we amble through forest, estuary and end up at beautiful Witty’s Beach. Dr. Hanke will talk about the animals with backbones (vertebrates) that call this park home and the ecosystems that support them. 

Meet in front of the Nature House in the main parking lot of Witty's Lagoon Regional Park. Children accompanied by an adult are welcome. Please leave dogs at home.

Snapshot Tour: Join our friendly and informative guides in the lobby and embark on a special thirty-minute tour in the museum’s Gold Rush gallery. Tours are included with same-day admission or membership.

Snapshot Tour: Join our friendly and informative guides in the lobby and embark on a special thirty-minute tour in the museum’s Gold Rush gallery. Tours are included with same-day admission or membership.

Helmcken House

Helmcken House was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, a surgeon with the Hudson’s Bay Company. It is one of the oldest houses in British Columbia still on its original site. Dr. Helmcken set up house in Victoria when he married the daughter of Governor James Douglas in 1852. He went on to become a statesman and helped negotiate the entry of British Columbia into Canada, as a province. The good doctor’s original 19th century medical kit is among the interesting items on display.

St. Ann's Schoolhouse

Feature Length Tour: Join our friendly and informative guides in the lobby and embark on a special one-hour tour in the museum’s permanent galleries. Tours are included with same-day admission or membership.

Join us in the Family: Bonds & Belonging exhibit to discover music and artists that are 100% from Canada. We’ll take a look and listen to different tunes from every province and territory of this beautiful country.

Some might be classics the adults will recognize, some might be new jams the young ones will enjoy, but one thing is for sure: the diversity and awesomeness of this country’s music will be celebrated in an afternoon of acoustic singing. 

Join us at 2:00 in the Our Living Languages exhibition (third floor) for an interactive program. Learn about the importance of canoes to the Coast Salish people, handle objects and make your own Coast Salish canoe out of paper.

Are you interested in researching your family history in British Columbia but unsure where to start? Discover the many investigative tools and resources the BC Archives offers, and find out how much fun it can be to build your family tree.

Think you might have a criminal, or perhaps even a hippie, on your family tree? Learn how to navigate court records, coroner’s reports, mental health institution files, and attorney general files so you can fill in the juicy bits!

This workshop is part of the Archives Workshops: Family Stories series.

Helmcken House

Helmcken House was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, a surgeon with the Hudson’s Bay Company. It is one of the oldest houses in British Columbia still on its original site. Dr. Helmcken set up house in Victoria when he married the daughter of Governor James Douglas in 1852. He went on to become a statesman and helped negotiate the entry of British Columbia into Canada, as a province. The good doctor’s original 19th century medical kit is among the interesting items on display.

St. Ann's Schoolhouse

See for yourself where we usually keep those jars, boxes and bins and experience the working environment of our talented researchers and staff. This tour will focus on our vertebrate collection and how these collections help us to learn about our province.Tours are limited to 10 people. Sign up begins 1 hour prior to the tour start time.

The Royal BC Museum's Behind the Scenes Tours have been designated by Destination Canada as a Canadian Signature Experience. 

See for yourself where we usually keep those jars, boxes and bins and experience the working environment of our talented researchers and staff. This tour will focus on our vertebrate collection and how these collections help us to learn about our province.Tours are limited to 10 people. Sign up begins 1 hour prior to the tour start time.

The Royal BC Museum's Behind the Scenes Tours have been designated by Destination Canada as a Canadian Signature Experience. 

Feature Length Tour: Join our friendly and informative guides in the lobby and embark on a special one-hour tour in the museum’s natural history galleries. Tours are included with same-day admission or membership.

Feature Length Tour: Join our friendly and informative guides in the lobby and embark on a special one-hour tour in the museum’s permanent galleries. Tours are included with same-day admission or membership.

Join Michael Gregory, a traveling science teacher making his way across Canada by bicycle, as he makes a stop in Victoria to share some of his favourite science experiments. Come to the top of the elevator on the second floor and learn  how to make cardboard microscopes for your mobile phone. 

Helmcken House

Helmcken House was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, a surgeon with the Hudson’s Bay Company. It is one of the oldest houses in British Columbia still on its original site. Dr. Helmcken set up house in Victoria when he married the daughter of Governor James Douglas in 1852. He went on to become a statesman and helped negotiate the entry of British Columbia into Canada, as a province. The good doctor’s original 19th century medical kit is among the interesting items on display.

St. Ann's Schoolhouse