Royal BC Museum named best museum in Canada

The Royal BC Museum can add another award to its extensive resume.

Reviewers on TripAdvisor.ca have voted it the number one museum in Canada for 2014.

The Royal Ontario Museum finished second, while the Canadian War Museum finished third. Other B.C. museums in the Top 10 were the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (at #6) and the Museum at Campbell River (at #10).

“We’re very excited,” says Erika Stenson, the museum’s head of marketing. “The part for us that is so great is the award comes from thousands of people who come through our doors every day.”

According to a survey, 33 per cent of visitors in August came specifically to see Vikings, the museum’s main exhibit for 2014, and 48 per cent of summer visitors were from outside B.C.

But Spenson says that while touring exhibitions are unquestionably a big draw, there’s plenty for British Columbians to see if they haven’t been to the museum for a number of years.

“We’re trying to make sure there’s always something new,” she says. “We have one of the biggest collections in Canada. We’re also home to the province’s archival collection, we’re unique in that, and it provides a depth to our visitors.”