VANCOUVER - Vancouver and Victoria - page 57

Museum of Vancouver
Regional history from Precambrian times to the present comes to life at Museum of Van-
couver (1100ChestnutSt.,604/736-4431, www.museumofvancouver.ca , 10am-5pmdaily,
until 9pm Thurs., closed Mon. in winter, adult $12, senior and student $10, child $8) in
Vanier Park. The West Coast Archaeology and Culture galleries hold ravishing masks,
highly patterned woven blankets, and fine baskets. The Gateway to the Pacific gallery de-
tailsEuropeanexplorationofBritishColumbia—both bylandandbysea. The 50s Gallery
depictsthe1950s,whereashiny1955FordFairlaneisdisplayedandblack-and-whiteTVs
screen popular shows of the time. After browsing through the forestry and mill-town dis-
plays and the metropolis of Vancouver exhibit, you'll end up in the gallery of changing
exhibitions, where you never know what you'll find. The complex also holds a gift shop
and a self-serve restaurant overlooking Vanier Park. To reach the museum, catch bus 2 or
22 on Burrard Street and get off after Burrard Street Bridge at the Cornwall and Cypress
Street stop, or catch a ferry to Vanier Park from Granville Island or the Aquatic Centre at
Sunset Beach. If you're driving, you'll find plenty of parking.
On the east side of the museum is City of Vancouver Archives (1150 Chestnut St.,
604/736-8561, 9am-5pm Mon.-Fri., free). This public facility holds around 500,000 pho-
tographs and 5,000 books, as well as a wealth of maps, documents, records, and reports
that combine to tell the story of Vancouver's social, economic, and cultural history.
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
Childrenespeciallywilllovethe H. R. MacMillan Space Centre (1100ChestnutSt.,604/
738-7827, www.spacecentre.ca , 10am-5pm daily in summer, 10am-3pm daily the rest of
the year, adult $15, senior or student $10.75), in the same building as the Museum of Van-
couver. The main features are displays related to planet Earth, the surrounding universe,
and space exploration. Throughout the day, the GroundStation Canada Theatre shows
20-minute audiovisual presentations that explore the universe. Other highlights are Virtual
Voyages, a flight simulator that makes a five-minute virtual reality journey through space,
and the Cosmic Courtyard, a fun learning center.
Adjacent to the museum complex is the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory
(604/738-2855, www.spacecentre.ca , donation), which is open for public stargazing from
8pm to midnight on Saturdays when the skies are clear.