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Digging for Dinosaurs & Panning for Gold

There's no shortage of fun at British Columbia's Museums

By Laurie Cooper

It sounds like something out of a storybook.  A young girl and her father are walking along the banks of a Vancouver Island river looking for fossils. Suddenly, instead of a run-of-the-mill fossil, they find a bone, then another, and another.

After gathering up a dozen bones, they come across a large boulder-shaped rock with a set of teeth.  They have just discovered an Elasmosaur, an 80-million year old marine reptile, the first to be discovered west of the Rockies.

I heard this story from Pat Trask.  He is the little girl's uncle and works at the Courtenay Museum and Paleontology Centre in Courtenay, BC.  All year round, Pat takes families on fossil-hunting tours to the same spot where the Elasmosaur was found.

The expeditions include an animated lecture followed by a two-hour search for fossils.  And here's the best part - you get to keep any fossils you find.  "Unless you find another rare reptile," chuckles Pat.  "Then we'll ask you to donate it to the museum."

I met Pat while researching interesting British Columbia museums to visit with my kids. Of course I want them to have fun, but I also want them to learn something along the way.  And when it comes to making learning fun, British Columbia's museums have got all the right answers.

Understandably, not many children would be thrilled by a dry lecture on geology and mining, but watch their faces light up as they strap on a hardhat and climb aboard the underground train at British Columbia's Museum of Mining at Britannia Beach. And what child could resist the opportunity to pan for gold with Yukon Dan, a genuine prospector.  Kids can bank on leaving with a few flakes of shiny gold dust in their pockets.

The budding artist in your family won't even realize they are soaking up a Canadian history lesson as they take an art class with Emily Carr.  The Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria is presenting a series of children's art workshops recreating the experience of one of Canada's greatest artists.  Children will learn to sketch, paint & sculpt using the materials and techniques of the Victorian era - all under the tutelage of "Emily" herself.

For another time travel experience, Burnaby's Heritage Village will be presenting a special event called "Carousel Capers."  The Heritage Village is a 10-acre open-air museum complete with a village from the 1920s featuring more than 30 picturesque shops and homes. The unlimited carousel rides offered during "Carousel Capers" from March 17 to 23 will leave your children dizzy with excitement. The Museum re-opens for the summer season on May 5th.

The Museum of Northern British Columbia in Prince Rupert transports kids back 10,000 years in time. The museum is structured like a traditional longhouse and the exhibits explore the history and culture of the Northwest First Nations People. Families will experience plays and art workshops celebrating British Columbia's rich Native culture.

Before British Columbia's Okanagan Valley was transformed into manicured, symmetrical orchards, it was wide-open cattle range.  The British Columbia Orchard Museum in Kelowna is chock full of old-fashioned equipment used to pick and pack the Okanagan's fruit a century ago.  Kids will especially love the 50-foot model train, which demonstrates how the fruit was transported far and wide.

In the same building, the historical Laurel Packinghouse is home to the British Columbia Wine Museum.  Explore the complete history of winemaking with vintage bottles from Ancient Greece, Rome and the Middle East.  The Museum also has a great wine shop on-site where Mom and Dad can take a little taste of the Okanagan home with them.

Finally, what child could resist the chance to be in the driver's seat?  At the Revelstoke Railway Museum, kids are the engineers running a specially designed simulator. Children actually control the throttle, brake, bell and whistle. Thanks to the miracles of computer technology, families sitting in an actual diesel cab can ride the train through British Columbia's famous "spiral" tunnels.  All Aboard!

So grab the kids, hop in the car and hit the road for an educational and entertaining cultural adventure through British Columbia's distinctive museums. It will be a family vacation you won't soon forget.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT 

Kid Friendly! BC - www.kidfriendly.org

Courtenay Museum, Courtenay - www.courtenaymuseum.ca - (250) 334-0686

BC Museum of Mining, Britannia Beach - www.bcmuseumofmining.org - (800) 894-4044

Royal BC Museum, Victoria - www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca - (888) 447-7977

Heritage Village Museum, Burnaby - www.burnabyparksrec.org -  (604) 293-6500

Museum of Northern BC - www.museumofnorthernbc.com - (250) 624-3207

BC Orchard Industry Museum, Kelowna - (250) 763-0433

BC Wine Museum - www.bcadventure.com/bcwines/bcwinemuseum.htm - (250) 868-0441

Revelstoke Railway Museum - www.railwaymuseum.com - (877) 837-6060

Edited by Dave Shultz

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