Your visit to the Museum will begin with a warm welcome in the impressive longhouse lobby with its massive cedar timbers and contemporary glass art. Here you can choose from a wide variety of guided tours and other museum programs.

As you make your way through the exhibits in the Great Hall and the Treasures Gallery, you will discover the legacy of archeological artifacts, unique works of art and oral history that portray thousands of years of Northwest Coast history and culture. Here you will also encounter the dramatic history of the more recent period: the fur trade, the construction of the railway, the development of the fishing industry and the creation of modern day communities.

In the Hall of Nations you will discover the rich diversity of Northwest Coast nations and their unique ceremonial art, and in the Monumental Gallery, with its spectacular view of the harbour, you can view exciting current works by contemporary Northwest Coast artists. See as well, the Ruth Harvey Art Gallery, which displays a wide variety of local and regional art.

A visit to the Museum’s spectacular Gift Shop will complete your experience with a souvenir of your visit to Prince Rupert. The Gift Shop offers original works by Northwest Coast artists in wood, argillite and other media, Northwest Coast jewellery, and a wide variety of other souvenirs. To learn more about the rich history and heritage of this region you can browse through the Gift Shop’s extensive book selection.

An exciting and informative experience awaits you at the Museum of Northern BC. For more information please visit www.museumofnorthernbc.com.

The Carving Shed

The Carving Shed is operated by the Museum of Northern British Columbia, and is located just up from the Museum on Market Place. This building is a working studio for First Nations artists. Many of the finest Northwest Coast works of art are made in Prince Rupert, where some of the most famous artists live and work. Tsimshian, Haida, Nisga'a and Tlingit carvers work in the Museum Carving Shed, which is open to the public, from June to the end of August. The artists work on their own schedule but visitors are always welcome. Visitors to the Northwest Coast often want to see totem poles, and fine examples can be found throughout Prince Rupert.

Performance Art at the Longhouse of the Museum of Northern BC

The Museum's new Longhouse, located near the Carving Shed, allows visitors to experience the living culture of the First Nations of the Northwest Coast. Northwest Coast performance art is rooted in ancient drama, dance and song. At the Longhouse, visitors can join the Gwisamiikgigot Dancers as they share their rich legacy of ancient drama, dance and song.

Kwinitsa Railway Museum

Located in Prince Rupert's waterfront park, Kwinitsa Railway Station Museum provides adults and children alike with an exciting journey into the history of Canada's northern railway and the many small stations like Kwinitsa along its route. Exhibits portray the development of early Prince Rupert, from its days as the tent town at the terminus of the Grand Trunk Railway to its birth as a city in the 1920's.