Stand Under the Totems at the Museum of Anthropology

The Museum of Anthropology requires a commitment: it's at the tip of UBC, which is not close to anything, and the Great Hall, a vast glass wall where Northwest Coast totem poles rise against actual forest and actual sea, will stop you mid-sentence and keep you stopped. That is the joke. You came out here expecting a museum and got quietly undone by something genuinely ancient and large. Bill Reid's 'The Raven and the First Men' in yellow cedar is the specific piece that does this most efficiently. Reopened in 2024 after a major seismic overhaul, the whole collection is a rabbit hole you can disappear into for hours, which is very useful when you want to look like a thoughtful person. Go Thursday evening for half price, wander the bluff after, and leave with that rare shared feeling of being a little more impressed with the world.

Duration

2–3 hours

Best time

Morning · Afternoon

Price / person

~$20–45 / person

Setting

Indoor

Neighbourhood

UBC Point Grey campus

Best season

spring, summer, fall, winter

Estimated ~$20–45 / person for general admission, as of 2026-06-22. A ballpark, not a quote. Call ahead or check the website for exact pricing.