Royal Saskatchewan Museum

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is the provincial museum of natural and cultural history, and it stands in Wascana Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan, close to the Legislative Building and Wascana Lake. It is the oldest museum in the province, with roots going back to the early twentieth century, when a natural history collection was started to document the new province. The museum received the Royal title later, and the present building, opened in the 1950s, is a solid stone structure in a park setting. Admission is by donation, which makes it an easy and affordable stop. For families, it is an easy half-day in Saskatchewan’s capital.

The galleries are arranged around the main themes of the province’s story. The T. rex Gallery is the most popular, built around the skeleton of Scotty, a Tyrannosaurus rex found near Eastend in southwestern Saskatchewan and regarded as one of the largest and heaviest specimens known. The gallery explains how the fossil was found, excavated and studied, and it places the animal in the ecosystem of the Late Cretaceous, when the prairies were warm, wet lowlands beside an inland sea. Other fossil displays show marine reptiles, early mammals and the ice-age animals that followed.

These galleries are complemented by the Earth Sciences Gallery, which describes the rocks, minerals and landforms of the province, from the ancient Precambrian Shield in the north to the prairie plains and the glacial landscapes in between. The Life Sciences Gallery presents the wildlife and habitats of the province in dioramas, with animals posed against painted backdrops that show forest, grassland and wetland communities. The First Nations Gallery presents the cultures of the Indigenous peoples of the region, with objects, art, stories and recorded voices, and it gives space to Cree, Dakota, Nakota, Saulteaux and Dene perspectives. Métis history is also part of the museum’s picture of the province.

Behind the exhibits, the museum is an active centre for research. Its collections hold large numbers of specimens, including insects, bird eggs, fossils and plants, and scientists use them to study changes in biodiversity over time. School programs, family events and summer activities bring children into the galleries, and the museum is known for being accessible to visitors with mobility needs.

Visitors will find the museum a short walk from Wascana Lake, and it combines easily with a visit to the Saskatchewan Science Centre, the Legislative Building and the lakeside paths. A visit takes a couple of hours, longer if you join a program. It suits families, school groups and anyone interested in dinosaurs, wildlife and Indigenous heritage. Check the website for opening hours, special exhibitions and events, as these vary with the season.