New Westminster Museum & Archives

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On the 3rd floor of the swish Anvil Centre, this well-presented small museum illuminates New West's tumultuous history, from its First Nations origins and later pioneer era to its shiny postwar boom and slow economic decline. Look for the mailbox-red stagecoach that carried VIPs around the region and make time to peruse the evocative, wall-mounted photos of the yesteryear city.

Alongside twisted glass and wood fragments of the 1898 fire that devastated the downtown core (that's why there are so many grand stone buildings from the swift rebuilding period still lining Columbia St), check out the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame gallery, where you'll discover what this distinctive national sport is all about.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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5. Irving House

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