Canada · MUSEUMS
When the weather turns, and here it turns, this becomes the plan rather than the fallback. The 15 below cover the big national collections and the local ones worth the detour, with entry prices and which tickets skip the queue.
Explore Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, from dinosaur skeletons and Ming tombs to world cultures, fossils, gems, and Egyptian art.
“The exhibits were all extremely immersive and I enjoyed being able to see and experience the deep historical elements as well as the artifacts from all over the world. I intend to go back as I only saw and engaged with a fraction of what was on display.”
Explore Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum with mobile admission, from dinosaur fossils and mummies to Indigenous art, jewels, and special exhibits.
“Amazing!! Too much to look and enjoy. Come prepared for more than 3 hours of experience. I got General Admission tickets, but there are other shows you can buy. Strictly recommended.”
Explore Toronto’s AGO for Canadian, Indigenous, and European art, Frank Gehry’s staircase, ship models, and a full day of culture.
“Great! The museum itself is nice architecturally. My 15 yr old really enjoyed KAWS exhibit.”
Ride an underground mine train, watch BOOM!, pan for gold, and explore BC mining history at Britannia Mine Museum near Squamish.
“Had a great time and learned a lot. Definitely recommend and hoping in the future they allow more viewing on the different levels where the Boom Show is. Operator was great, only downfall is his accent was very strong so he was a little hard to understand at times. Other than that he was very pleasant.”
Explore Canada’s military past at the Canadian War Museum, with powerful galleries, tanks, personal stories, Memorial Hall, and special exhibitions.
“I like this war museum. It is so big more space with lots of things to see. Many tanks are on display.”
Explore 15,000 years of Canada’s story, Indigenous art, totem poles, family galleries, and films at Gatineau’s history museum.
“j’avais deux heures devant moi, ce qui m’a permis de voir l’exposition sur l’histoire du Canada.”
Explore four floors of Canadian nature in Ottawa, from dinosaurs and a blue whale to Arctic displays, live insects, and butterflies.
“Great for kids of different ages and for parents and grandparents together”
See Toronto through warped rooms, holograms, puzzles, and photo tricks at this playful one-hour Museum of Illusions visit.
“It was a fun experience. If you enjoy using your imagination for the mind bending experience. The host should let you know to read the signs in order to obtain the directions on each exhibit.”
Explore Canada’s military past at the Canadian War Museum with tanks, personal stories, special exhibits, and flexible admission.
“My kids really liked to see the tanks and aircraft on the first floor; also the materials regarding the plains of Abraham.”
See Calgary’s skyline, Olympic sites, Inglewood, Stampede grounds, and Gasoline Alley Museum on a practical 3.5-hour city tour.
“Our guide was lovely and very knowledgeable. Really enjoyed this comprehensive tour of the city. I gave us an idea of places we would like to return to visit for a longer period of time. It really helped us understand the layout of the city and informed us better as we explored by car ourselves.”
Explore 4,500 years of footwear at Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum, with four galleries, rotating exhibits, global traditions, and easy downtown access.
“I love looking at shoes, footwear, etc and this museum has all kinds of them.....wonderful history and interesting facts.....a real delight.”
Explore 70-plus optical illusions in Montreal with hands-on exhibits, photo tricks, and playful science in a visit lasting about 45 to 75 minutes.
“This was a very fun adventure! I was with my 2 grown sons (19 and 20yrs old), and we all had a great time!”
Walk through Halifax’s Pier 21, hear immigrant stories, watch the In Canada film, and trace Canadian family journeys for $13.
“Interesting small museum. Took about an hour to go through. Easy location to get to from cruise ship.”
Review of Blackwood Tours’ Cape Breton day trip from Sydney, with Highland Village, Baddeck, Bell Museum, ferries, views, and cruise-port tips.
“I cant speak highly enough about this small group tour by Blackwood Tours in Sydney, Nova Scotia! Our tour guide Jim was waiting for us at the end of our cruise ship dock as we joined ten others from the ship on our educational adventure. Our guide provided information on the city, our upcoming stops, and kept everyone on schedule. I could have spent a half day at the Highland Village, a recreation/living history museum focusing on the life and culture of Nova Scotia Gaels. The views alone are worth the visit! Next, we stopped in the village of Baddek for a scrumptious lunch. Finally, we went to the Alexander…”
Explore Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum with general admission and a special exhibition, from dinosaurs and Buddha sculptures to the famous bat cave.
“It hand multi cultural herirtage for example Ming Dynasty ; African heritage , Geology ; History of Dinassaurs , All very interesting over 3 floors.It had plenty of seating washrooms and a lovely cafe .It was family friendly and had plenty of things for younger children to see.Im so glad i visited the ROM an iconic museum something for everyone .Well worth a visit whilst in Toronto .Its calm relaxed atmosphere friendly staff and its beautiful architecture .”
Pick a mountain, a shoreline or a table.
