The Canadian Museum of Nature is an architectural masterpiece, blending Beaux-Arts symmetry with a…read morehistoric exterior and a striking glass tower. The Earth Gallery's gem collection and the Bird Gallery are exceptional, and the gift shop is high-quality. However, my visit was heavily disrupted by large school groups monopolizing the interactive displays. To avoid these groups, try visiting after noon, as morning hours are peak time for field trip arrivals.

It was as much fun touring this museum as it was watching the smaller kids get excited looking at…read morethe dinosaur fossils and the live insects. There was so much content even limiting it to just Canadian flora and fauna. The building itself is impressive, and everything is nicely organized inside. Parking would be my one peeve. You can walk to it from the light rail if you're okay with that and it's night weather, but we found that for a group, it was actually cheaper to take a Lyft, ironically. While this museum is designed to be a great source of information for kids, adults will like it too.

The Canadian Museum of History is an architectural wonder. Designed by Douglas Cardinal, its fluid,…read morecurved forms mimic the natural erosion of the land--evoking wind, water, and glaciers. The main entrance is designed as a symbolic mask, while the limestone exterior harmonizes perfectly with the riverfront landscape and the Parliament buildings across the Ottawa River. Inside, the Grand Hall's massive windows frame stunning views of the river, which serves as a breathtaking backdrop for the impressive totem pole collection. This museum is a must-see for anyone who values the combination of outstanding design and cultural history.

This place is a gem! So much about it is breathtaking, from the architecture, to the views of…read moreOttawa on the other side of the river, to the totems on display - everything! The layout is well organized, the history is thorough, the exhibits are interesting. One thing I truly appreciated is the total frankness of the documentation. They kept it real. Nothing was sugar-coated, nothing was whitewashed, they didn't attempt to erase or hide any history, and they made a point of trying to learn from past mistakes. Other places could learn from this. I hope the museum will be able to add on, to cover events in Canada's more recent history.

A really neat exhibition that outlines the role of Parliament in Canadian government; the first…read moreroom is like a usual museum space, but the second room contains a 30m-or-so video, projected onto three walls, that identify some of the images of the main parts of Parliament. Though touted as a "360-degree" experience, it wasn't domed or circular, more like four walls, onto which cinematic images were projected. The inner exhibits told the story of various highlights in Canadian laws being passed. This exhibit I believe was produced to help make up for lack of visits to certain areas of Parliament when it's under construction and renovation until 2032.

Amazing exhibit on Parliament as both the Senate and House of Commons meet at temporary locations…read morefor the next several years due to renovations. You can book a tour online and the staff will welcome you in during your time slot. Amazing pictures, texts, and videos that are accessible to all. Loved seeing how Parliament works in Canada compared to the US government and while the tours were great I learned much more here. Hopefully much of the exhibits will be available in the parliament buildings across the street when renovations are over.

TLDR: Fun museum for kids. Lots of farm animals. Some parts are very smelly, lol…read more My husband and I went here with a friend and his kids. I think it's a great museum for kids, especially if they like animals or are interested in farming. There are lots of farm animals. They had horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, alpaca, turkeys, ducks, chicken, quails and rabbits. You can even pet some of them. They had some live demonstrations, which are amusing for kids. They have lots of exhibits, some of which are interactive. They had quizzes, and even video games like tractor driving simulators. There's a park with a play structure if kids need to burn off some energy. They have lots of picnic tables, some of which are covered. The only food sold on-site is from vending machines, so feel free to bring your own food. They do have an indoor area to eat by the vending machines if you don't want to eat outdoors. I like that they have lots of washroom throughout the site and also a few handwashing stations. They have water fountains where you can also refill your water bottles. They also have lots of hand sanitizer everywhere. They encourage you to sanitize your hands before and after touching the animals. I support good hand hygiene! Lol. There's lots of parking on-site. It's $3.75 an hour and the daily max is $9. (107)

Wonderful Place to take children. There was an ice cream…read moremaking demonstration and many lovely farm animals to be seen and learn about. The property itself is gorgeous and with many shaded areas to take refuge was a great place for the kids in a sunny afternoon.

Founded in 1880, this art gallery in Ottawa Ontario Canada is a grand light filled structure of…read moreglass and granite. Featuring sweeping views of Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River. The iconic Maman Spider sculpture is right outside the entrance. The tickets are $15.68. This large museum premiers over 100,000 works. This includes the Group of Seven collection of Canadian landscapes, Indigenous and Canadian art, and International Masterpieces.

I had a great experience at this gallery. It was our first time with my family and we were able to…read morelearn about different art installations, it was cool. It wasn't too busy and it was clean and well-maintained. They also had multiple security stationed inside. Fairly priced and would definitely recommend checking it out at least once.

Very powerful museum and maybe the best one we have been. We came here about an hour before close…read moreon Rememberance Day so only saw the Women and War exhibit and parts of the permanent collection. What is unique is they show various aspects of war from all perspectives including persecuted populations. Highly recommended for all and we hope to see the rest of the museum sometime.

The fam and I came here during a quiet Saturday, and ended up spending the afternoon here. The…read moremuseum itself is stunning and I love the grand hall when you first walk in. With someone who is sensitive to light, I do enjoy that this museum is on the darker side. They made good use of the space in the museum and split each section into four galleries, plus a room for the special exhibit and a room for the tanks. There are a lot of nooks to check out and I feel like I missed a lot of things, so I may have to take a second trip back. I loved the small nook( I believe in gallery three) that we stumbled upon. We almost walked right past it, but I noticed this shiny red diner seating and grabbed a seat. There was an option to play some oldies music and it was so fun and took us back in time. The fam and I spent a good 20 minutes jamming out to some music and dancing. Of course we had to check out the cafe. They didn't have a lot of prepared items. A couple salads, cookies, typical egg sandwiches. They did have staff to prepare fresh food though like fries, poutine, chicken nuggets. We went with the poutine and it was outstanding to be honest. Tons of cheese curds, perfect chip wagon style fries and a tasty gravy. Plenty for sharing, but I ate most of it myself. The food was pricey, so bring extra snacks if you want to save some $$$. The LRT stops close by, and there is plenty of green space for picnics. I can totally see myself coming back in the Summer.

We were able to come here and use our ASTC passport which was awesome. The parking lots have plenty…read moreof space and some EV chargers which is great. The staff was friendly and got us in with our passport. They have a nice little cafe with Beavertails in the back, so we stopped there for a quick breakfast and coffee. The displays here are great, so many interactive displays from bicycles, to trains, to audio and visual displays there is a lot to take in. This is a great spot for families or just adults who can tolerate kids being around. The history of sporting for people with disabilities was really interesting. This place really has something for everyone, whether you are interested in the human body, space, housing, etc you will probably find a section that interests you. The kids specific area was a lot of fun, although one of the displays was a bit broken unfortunately. Being able to race cars you build on a track and climb a rock wall was a ton of fun for our daughter. Being able to go race other kids on the bikes was something she really enjoyed too. We certainly had a good family outing and I think we all learned a few new things.

We visited this museum. Parking is a bit confusing without proper signage. The other thing is…read morethat the parking near the front, the lines are marked with different coloured rocks but it's hard to see so people park very poorly and the spots are quite tight too. The exhibits were pretty interesting. Lots of things to see and read, somewhat interactive. There is a dedicated kids area for kids to play in which is nice for families. The huge train that you can go into was another fun highlight. The demonstrations were really fun, there was one on ice and one on fire that day though the ice one didn't quite work. Overall a pretty enjoyable museum especially if you have kids.

We came here to use our ASTC Passport. The staff was friendly, handed us a map and told us about…read morethe demonstrations that they were going to be doing over the next couple hours. This place is really large and they have a lot of planes, helicopters, and a few ground based vehicles. It can get quite loud since everything echoes in this massive warehouse. Most of the displays are static displays that you will pause to read. A lot of really interesting aviation history going back over 100 years. I was a big fan of the display regarding the engines used in planes. Their kid section is pretty small, so it can get crowded and chaotic. They did have a great demonstration for the kids and adults about how to land a plane. Being able to sit in a cockpit really makes you appreciate what fighter pilots go through. Overall it is a really interesting museum with a lot of interesting planes. It's not really a place I would bring a younger child as there isn't much for them to do and interact with. If you have time to walk and read this is a good place to go.

Up, up and away!…read more Canada Aviation and Space Museum is located at the Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport. The museum hangar houses a large collection of aeronautical artifacts highlighting Canada's achievements in the area. Upon entering the building, we noticed an upside down Snowbird overhead. How typically Canadian! The exhibits take you through time, starting from original biplanes, to WWI fighters, WWII bombers, utility aircrafts, modern fighters and helicopters. A highlight is undoubtedly the nose section from the cancelled Avro Arrow. Other unique exhibits include the "Engines: Power to Fly" display, and a 9/11 display with Come From Away. I particularly enjoyed the small but interesting Canadian Space Agency exhibit "Life in Orbit: the International Space Station." It was too bad some interactive displays were closed due to COVID safety. We felt that 1-2 hours was more than sufficient to walk through the museum. There were limited interactive displays including one for kids to fly using their arms as the wingspan. Tickets are reserved ahead & free daily between 4-5pm. Thanks Bill N. for this recommendation!

September 2014: need to update my review!! The city of Ottawa is spending wisely on museums!! The…read moredisplay changes every year. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. And best of all is the local history! The older I get, the more I appreciate history. This museum used to be the financial district of Stittsville when people first started populating the area. There's a picture posted inside of two women sitting in front of the building in the early 1900's. Amazing how much it is the same! Best of all, on this last visit, I made friends with another knitter attending this event, only to discover that we knew each other and were friends years ago (when we were kids) in Toronto!! History is indeed amazing and fascinating! November 2014: I added a photo to show the museum being "yarn bombed" LOL! There's nothing more warming in a cold outpost than a good bit of knitting to warm things up! Besides, it'll brighten the outside of this lovely little piece of living history. December 2014: they had a marvellous and wonderfully organized craft fair at this site this past weekend (Nov. 29 and 30). There was handmade artworks for sale, music (recorded), hot chocolate around a fire pit, and the staff were all divinely dressed up in period costume. Well done! And lots of fun.

For free admission, this museum is actually very amusing. It is clean and organized. Associates are…read moresuper friendly. It has lots of cool interactive boards and displays. At the counter they also give you a scavenger hunt page. I found it fun to look for the items inside the museum, got to learn a lot about different Canadian bills and other currencies under British influence. The museum if split into two parts. The front part has reception, gift shop, kids activity area where they can draw and paint, and few interactive displays that teach us about money, credit and economy. Then there's the hall inside that has a huge display of currencies from every continent influenced by the British. There's a small theater that plays a short video. Also bunch of cool machinery available for everyone. Overall I had a wonderful hour inside the museum. I found some nifty magnets that I bought. Also bought a currency set of Canadian coins and bills that my kid can play with piggy bank at home.

This is worth seeing…read more The Bank of Canada Museum is in the basement level and it is an interesting place to visit, displaying different currencies. I was with my Friend when we visited and both of us enjoyed our time together.