Canada's national natural history museum offers world-class galleries in a handsome heritage "castle". Marvel at dinosaurs and other ancient reptiles in the Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery. See grizzlies and other wild animals up close in beautiful dioramas in the Mammal Gallery. Observe hundreds of specimens in the Bird Gallery. See a real blue whale skeleton in the RBC Blue Water Gallery. Be... more
i'm such a big fan of museums and this one gets it right - you will have a fantastic visit here
Seven permanent exhibit halls here trace the history of life on Earth, from its theoretical beginnings some 4,200 million years ago. A third-floor dinosaur hall is a popular highlight, with fossils, skulls, and the intact skeleton of a mastodon; an opposite gallery holds a variety of snails, bugs, spiders, and other creepy critters -- some of them still alive. Down one floor are mineral... more
Museum of nature was at walking distance from the hotel in downtown where I was staying. I had befriended one local guy and asked which museum I should go first and he replied.. Nature museum. and I followed his advice. It is really one of the major attraction of Ottawa. One should visit it for seeing giant skeleton of number... more
Came by from Alberta to have an enjoyable day with my 3 kids (8,6 and 4 yrs)
Was surprised by costs: $90 plus parking ...there is no family rate. It was cheaper for us to buy an annual pass.
Kids found it Ok for about 2 hours. We were confused by mix of exhibits, some for adults, some for kids....
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This is nothing more than paper mache plants and animals outfitted with LED lights in dark rooms. under Black light. The only REAL living animals are small fish in a tiny aquarium. NO JOKE. Just LED lights, models and posters with some info on them. IF you want to see crazy glowing things with black light and blinking LEDs,, save... more
Lots of things to see for all ages, different kinds of exhibits, special displays, seems like there's always something new
Recently renovated the Museum of Nature is the home of a fabulous dinosaur exhibit (Canada has Dinosaurs!) among other fantastic wildlife exhibits. Always a favorite with families and kids it is the one museum we go back to time and again when we have visitors. Ottawa has many fantastic museums (Air, War, Mint, Art ...) but you should definitely make... more
We are regulars at the Canadian Museum of Nature. The kids always find something new to discover and the continual 'special exhibit' changes keep things fresh. Seeing the dinosaur exhibit, the mineral exhibit (with the interactive elements), and the marine life exhibit really give the adults plenty to learn and the kids plenty to see. Don't forget to go to... more
If you are a first timer to ottawa, or even if you have lived here you're entire life....the museum of nature is a great place to visit!
Great for kids and adults alike!
The building it is in, is amazing in its own rights. The whole experience is full of interesting exhibits and lots of fun!
Every year they put...
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We visited this museum a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. There were so many exhibits
to see. She is 7 and had a wonderful time.
This is definitely one of the best attractions in Ottawa. Not only is there something for everyone whether you are two years old or eighty-five but the exhibits are housed in a wonderful building.
I had some time while on vacation to tour the dinosaur exhibit and thoroughly enjoyed the displays. Would recommend this to all ages with a sense of curiosity.
We were here during the bioluminescence exhibit which was very interesting. The building itself was spectacular and the exhibits were informative, interactive and fun. The best part for us was seeing the whale skeleton, all 19 meters of it, wow. I think kids would really enjoy this museum, there are things to touch and turn and play with.
Very nice building, very old basic stuff, a couple of wow factors for very little kids, basically a way to spend an hour and forty dollars to try as usual broken or useless interactive gizmos. Really when you compare that to disney attraction level, no wonder the kids are easily bored. Quite pricey for what you get. Should invest in... more
WOW WOW WOW
Once a month - September-may the Museum holds the best dance party in Ottawa. Check their website for information and buy you tickets early - they sell out in advance.
Then show up at 8 p.m., you get to visit all the galleries, which remain open all night, and then grab a drink from the multiple bars...
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Another great museum but again, with the problem of teachers not supervising their noisy groups of school children. Still worth seeing for the value of the collection.
The Canadian museum of nature is a great way to spend the day. They have some fantastic exibits to wonder through and step back in time. Worth the visit and great for the kids. Gift shop is great too.
We visited the recently renovated museum. The dinosaur exhibition is great with activities that even pre-school kids can enjoy (such as screens to colour dinosaurs). The frog exhibition is also fun, interesting and informative.
The exhibits are interactive and interesting for all ages. No issues there at all. The issues are around guest experience.
1- we stood in a long time out the front door with no staff or signage telling us where to go. I bought our tickets on my iPhone while we stood there but there was nowhere showing me where to...
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The museum is beautiful but the permanent exhibits look very dated. We visited the bioluminescence exhibit, which was OK but was geared more towards adults - heavy on text and the interactive content (mostly on ipads) was too advanced for young kids. The other museum exhibits were more interactive but some of them did not work properly/were broken. The entrance... more
This exhibition is a joke, and a rip off! You pay additional $8/p.p.to the admission price, to see... nothing. Truly, there is NOTHING you can not read or learn from the comfort of your home (actually, I've seen more on the subject on TV documentaries) - there are mainly colourful boards with information, a few fake models... and that about... more
The museum is nice, not as big as the ROM in Toronto, but the hands on experience for little & big kids is impressive. Went specifically to see the Frog exhibit and although it was good, we were slightly disappointed that it wasn't larger with more actual live species. Would return to see other exhibits in more detail on another... more
I was the organizing teacher for our school's field trip to the Museum of Nature last month. I had made the arrangements in advance with the group-booking staff. There were 3 school bus loads of adult students, pre-schoolers and staff. A museum staff member came onto each bus to welcome us. I went to the desk in the group greeting... more
Exhibits are plentiful and very brightly displayed. From live bugs to gems and rocks, everything is interesting to see up close. The stuffed birds and animals are fascinating.
The first museum I ever visited in Ottawa (the hotel we stayed at was right across the street), it's a first rate way to get a taste of Canada's vast and varied natural history. It would be particularly interesting for visitors to Canada. It's strength is also it's weakness; it's an overview. It gives you a small taste of everything... more
I enjoy going to different museums because I like to learn things in all areas of life, and a good museum will do that for all age groups. The Canadian Museum of Nature falls into this category of museums.
The Special Exhibit that was on was the "Frogs - a Chorus of Colours" is a perfect example. There are a...
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With the new reno's this place will give the little ones that "Night at the Museum" feeling - We've been going for many years & its very good--
We visited with our 5 kids aged between 1 and 8 years old. Everyone enjoyed their day. There is a paying parking but if you visit during the weekend, you can park for free in the street. Also, the museum is free on Thursday 5pm to 8 pm. The building itself is magnificent. On the four floors of the museum... more
A great nature museum. Not as grand as the natural history museums in New York or London (England), but still an impressive collection of wildlife exhibits, minerals and gemstones.
Downtown (almost) and intriguing, good $12 entry fee. Need hours! Per visit! Choose earth, birds, insects, dinosaurs with changing displays every few weeks or months. Annual membership fees for residents or frequent visitors to the capital.
Well organized interesting exhibits in a spacious bright venue. Staff are helpful & there are special exhibits. I wish they had outdoor coffee/café seating in a nice landscaped venue.
This museum is in a building that looks like a castle. Impressive for any one and magical for children
Tucked away in a architectural marvel is this jewel of a nature museum. The building itself is magnificent with the original stone work, combined with a new, modern entrance atrium. The main floor foyer is wide open, with dual staircases and a really high ceiling, and you are greeted by very pleasant staff. Four floors of theater type space are... more
The museum is HUGE, four floors of fun divided into different sections and with AMAZING exhibits. A great place for the whole family, the kids will love it and you will most probably learn a few cool facts about various things.
The Canadian Museum of Nature is so much fun for the whole family. The exhibits are very interactive for everyone. The location and the building are absolutely beautiful.
A huge museum, over four floors. Lots of interactive stuff to do, parking on site and just off highway 417. On a Saturday in snowy March the place was full of families with small children.
I've been to many much better natural history museums. This was a bit overpriced for what it was but still the $14 entry wasn't bad. The galleries are fairly small but well put together. There isn't much interactivity in the museum which isn't the norm in most modern museums. Overall a good but limited experience.
The frog exhibit here is a must see.
A little pricey for the size of the museum but great fossil galleries make up for that.
We took the stairs throughout the building as the elevators were frequently in use for strollers.
This is a very kid friendly museum.
Our kids enjoyed this museum with their interactive displays! 3D movie and Frog exhibit cost extra, but both were enjoyable. Free 2 hour parking about 2 blocks away.
We took our grandson to Ottawa for the week-end and we went to see the frog display at the Nature museum.It was so amazing to see the poisonous frogs and their colours, the size of the African bullfrog..wow..The dinosaurs are awesome also !!
Once you passed the ridiculously disorganized line up to purchase your tickets, you are up for an adventure.
Many permanent exhibits that are beautifully done and will keep you and your kids entertained. A lot of interactive station keep the interests of children up while grown ups can learn from the comments.
We went in the middle of March break...
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I hate to say we were a bit disappointed. While the building is beautiful the museum lacks something to make it stand out for us. Our 6yo son loved the live frog exhibit (extra $) but the rest of museum is cramped boring dioramas. There are some interactive items but they are few and far between.
The live bug exhibit...
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Great dinosaur exhibition; good facilities; lots of variety; interest for kids and adults. Note: we bought a package that included special exhibitions and a 3D movie - for our family with a baby and a toddler this was too much and we didn't have the energy to see everything in the general exhibition.
We enjoyed the architecture tremendously. The kids enjoyed all the activities planned for them such as crafts, the bird clinic and the boat section. We enjoyed the exhibit on frogs and fossils the most. It does take a while to see it all but the kids never complained!
Its a good museum for the family! I liked it a lot, however, I was disappointed to hear that their security was a bit faulty when their Troodon "humanoid" was stolen. It was a VERY creative way on the evolution theory of what would happen if dinosaurs did evolve to a more humanoid feature? I also liked the "creepy crawly"... more
Was well done, kids loved it. The frog exhibit that we paid extra for was not worth the time or money.
The cafeteria was nice and not expensive which makes a change.
Comparing this to the Niagara Falls Bird Kingdom, Ripleys' in Gatlinbug TN, the NY Museum of Natural History in NY, "The Wild" in Tupper Lake, NY, and various aquariums, this exhibit was just average, or below average. Tilted heavily towards small children, there wasn't much learning for me or my 12 yr old. We blew through all 5 levels in... more
We got here too late to visit the entire museum, but we did have time for the frog exhibit. It was the best treatment of one animal since one about cats at Boston's Museum of Science about 15 years ago. Definitely worth viewing.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when going. The admission was reasonable. Once inside, there are 4 floors plus the basement of exhibits, all beautifully laid out and spaced apart so they all had their own space. It was also very interactive and fun. We explored each exhibit and would go again. Dinosaurs, birds, marine life and minerals -... more
The live frogs exhibit was very impressive. There was a good deal of information about the frogs and maps to show their homelands.
Everyone was having a good time finding the frogs in the aquarium type enclosures.
At the entrance were frogs in circles you could stand on to activate a recording of that frogs voice.
We really enjoyed this...
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Visited while the frog exhibit was on which was fantastic to see so many different types of live frogs with stories on their individual characteristics and lifestyles. Disappointing that the frog movie only ran on weekends so I had to miss out on that. The rest of the museum was very interesting and well set out. Much more information than... more
The exhibits are simple yet informative, even for educated adults. It's really popular with kids, of course, but I found it to be a visually intriguing museum with lovely architecture and surprisingly pretty display set-ups. Ottawa's museums are very good, and this is one of the best!
The geology section seems to be quite thorough. Many types of rocks and ores. Much information on earthquakes and volcanos.
The main pleasure is the original architecture of the building
Ants were...
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The museum was recently renovated and the building itself is beautiful. We were disappointed with many of the displays. We have seen much better dioramas at other museums. They have tried to add... more
Entering the museum you will be impressed with the extraordinary collection. Giant dinosaurs and reptiles, species of every kind. Many providing a real interactive experience. Children have the... more
We decide to visit the Canadian Museum of Nature whilst in Ottawa. It is located just off highway 417 and has a large parking area surrounding the building. They charge $12 per adult for general admission but also offer combo tickets which include special exhibits, movies etc. Parking is extra at $2.50 per half hour or a maximum of $12 per day.
Even before entering the museum spend time...
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The museum is set in a heritage building that temporarily served as Parliament from 1916-18 when the actual Parliament Buildings burned down. The building is gorgeous inside - high ceilings, stained glass and carved wooden staircases.
Inside, there are 4 floors of exhibits with lots of hands-on and interactive displays. The main floor has life size replicas of dinosaurs and information on the...
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A walk through this heritage building, which chronicles Canada's natural history, will take you back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the landscape and glaciers covered 80 per cent of the country's landmass. Exhibits examine the country's biodiversity, the history of Canada's aboriginal peoples and life in the far north. Check website or call for admission fees and special deals.