I wasn't sure how interested kids were going to be. They were engaged the entire time.Dinosaurs were a hit but many of the other interactive displays (Birds, Minerals (of all things), and mammals) were very VERY COOL!Defintely a site to see....especially the Blue Whale Skeleton.
Tiny Creatures 3D was a great family film in a comfortable environment. Dinosaur display was very popular with kids but can also be fun for adults. Water area had a whale skeleton hung from the ceiling. Very unique artifacts. Bird exhibit was lacking & empty of visitors during our walk through. A bit congested with strollers in some areas which can make it difficult to maneuver. Within walking distance from Byward market.
We loved every single display.. we spent a full afternoon enthralled. The dinosaurs were positively amazing, we loved the bird and insect rooms and the simulators were pretty cool. My 5 year old said over and over it was her favorite part of the trip. I will say though, and this is a visiting exhibit, I found the arctic exhibit lacking. The focus was on research and development, as opposed to natural beauty and positive strengths amongst the local people. The northern lights (pictured on a display) were pitiful. They are far more spectacular in person.
We live in Ottawa and I often take the kids and their friends to the Museums. The Nature one is one of our favorites. Sometimes we pay, sometimes we buy the yearly membership, and sometimes, when we are lucky, we find and borrow the free pass from the Library. We go on the weekend so we find free parking on the street.There is so much to see and do (hands on) that we don’t get to see it all every time. The kids big hitters are: the ship in the Water section; the birds sanctuary and games in the Bird section; the cool but creepy bugs in
If you have you ever been to any other Nature Museum in either America or Canada then don't expect anything new. I can't help to compare this to the National History Museum in NYC. The exhibits are similar but on smaller scale and does not have as much to offer. However, the place is great for kids and first timers to a nature museum. I paid an extra $4 to see the special Arctic exhibit which is provides a great insight into the Arctic and Global warming and the its effect on polar bears. As a final note, just like most buildings in Ottawawthe architecture is great and very unique!
With it brand new renovations of glass walls and majestic stair cases this museum is amazing. I love the artifacts, the history, the story behing everything. I am a kid at heart, so seeing the dinosaur skeletons, one of my favourite stops. For the older crowd (19+) they have an event once a month called Nature Nocturne, usually themed there are drinsk, music, DJ's special events, fun to be had all around on the party scene. Another great feature is it beautiful ballrooms, available for corprorate events or wedding. It is much more than a museum it is a wonderful cutural experience.
My partner and I visited the museum today and felt incredibly let down. We paid $12.50 each plus taxes for admission, so it came to just under $30. The building from the outside looked enormous, but the actual exhibition space was significantly less than the exterior indicated. Most of the interior space seemed taken up with large hallways, staircases, atrial space, functions rooms and offices. Half the 4th floor was an unoccupied gallery wing, half the 3rd floor was an exhibition with an unnecessarily greedy extra admission price, and most of the 1st floor was a cafe, a shop and oversized ticketing and membership areas and entranceways. When you whittled down the actual exhibit space, it was incredibly small, and aimed mainly at children, which is lovely if you are a family, but not if you are two adult tourists with extensive museum-going experience misled by glowing Lonely Planet reviews.The dioramas were actually not that great - we saw significantly better ones in the Royal Saskatchewan Musuem in Regina, who incidentally were a donation/free entry facility that made excellent use of smaller space. By comparison with other museums around Canada who charge similar prices, like the ROM in Toronto, this was simply woeful.The fact that it was overpriced and underused was made worse by their policy of having the cheek to charge $2.50 per half hour for parking. Are you kidding me? It cost us $10 to park for an hour and 45 minutes, and we ended up being grateful the museum was totally misrepresented in terms of space as we went round quickly in order not to get even more ripped off. I get there is a parking demand, and it's in a busy city location, but when the World Exchange Plaza can manage free weekend parking, I fail to see why this so-called education facility chooses to make an expensive day out even more extortionate for families and tourists on budgets by exploiting them. If there is a parking issue, set up machines that accept your admission ticket for parking, and only charge those that are using the spaces incorrectly.This discovery led us to check the parking facilities at the History and Civilisation Museum in Gatineau, and the War Museum. They have the same policy, being part of the same group. We have decided not to go based on that alone. It makes education and sightseeing activities cost-prohibitive, and it's shamefully greedy. Other museums, galleries and attractions in other cities, capitols and countries around the world put you to shame, and when the winter is long and cold and there are so few tourists venturing out in sub-zero temperatures, you could really try much harder.Poor effort, very poor effort.
The renovations since I last visited the museum are outstanding. It's a bright, beautiful space filled with interesting and interactive museum pieces. You cant possibly get through it in one day but what a great excuse to keep coming back.
Was a very well laid out museum where all displays were interesting. Beautiful old building with a new glass atrium going to the top floors. The nature exhibits were life and worth a visit especially for families with children.
I went here recently when I was in Ottawa for the weekend - partly because it was close to our hotel and partly because it is one of the few museums I hadn't been to in the city. Overall it was a neat place - housed in a fantastic old building with wings that seem meant for such a museum. We particularly enjoyed the dinosaurs and the AMAZING bird gallery. I also really liked the small Passenger Pigeons exhibit - I learned a lot there. In terms of audience, this is really geared more towards kids and families - although some exhibits, such as the aforementioned Passenger Pigeons, is probably better for adults because it is less flashy and more informative. The layout and atmosphere is definitely kid friendly! I'm not sure I would go back without kids, but in general I liked this museum and would recommend this for families.