Canadian Museum of Nature

The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada’s national natural history museum. Located in downtown Ottawa, approximately 2 km southeast of Parliament Hill, this is a must see for anyone visiting the nation’s capital.

The museum opened to the public in 1912 but has a history dating back to 1856 as part of the Geological Survey of Canada. It is located in the beautiful Victoria Memorial Museum Building which was renovated and expanded between 2004 and 2010. The building itself is worth a visit.

Inside its nearly 19,000 square metres of floorspace, the Canadian Museum of Nature houses a collection of over 14.6 million items. The geolocial specimens include dinosaurs, fossils, and rocks and minerals from all parts of Canada. This includes the first ever dinosaur skull found in Canada, an Albertosaurus discovered by Joseph Tyrrell whom Alberta’s famed palaeontological museum is named after.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is quite similar to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto with its expansive collection and gorgeous building. If the two cities were closer together it would make for an impressive earth treasure expedition.

Visiting Ottawa is no day trip activity. There are 7 national museums, all worthy of a visit. This is family vacation material and the Canadian Museum of Nature should be at the top of your must see list.