There are so many great attractions to visit with kids in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. On the top of our list is the Canadian Museum of History, in particular the Children’s Museum. It’s great on those yucky winter days when it’s too cold to play in the snow and you want to get out of the house. Or anytime really. Read more on our family day at the Children’s Museum!
Children’s Museum at the Canadian Museum of History
On our last visit, we decided to check out some of the regular adult exhibits first which we knew our boys would enjoy since they could run around through the open spaces and see some cool displays to keep them entertained. When we first arrived, they were in awe of the most spectacular Christmas tree they have on the main floor by the gift shop. What a magical sight!
Of course they got distracted by the gift shop as well, and we poked around before hitting up the main attractions. They have so many cool gifts and tons of Christmas ornaments and décor items. I found some amazing Canadian made sheepskin slippers for myself that I’m adding to my Christmas list!
Next up: special exhibitions section. They typically have two running at one time. Currently, the first one is called Medieval Europe– Power and Splendour, and it will run until January 20th, 2019. They display over 200 treasures from a world renowned British museum, apparently a first for them with an international partnership. We loved it. The second special exhibition was on William Notman (1826 – 1891) who was the first Canadian photographer to gain an international reputation. We wanted to see this and although it looked super interesting, we knew it wouldn’t be overly interesting for the kids! The good news is, it’s on until April 14thso we plan to go back without the kids soon.
Next up, the Canadian History Hall, an elaborate exhibition where you can discover Canada and all the events that have shaped are country up to today. Again, we didn’t spend too much time there because the main goal of the visit was to visit the Children’s Museum, so we hit that up next!
When we arrived, we received our passport – each child receives a stamp for each country you visit. Such a cute concept! We also received a checklist for the elf challenge. You have to find all the elves which are little “Elves on the Shelves” throughout the museum. Then you hand in your checklist on the way out for a special surprise. We didn’t find them all and were far too busy with two toddlers to try, but they still were overjoyed when they spotted one.
Jax loved acting on the stage at the first set up. There is just so much to see that we didn’t even get into all of it but there are literally 30 stations that represent different parts of the world with different props and activities. They both had tons of fun on the ship where Jax especially loved the fact that he could use the interactive tool to move the pretend cargo. Then Hudson ran into the Captain’s Quarters to steer the ship.
There are so many toys, dress-up stations and play opportunities – you could literally stay all day! We are so excited because we just got wind that they are planning a renewal of the Children’s Museum to make it even better!
When we decided we had enough, we went to the gift store to pick up some goodies for the kids and called it a day. After all that fun, they both passed out 5 minutes into the drive home! Just what we all needed. Be sure to check out this awesome museum and learn more about what they have to offer! To find out more a day visit at the Children’s Museum, please visit the Museum of History!
Disclaimer: I received a family admission to the Museum of History in order to review their venue. The views I shared are my own.
Naomi Naomibianca613 @NaomiBianca613
Sounds like a great place to take the kids, I could see spending the whole day their with my grandchildren with so much to do they definitely wouldn’t be bored!
Oh we’ll definitely have to give it a go next time we’re in Ottawa!
Sounds like a fascinating place for a family to spend the day at.. exploring.. learning
Looks like a great hands on museum for kids, could spend the day here.
What a great museum for kids, any child would have a ton of fun here.