Canadian Museum of History with kids

Ottawa, Canada’s capital and cultural centre, has no shortage of state of the art museums. Is the Canadian Museum of History the most kid-friendly? We would say no. But it is arguably the most unique, and the one most worth seeing, especially with kids who are elementary age and older. Visiting Ottawa is in large part about appreciating Canada’s heritage, and learning about Canada’s culture and history, and the Canadian Museum of History delivers in spades.

This article delves into what you can expect from the Canadian Museum of History, and how to make the most of your day here with the entire family.

What will you find at the Canadian Museum of History?

The main museum houses several iconic permanent exhibits, including:

The Grand Hall and First Peoples Hall – dedicated to indigenous history and culture.

The Canadian History Hall – this represents the bulk of the museum and spans several floors, and takes you sequentially from prehistoric times, to colonial Canada and then modern Canada.

Canadian Stamp Collection – a collection of over 3 000 stamps! This used to be housed in its very own museum – the Canada Postal Museum – but was relocated to the museum of History in 2012.

The Children’s Museum

The Children’s Museum is attached to the Canadian Museum of History but is a separate space within the building. It really is an ingenious idea and the saving grace for families who want to visit the Canadian Museum of History with toddlers and young kids. Even older kids will appreciate this.

The Children’s Museum is over 3000 square meters of interactive exhibits. You can make your way through the “International Village” visiting a dozen “countries”, and learning more about Canada. There are multiple creative rooms where you can let your imagination roam free.

IMAX theatre

As far as we saw, this was more of a hit with large school groups, but was a total bonus for our kids, too. The Theatre runs short ~ 30 minute movies throughout the day with English and French options. Some are more geared towards adults (eg. WWI), others are more kid-oriented, such as learning about tigers or backyard critters.

Canadian Museum of History fast facts

Location

The Canadian Museum of History sits just across the Ottawa River (so actually not even in Ottawa… or Ontario!) in Gatineau, Quebec. It can be easily accessed from Ottawa downtown via the Alexandra Bridge, either driving or walking.

There is a parking garage on site, which costs $18 CAD per day.

The museum occupies 75 000 square meters of buildings, and looks massive – but don’t worry, much of the space is actually for research and archiving, and not for public use.

Hours

The museum is open from 9am to 6pm most days, with extended hours until 7pm on Thursdays.

Tickets

Tickets are $24 CAD for adults (25 – 64), and $22 CAD for seniors (+65).

And the fantastic news? Children 17 and under are FREE. “Youth” (18 – 24) are $12 CAD.

Is the Canadian Museum of History kid-friendly?

Of all the museums we have visited, we wouldn’t say the Canadian Museum of History is kid-friendly, specifically, but it is still quite family-friendly. There are museums in Ottawa we feel are “more” geared towards kids, such as the Canadian Museum of Nature, and the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology. We find that overall, our kids are more interested in science and nature than history. And would they be more hyped with seeing moon rocks and dinosaur bones than pottery and cultural dresses? Probably.

However, if you could only pick 1 museum to visit on your Ottawa trip, we still recommend giving the Canadian Museum of History serious consideration. Whereas you can easily find a museum of nature or science equivalent, nowhere else in the world can you learn about Canadian history and heritage as you can here.

Even with Big S (10) and Lil S (just turning 8), who are at the age where they are growing out of “kid” spaces but still don’t have great attention spans, there was enough interest to keep them busy and having fun. Ratings included!

The Grand Hall and First Peoples Hall – 8/10

It was helpful this is the first space you encounter when you enter the museum. It is a very impressive space, with totem poles and exhibits of the First Nations of the pacific coast. There was a museum guide who engaged the kids, described the different animals on the totem poles, and helped them see the room as a canoe with paddles. There are lots of indigenous artifacts and videos of the First Nations peoples taking about their culture, which really fascinated Lil S.

Canadian History Hall – 6/10

There were several exhibits here the kids really enjoyed, including the prehistoric peoples, and the early exploration/colonization of the land that would eventually become Canada. Big S, who is getting into history and war at school, was very interested in the conflicts that arose during colonization.

It is just a very *long* exhibit, and I would say the kids started to lag by the time Canada became a country (1867, in case you were wondering). 😛 There are plenty of interactive elements, videos, and little games to keep kids interested. The kids *loved* one where they got to proclaim Canada as a country, and learn to “play” the national anthem.

As adults, we really enjoyed walking through this hall, and getting to see artifacts from the things we all learned about in history books. We encountered several school groups that had workbooks and had to complete certain “tasks” at different exhibits, which is such a great way to learn.

Canadian Stamp Collection – N/A

We make the mistake of visiting the History Hall first. 😛 The kids had no energy left to visit the Stamp Collection. So if stamps are on your radar, learn from us and visit this exhibit first. 😛

Canadian Children’s Museum – 10/10!

There were some elements here that were maybe a little young for them, like the make-believe theatre and grocery shopping area, but both Big and Lil S enjoyed the Children’s Museum a lot. You can pick up a passport from the front desk, and “stamp” your book as you visit all the different areas and “countries”.

There is pretty much a museum helper at every “country”, who leads a small craft. The kids made origami frogs and flowers in Japan, Russian friendship bracelets, Indonesian puppets. And there is a ton of bite-sized information in every country – we almost couldn’t pull Lil S away from learning how to write in hieroglyphics!

One of the kids favourites was the room full of Big Blue Blocks for free play. They built “Ottawa and Gatineau”, and then proceeded to destroy everything like feral Godzillas before we had to go. 😛

IMAX theatre – 8/10

This is a good way to build in a little bit of relaxation during the day. We first caught a show about sea lions, and the kids enjoyed it so much they decided to pass some time at the Children’s Museum so they could catch the next one! (Which was their “headliner” movie about tigers, narrated by Michelle Yeoh.)

Tips for visiting the Canadian Museum of History with kids

What to bring?

The only things you need are comfortable walking shoes and a water bottle.

We also recommend snacks. Snacks, as all parents know, keeps the world going ’round. (You can’t eat in the exhibits, but there are plenty of rest areas and benches where you can have a snack.)

Make it a day trip

It’s possible to walk through the Museum of History in half a day. However, everyone will have a better day without feeling rushed if you plan an entire day at the museum. (You want to play the video game where you spend 10 minutes picking vegetables at the French Canada settlers exhibit *again*? Fine.)

Speak to the museum guides/helpers

Every single guide we came across was enthusiastic and eager to engage kids in whichever exhibit they are in. The kids learn and it helps keeps things interesting.

Spend time at the Children’s Museum

If the kids are starting to lag, no point in beating a dead horse. (Who came up with that awful idiom, anyway?) Take a break and let the kids enjoy some hands-on fun at the Children’s museum. If adults want to see more of the history but the kids have lost interest, take turns. 😛

Head out of the museum to Bobino Bagel for lunch

Unlikely many other museums we have visited, there isn’t a cafeteria here with lunch options. There is only a small coffee shop that sells coffee and light snacks.

We do recommend leaving the museum for lunch (your ticket allows multiple re-entry). There are several restaurants within walking distance. The closest is a bagel shop right across from the museum, called Bobino Bagel. They severe freshly made bagels with tons of cream cheese flavours and bagel sandwich options. (They also have a basket of little play-doh jars for kids, which as a parent, is an appreciated and thoughtful gesture.)

Planning a trip to Ottawa with kids? Also be sure to check out our family-friendly downtown walking tour!