Museum of Nature Reopens!
Beginning Saturday morning with a Ceremonial Parade led by the town crier himself, Ottawa unveiled the newly renovated Museum of Nature on May 22nd. There were special performances, new exhibits, nature movies in the theatre, family events, demonstrations and the Tribute to Light Event capped off with the Lighting of the Lantern on Sunday night. The 100th birthday celebration took place Monday with a giant cake, giveaways, concerts, and a Victorian Tulip Tea.
The entrance was free on Sunday evening so Nicole and I went to check out the new exhibits and see what the museum had to offer. It was pretty awesome. The six permanent galleries are Fossils, Blue Water, Earth, Mammals, Birds and Animalium. Then, they have three special enhibitions that change each season. The museum is completely interactive and you should have seen the kids (and adults) enjoying all the different activities. My personal favorite was the giant blue whale skeleton that is displayed in the Blue Water gallery. It was amazing! I learned a lot too actually and didn't even realize it. As we were walking back to our condo we were talking about the different things we had picked up and I was surprised by how much I took in in a couple hours of wandering around. One hallway showed the history of the building itself and a couple interesting notes: 1) After the Great Fire in the Parliament Buildings, the Museum was where Parliament was housed; 2) it was orginally a Gothic-style castle built in 1910.
Another great tourist spot for visitors to enjoy when they come visit me this summer... any takers?
The entrance was free on Sunday evening so Nicole and I went to check out the new exhibits and see what the museum had to offer. It was pretty awesome. The six permanent galleries are Fossils, Blue Water, Earth, Mammals, Birds and Animalium. Then, they have three special enhibitions that change each season. The museum is completely interactive and you should have seen the kids (and adults) enjoying all the different activities. My personal favorite was the giant blue whale skeleton that is displayed in the Blue Water gallery. It was amazing! I learned a lot too actually and didn't even realize it. As we were walking back to our condo we were talking about the different things we had picked up and I was surprised by how much I took in in a couple hours of wandering around. One hallway showed the history of the building itself and a couple interesting notes: 1) After the Great Fire in the Parliament Buildings, the Museum was where Parliament was housed; 2) it was orginally a Gothic-style castle built in 1910.
Another great tourist spot for visitors to enjoy when they come visit me this summer... any takers?