Canadian Museum of Nature Review: Is It Worth Visiting with Kids?

If you’re planning a family trip to Ottawa and trying to decide which museums are worth visiting with kids, this Canadian Museum of Nature review gives you an honest look at our experience and what ages it’s best for.

Ottawa was our first stop on our East Coast Canada road trip, and we spent just under three hours at the museum. We focused on the permanent galleries and skipped both special exhibits to save time.

If you want a visual walkthrough, check out my Canadian Museum of Nature YouTube Tour. If you’re visiting with a child with special needs, head over to my sister site to read my Is the Canadian Museum of Nature Autism Friendly? Review. For more Ottawa ideas, see my guide to the Best Attractions in Ottawa for Families, or my One Day in Ottawa itinerary.

Below, you’ll find my full Canadian Museum of Nature review plus essential details to help plan your visit.

About the Museum of Nature

Where is the Canadian Museum of Nature?

The Canadian Museum of Nature is located in downtown Ottawa. You can easily walk from Parliament Hill to the Canadian Museum of Nature in about 20 minutes.

Address: 240 McLeod St, Ottawa, ON K2P 2R1

Canadian Museum of Nature Hours

Hours vary by season. Always check the official website for the most accurate schedule.

Winter: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Friday to Wednesday
Summer: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday to Wednesday
Thursdays: 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Canadian Museum of Nature Tickets & Admission

You can buy tickets at the door, but purchasing online helps you skip the line.

Base admission includes the permanent galleries and ultra-high-definition movies. Special exhibitions may require an additional or combo ticket.

Prices (2025):

Ages 2 and under: Free
Ages 3–24 and 65+: $19
Adults 25–64: $24

When Is the Canadian Museum of Nature Free?

The Canadian Museum of Nature offers free admission on:

Thursday evenings: 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (supported by Canada Life).
Canada Day (July 1): 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sept 30): 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Admission is also free for:

Museum members
Indigenous Peoples, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis
One support person accompanying a visitor with a disability

Canada Strong Pass Discount

From Dec 12, 2025, to Jan 15, 2026, the Canadian Museum of Nature offers free admission for kids up to 17 and 50 percent off for ages 18–24 through the Canada Strong Pass. It ran during summer 2025 and will return in summer 2026 too, making it a great time to visit Ottawa.

Canadian Museum of Nature Parking

On-site paid parking is available but fills quickly. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find free parking near the Canadian Museum of Nature.

$5.00 per half hour
$17.00 daily max
$7.00 evenings after 4:30 p.m.

Where to Stay: Hotels Near the Canadian Museum of Nature

If you want to stay close to the museum, here are some top hotels near the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa:

The Business Inn ($): 9-minute walk
Cartier Place Suite Hotel ($$): 12-minute walk
The Metcalfe Hotel ($$$) : 18-minute walk
Lord Elgin Hotel ($$$$): 14-minute walk

If you don’t mind staying a bit further, here are some other great Ottawa area hotels:

Château Cartier Hotel ($): 17-minute drive
Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre ($$): 8-minute drive
Brookstreet ($$$): 22-minute drive
Fairmont Chateau Laurier ($$$$): 23-minute walk or 7-minute drive

Exploring the Canadian Museum of Nature Exhibits

The museum features seven permanent exhibits and two special exhibit spaces that rotate throughout the year.

The Fossil Gallery

Located on the main floor, the Canadian Museum of Nature’s dinosaur exhibit features dinosaur fossils and skeletons, as well as a diorama with seven life-sized dinosaur statues.

The Mammal Gallery

On the second floor, this gallery features dioramas displaying realistic, life-sized Canadian mammals in their natural habitats. Here, you’ll see bears, moose, caribou, cougars, and more.

The Water Gallery

Also on the second floor, you’ll find a massive 19-meter blue whale skeleton, displays on Canada’s aquatic ecosystems, and even some live animals, like freshwater fish, jellyfish, and sea stars.

The Bird Gallery

Up on the third floor, this gallery houses the largest display of Canadian birds in the world, with close to 500 life-sized 3D birds.

The Earth Gallery

This exhibit, also on the third floor, is filled with minerals, rocks, and gemstones. Visitors can explore a limestone cave, examine a genuine moon rock, and view a model volcano.

Canada Goose Arctic Gallery

The fourth floor features this gallery, which focuses on the climate, geography, sustainability, and ecosystems of the Arctic. It includes life-sized animal statues, artifacts, and touchable ice.

Bugs Alive

Finally, down in the basement, this exhibit is home to more than a dozen terraria, allowing visitors to see live insects.

My Family’s Experience at the Canadian Museum of Nature

Because we visited during the summer of 2025, we got the Canada Strong discount and used Brie’s Access 2 Card. Our total cost was $13 for three people. Without the discounts, our visit would have been over $60, and for our family, that wouldn’t have felt worth it.

We opted to tour only the permanent exhibits and skipped Bugs Alive, as Zen had no interest in that one. We spent just under three hours at the museum, including a half-hour break for lunch. While I’m sure Zen could have easily spent longer, Brie wasn’t very interested in much.

Exploring the Galleries

We started on the top floor and worked our way down.

First, we explored the Canada Goose Arctic Gallery. This exhibit was calm and quiet with soft music, but not many hands-on elements that kept Brie engaged, so she and I quickly browsed through. Zen showed more interest, taking her time while Brie and I waited for her on a bench. This became our pattern. Brie and I walked through quickly, then found a bench while Zen explored at her own pace.

The Bird Gallery had a small play area (a pretend bird clinic), but it was quite busy. Brie had little interest in it besides going in to see what was there. The galleries feature some hands-on exhibits, but again, they didn’t interest Brie much, so she walked past most of them and spent little time on any.

By the time we’d made it halfway through the museum, it had gotten busy. The noise and difficulty of moving around made the atmosphere less serene, so Brie was done with it at that point. She walked quickly through the galleries, barely looking at anything, then found a bench to sit on while she waited for Zen.

Who This Museum Is Best For

Older kids and teens who enjoy science, animals, dinosaurs, or geology will get the most out of this museum. If your child likes to read the information and take their time, you could easily spend half a day here.

Younger children who learn best through hands-on play will find less to do. The lack of active play spaces makes it harder for them to stay engaged, especially when the museum gets crowded.

My Canadian Museum of Nature Review: Final Thoughts

After visiting with an autistic teen who functions at the level of a young child, I was surprised by all the Canadian Museum of Nature reviews I had read saying it’s a great museum for young kids. I don’t think many children under 10 would get much out of it unless they have a strong interest in the subject matter.

The museum also gets very busy during peak season. Without more play areas or active zones, it can be overwhelming for kids and even adults.

For older kids and teens, the museum is worth a visit. But for younger kids, I think there are better options in Ottawa. If the museum provided more play areas for kids, including an active play area with some gross motor activities, this would help keep other areas of the museum quieter and more serene.

From our family’s experience, I think there are far better places in Ottawa than the Canadian Museum of Nature for kids, like the Canadian Museum of History (review coming soon).

Have you visited with young kids? I’d love to hear your Canadian Museum of Nature review. Let me know your kids’ experiences on my Facebook post, and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook to see more Canadian activities for kids and families from our East Coast trip, or check out my TikTok for some visual inspiration!