Canadian Museum of Nature

Located in the castle-like Victoria Memorial Museum Building a pleasant stroll south of Parliament Hill, the Canadian Museum of Nature brings our natural heritage indoors for a close-up and fascinating look.

Fast Facts

Housed inside a beautiful heritage building, the Museum has undergone a multi-year renewal, opening many new galleries and facilities. The project will be completed in spring 2010.
The Talisman Fossil Gallery is a favourite with kids, with 300 amazing dinosaur specimens including 25 complete skeletons spanning a period from 85 to 65 million years ago.
The Mammal Gallery features the wildlife of Canada, from polar bears to white Arctic hares, moose, bison, caribou and cougars.
The Bird Gallery features an impressive collection of 500 specimens of Canada's finest feathered friends.
Step outside the Museum and see a cast of a 112-milion-year-old dinosaur footprint, then take your picture with giant dinosaur and wooly mammoth models.
The Discovery Zone features fun and discovery for kids, including close-up examination of unusual and spectacular specimens, crafts and a trading post where kids can check out fossils, minerals, animal skulls and more.
In 1916 the Victoria Memorial Museum Building served as the interim home for the Canadian government while the Parliament Buildings were rebuilt after a major fire that destroyed everything but the Parliamentary Library.