ROM - Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

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We like museums alot in our family, so a stop at The Royal Ontario Museum was high on our list of things to do.

The museum had so many fascinating bits of information in their dinosaur exhibit. There were videos logging the newest discoveries on dinosaur habitats, models of prehistoric reptiles and photos of other archaeological findings. We saw a Maiasaur skeleton--considered the world's best of this type.

Our grandson found a hands-on site that fueled his curiosity about fossils. A section devoted to the natural world was fun, too--featuring insects, birds,mammals and some slithery snakes!

Hours are Mon.-Thurs. 10 am-6 pm; Fri. 10 am-9:30 pm; Sat.& Sun. 10 am-6 pm. On Dec. 24 and 31 the museum closes at 4 pm. ROM is closed on Christmas and New Year's Days. Fridays are FREE from 4:30 pm-9:30 p.m.!!!! Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for seniors; $6 for students; and $5 for children age 5-14.

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The Royal Ontario Museum is such an interesting place to spend part of the afternoon. It has displays on ancient cultures, hands-on fun for children and exhibits about the world of nature.

We liked the Egyptian exhibit with its mummy cases, scarab seals and artifacts. There was also art from Greek and Etruscan cultures. Our grandson got caught up in the medieval history section where kids could don armor and imagine employing the weaponry of that time. A large collection of Arms and Armour caught our attention!

Hours are Mon.-Thurs. 10 am-6 pm; Fri. 10 am-9:30 pm; Sat. 7 Sun. 10 am-6 pm. On December 24 and 31 the museum closes at 4 pm. The museum is not open on Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for seniors; $6 for students and $5 for children 5-14

Hours are from 10-6 p.m. except for Friday when it is opened until 9:30 p.m. There is no charge on Friday between 4:30 pm-9:30 pm. The museum is closed on Dec. 25 and Jan.1

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I would like to invite you to visit ROM or the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. It houses a wide collection of world culture and natural history in Canada.

The museum is close to other amenities: restaurants, theatres, bars & clubs, and accommodations and accessible to public transportation.
Admission Prices are as follows (Effective October 28, 2006)*
Adults: C$18
Students with ID & Seniors: C$15
Children: C$10
Children Under 4: FREE

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Daily: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

IMPORTANT TIP:
ADMISSION is FREE to all ROM's permanent galleries ONE HOUR before closing from Saturday to Thursday night. So, come and enjoy!

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We started our exploration of the Museum from Bat Cave on Level 2 (Philosophers’ Walk Wing). We entered the cave(s) (picture # 1). With bats, animatronics and atmospheric sights and sounds, the whole experience turned out to be a real-life horror movie scene. Highlights included looking at millions of roaches feeding on bat poop (picture # 3) and an audio-visual show that explores cave formation, how bats use echolocation and more, and a spectacular dramatization of bats in flight during a nightly exodus for food.

Before we entered the cave(s) however, we got introduced to various species of bats, including the Vampire Bat (picture # 2).

The ROM’s Bat Cave is a realistic portrayal of the St. Clair Cave in Jamaica, based on ROM fieldwork at the site. The new Bat Cave draws on this original ROM research as well as recent findings from a return trip to Jamaica in February 2010. It was originally opened in 1988.

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Admittedly, these galleries were a little less visited during the March Break day, because one has to agree that children are normally focused on other attractions within the museum.

There are over 17 galleries on cultures of the world. However, we visited only 4 of them and left the remaining ones to another day.

Samuel European Galleries on Level 3 feature decorative arts of western and central Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day. We liked the articles of interior decoration (picture # 1), the arrangement of drawing room, and arms and armour.

Shreyas and Mina Ajmera Gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific on Level 3 showcases unique arts and culture of indigenous peoples from Africa, the American continents, the Asia-Pacific region and Oceania. We found the artwork of native American cultures to be very colourful (picture # 2).

Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery on Level 3 lets you experience the beauty and diversity of the South Asian sub-continent. Over 5,000 years of history is revealed through beautiful collection of religious objects and sculptures, decorative arts, arms and armour, miniature paintings and textiles (Pictures # 3 and 4)

Galleries of Africa (Egypt) on Level 3 showcases agricultural tools, everyday eating utensils, magnificent jewellery, funerary furnishings, mummies, and tomb (picture # 5). This gallery explores nearly 5,000 years (4000 BC - AD 400) of Egyptian cultural history.

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Life in Crisis (Schad Gallery of Biodiversity) on Level 2 shows species, such as Snow Leopards of Pakistan (picture # 1) in crisis due encroachment and environmental degradation. Located at the centre of this gallery is the Earth Rangers Studio, a state-of-the-art space for digital and live programming on latest scientific research and relevant issues.

Gallery of Birds on Level 2 displays hundreds of species of birds in flight (picture # 2). Children were constantly pulling drawers out that contained eggs, feathers, footprints and nests. Mini-dioramas focus on extinct birds and how environmental changes and habitat destruction have put other species in danger.

Patrick and Barbara Keenan Family Gallery of Hands-on Biodiversity on Level 2 is a hands-on learning centre exploring the vast diversity of life on earth. The gallery is based on the Museum's collections and research, and offers visitors a venue to examine and handle hundreds of objects, such as the "living" displays—mossy frogs from the jungles of Vietnam, fish found in a typical southern Ontario stream (pictures # 3, 4 and 5), and bees flying in from outdoors in the gallery’s active beehive.

Currently undergoing a restoration designed by world renowned architect David Libeskind, the ROM is following an ambitious plan to rejuvenate energy into Canada's largest museum. Looking like a "burst of crystals", Libeskind's design will serve as a landmark in Toronto & give the ROM a dynamic entrance.

The ROM, formerly a part of the University of Toronto, holds over five million artifacts. Though it may not be able to compare to world class museums like the MET or the Louvre, the ROM does offer an interesting collection to enjoy. From galleries of art, to archaeology and science, the ROM should have an area or areas of interest for everyone to enjoy. My favourites are the ancient Eygptian & Chinese collections.

On Friday nights, from 4:30 - 9:30 pm, the ROM offers free admission into the museum's exhibits except the specially ticketed ones.

For latest admission information & museum hours, please click here.

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We visited seemingly popular Reed Gallery of the Age of Mammals on Level 2 for viewing an impressive array of large fossil skeletons and unusual North and South American specimens (pictures 1 and 2) in a gallery that explores the rise of mammals through the Ice Ages that followed the great extinction of dinosaurs.

The immensely popular James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs on Level 2 feature collection of dinosaur skeletons (picture # 3), along with fascinating fossil birds like the biggest pterasaur viz. Coatzlcoatlus (picture # 4), mammals, insects and plants of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Teck Suite of Galleries (Earth's Treasures) on Level 2 again turned out to be a popular location. This is divided into the Vale Inco Limited Gallery of Minerals, the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Gallery and the Gallery of Gems and Gold.

This is probably my favourite musuem I visited in Toronto. There are four levels of permanant and temporary galleries where on my visit I looked at the Korea, China, Japan new galleries that were recently added to the museum. My ticket included a visit to a the 'Italian Arts & Design The 20th Century Exhibition', which was on whilst I was in Toronto.

I used my city pass for my admittance and please check out the ROM for further information and updates.

Since my outside plans were foiled by the bad weather, we decided to check out the ROM. We only had a couple of hours which turned out to be the perfect amount of time since much of the ROM's collection is off display in 2005 due to major renovations. A visit to their website will show you what is currently open, I'd highly recommend checking it out before you go.

I wouldn't say this was a highlight of my visit to Toronto, natural history museums don't rank at the top of my must see list anywhere, and so much of the collection was off display. If you are traveling with children, it looked like there was a lot of interactive things for them to do and I think they would enjoy the bat cave and the displays devoted to mammals, insects, birds and reptiles.