Museum of nature; walk through the history of Canadian wildlife from the dinosau

Museum of nature…continued

The Canadian Museum of Nature offers the visitor four floors of exhibits. Though well along with the extensive renovations some of the floor space normally packed with interesting displays, is under renovation and construction.

On Floor 0, the area “grayed out” in the graphic below is not currently open to the public.

On other floors, some of the grayed area does provide viewing access to some displays and some of what is shown as gray on those floor maps has now been made somewhat accessible. You kind of “takes your chances” as to what will or won’t be available when you visit, up until renovation is complete in 2009.

Museum

The floor plan for Floor 0, the first level as you enter the museum.
As shown, the temporary (for about four or five years!) entranceway is to the right or the west of the original.

When you enter the museum the information and ticket desk is just ahead.

Tthe admission rates are quite reasonable, and you can spend a few hours seeing all that’s still on display to see, for the fees as noted below (fees subject to change without notice – please check with the Museum):

Saturday mornings 09:00 – 12:00: Free
Per Person: $5.00
Families: $13.00
(5 persons maximum, maximum 3 adults, minimum 1 child / youth under 18)
Discounts for groups

Admission charges are current as of late 2006, but are subject to change without notice, so if rates are a concern or you have questions, please check with the museum. Contact information will be provided shortly.

If you are a full or guest member of the Ottawa Public Library you can “borrow” a pass from the library that will give you free admission to the Canadian Museum of Nature and to other museums in Ottawa.

Floor 0 is the main access to the museum, and provides the visitor with some amenities including a vending machine lunch area, washroom facilities, a Nature gift / souvenir shop, and access to the upper floors via elevator or stairs.

My advice is, unless you are not physically capable of doing so, take the stairs, folks. The elevator, although almost new, is of the “freight” variety, and it takes minutes to travel from floor to floor. If walking up stairs is a problem, let me suggest that you take the elevator up to Floor 4, and make your way down the stairs from there.

The stairs, shown in the upper right of the graphic above, are wide, clean and well lighted. As you climb floor to floor the spacious windows offer reasonable views of the surrounding areas of Ottawa.

’Museum

As you move along the wall-board draped corridors heading for the stairs, you can see glimpses of what the original walls looked like and, perhaps in time, they will be restored to their former glory.

DINOSAURS!

’Dinosaur’

Upon reaching Floor 1, you will have moved millions of years into the past and can have a look at how things were in Canada during the dinosaur age.

’Dinosaur’

The dinosaur exhibit treats the visitor to a 50 million year span of time, and looks at the events that led up to the extinction of dinosaurs and the rise of mammals some 65 million years ago.

’Dinosaur’

Everywhere you look on Floor 1, you will find huge, colourful displays and relics from the dinosaur age.

’Dinosaur’

More dinosaurs and other neat stuff!

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