One of the absolute best things about living in Ottawa, particularly if you are a parent, is our museums. It’s something a lot of us take for granted, but they really are fantastic and make entertaining kids sooooo easy.
Yesterday we did a long-overdue family trip out to the Canada Science and Technology Museum. This museum is a perennial favourite at any time, but until January 4th, Ottawa is host to the Wheels, Wings and Waves – A LEGO History of Transportation exhibition.
Here, you’ll be treated to replicas of air, land and water transportation that have been created using a mind-boggling number of LEGO pieces. The replica models include the Titanic, a Ford Model T, steam trains and spacecraft (and a pirate ship thrown in for good measure). There’s even a race car large enough for a child to sit in!
The most popular part of this exhibition though was clearly the race ramp. The children were keeping themselves very busy running between the tables of LEGO, where they could create their own race car, and two race ramps, where they could test their LEGO creation in action.
All in all, a great day out — for adults and kids alike. In addition to the LEGO exhibition, there were a number of other interesting temporary exhibits, my favourite of which was Braille: Knowledge at your Fingertips.
Budget info: Unlike many other museums, parking here is free (I hate paying for parking!). Entry for a family of two adults and three children is $18. Children under four are free. If you are an advance-planner, you can enter the museum at no charge by borrowing a museum pass from your local library. Since you could easily spend a whole day here, a budget-friendly tip is to pack your own water bottles, snacks and lunch although a reasonably priced cafeteria is available.
To get there: Click here for driving directions and a map.
We are definitely heading out to see this soon. How busy was it? I was sort of waiting till the initial buzz faded! I wish Lego was as cheap as it was when I was a kid. I am desperate for it for my boys and my class – this will only inflame the desire!!
Hi Stefanie, I didn’t find it busy at all. I can’t stand crowds and line-ups! And I’m with you on the Lego … I wish it wasn’t so darn expensive. It truly is such a fantastic toy.
We went on opening weekend and it was busy but not crazy. If you know anyone who has a subscription to the free LEGO magazine, bringing it with you to the museum gets the whole family in for half price- so only $9- you can’t beat that!
Angela – great tip re the Lego magazine! thanks!
looks like a must see! I nearly went there today as I had heard it was a great exhibition. Great post.
Jules – we were planning to go today, but the museum website shows it as GONE!!!! I hope I am wrong, where do I look for the date that you mentioned????
http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/whatson/index.cfm
Fear not! Click on the calendar link above. On Dec 22nd, it looks like it’s gone but it’s actually showing in a different colour and name (handy, eh?).
Click on the item on Dec 22nd starting with “Wheels…”. Have fun!