Canadian Museum of History — Attraction in Gatineau

By far the biggest museum I have been to in all of Canada. There's 4 floors in total going from prehistory to modern day Canada. When you buy your tickets you are supposed to turn around and go down the escalator to the main hall to start with the first peoples of canada and the prehistoric section. This might be a user error on our part, but my partner and i could not figure out where to go after purchasing our tickets. Navigating the actual exhibits is so easy with the floor patterns they utilized, i just think maybe some direction at the beginning would be beneficial.

The great hall is obviously an iconic feature of this place. Half of the joy of this museum is the architecture itself. The second floor has some information about the architect himself and some diorama versions of the building. The great hall ceiling also has a very interesting design in the shape of canoes. (Which i felt very big-brained for noticing).

As a true history nut I appreciate how much literature is available with every piece. The information is very condensed but everywhere which makes me a very educational visit. I understand why this might be a challenge depending on how old some artifacts are, however: i do wish the first peoples artifacts included some information about what materials things are made of. A lot of the masks in the great hall feature cut pieces of sea shells, which I was able to easily identify however for someone who's not familiar I think it would add to the experience. Similarly there were some pieces from 2010 that didn't have materials listed (some black smooth carved bowls) which in my opinion should be fairly easy to figure out the materials used. A small nitpick from one of the best museums I have ever been to, if not the best.

The modern section covering residential schools was very in depth and covered the children's experience at school in class, during 'free time' and other things. All of it was very eye opening and in your face which I honestly think is important for this subject matter. I grew up in Canada in the early 2000's knowing that residential schools were a thing, and obviously they continue to be a subject of discussion today. It might be my own lack of research but I truly feel I did not understand the severity of their conditions until I went to this museum. Truly this place made me hurt deeply for our indigenous brothers and sisters. I also learned of the Métis and their origins, which were never taught to me in school. Seeing this museum after visiting the Plains of Abraham in Québec City really made me appreciate Canada's extensive history from before the french and british conquests up until the battle on the plains of Abraham and beyond.

A special thank you to the incredible curators of this museum and their ongoing work to update the modern information. An advisory message on one of the walls on the fourth floor reads that the number of deaths has been historically under reported and thus they are working on updating a lot of their signage.

Genuinely this place changed my view of Indigenous peoples in Canada and the French and British roles in the commandeering of their sacred ancestral land.

My only regret is I went at 3pm, as we could have stayed there for 6 hours or more. Definitely a place that benefits from multiple trips. Truly an experience I think every Canadian should experience, especially for those like myself with French and/or...

Amazing place with even more amazing architecture. The architecture has so many hidden secrets and meanings. For example the area with the many totem poles as shown in ome of my pictures has a ceiling that looks like a boat, with paddles pointed up which is yet another secret meaning. Also, the walls outdoors have no 'corners' that you can tuck into because of a First Nation belief. On the ground (also depifted in one of my pictures) the tiles are half shiny half not to create the illusion that the white statue of people and animals on a canoe (also shown in... you get the point) are on water. On the colourful portrait on the ceiling (as shown... nevermind, I'll just stop) there is a hidden man, whomis supposed to be Pierre Trudeau, who played a large rolemjn the creation of the museum. The exhibits are great, and there are also guided tours to give you an extra idea of what exactly you are looking at. Every so often they have a special exhibit, like a Viking exhibit or a Dreamworks Animation exhibit. In the past year or so, there was large renovation, adding new areas and artifacts to the museum. There is a long hall (I think it is called the History Hall, or I am thinking of another area) with large images that show major events or items of Canadian history. All of the images are in gold and white. Somemof thenimages are of the Stanley Cup, or how they changed the Canadian nickel from flat edges to completely round, or the metis flag. There is also a cafeteria and a gift shop, in which you can buy pillows, decorations, chocolate, or toys if you have (or are) a kid. The staff is friendly and helpful, and just good people. All in all, 5/5. Would (and will) recommend it to friends and family (lke they haven't already come here and loved it). If you are a tourist, or just a Canadian wanting to learn more about your history, come here and I almost guarantee you will find something to spark your curiosity. It is also in a rather convenient spot, being on the border of two...

Great museum to understand Canadian history and how the country has evolved into what it is today. We normally do not venture into museums when traveling but being a newcomer to this country and wanting to understand it better we went for it - and I'm glad we did that. Quite spacious - even on the long weekend with tonnes of visitors, it had a good breathing space. One day might not be enough if you want to check out the entire museum since there are many details covered inside it from across the regions - especially in the NorthWest. One gets to know about various communities that have and are living in the remotest part of Canada, their lifestyle, their language and their contributions to build Canada. The exhibitions are quite amazing. There is a theatre as well which is great. We went to see "Wonders of the Arctic". While it was a great knowledge experience, it was also an amazing cinematic experience. Definitely watch one of the shows. And if you want something to munch or drink, there is a cafe right opposite the theatre entrance from where you can grab something. We were only able to see a part of the museum since we were there for only a day. However, I can't wait to explore the rest of the museum. There is a cafe on two of the floors which are very good. The view of Ottawa river from the first-floor cafe is quite amazing. There is an Aqua Taxi service as well that runs from there which takes you to the other side of the river - Ottawa Locks Jetty near Parliament Hill and then Richmond Landing. The staff was good. They used to start off in French by default but switched to English once they know that you are English-speaking. Overall, a great place to be if you are in Ottawa - and especially if...