Guelph Civic Museum — Attraction in Guelph

Great place for adults! I brought my early teen here, but she didn't really enjoy herself very much. The exhibits aren't very interactive. However, she did enjoy it when I gave her the highlights of what I read. Ideally, if you bring a teen here, you would have read though everything yourself first, and then bring your teen in and point out the interesting pieces. My daughter was also disappointed that there wasn't any science in the museum (except the kids' section).

They do have a cute kids' section for young children (8 and under would be the ages my kids would have enjoyed this section). The kids' section has some similarities to the old Ontario Science Center's KidSpark. It has a market with a grocery store that kids can put play food in their carts and drive around. Kids absolutely love that! They were running a camp in the children's section of the Guelph Civic Museum at the time we came, but it wasn't noisy for everyone else. Also, after paying for the tickets for this museum, they gave us 2 free passes to the McCrae House in Guelph!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Civic Museum! It tied together pieces of Guelph's history that I didn't understand before. For example, I had never realized that the OVC (which I saw many times listed at College Royal) was one of the 3 colleges that became the University of Guelph. I also found the information about the history of Victor Davis very interesting because there is a pool in Guelph that is named after that man. The Homewood's history is also represented. There is also an art room with interesting pieces.

Time: We spent around 1.5 hours there. However, I could easily have spent 2-3 hours there if I read everything, but my teen didn't want to stay that long.

Water bottle filling station: Yes.

Gift shop: Yes.

Food: None. However, there are 4 awesome bakeries nearby; check their hours first though! Killer Cupcakes' Money Cakes and her chocolate cupcakes are out of this world!! Decadently Yours makes some amazing Vanilla Latte cupcakes, and Wellington Cakes makes some incredible, freshly made pecan butter tarts!! Eric the Baker makes a delectable brownie!

Washrooms: Yes. Most floors had them.

EV charging station: Yes, there is one in the parking lot.

Parking: There is a small parking lot with free parking.

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes, there is a wheelchair accessible parking spot and elevators throughout...

Having enjoyed the museum many times as a guest and used the venue for a conference, we decided to have our wedding at the Museum and it was total perfection. Linda and her team took care of every detail. We had the option for an indoor or outdoor ceremony, and chose to have the ceremony inside and the dinner outside, which boasts a picturesque view of downtown. We brought in our own caterer and musicians, and the Museum took care of the rest, including the bar and setting up the chairs and tables for the reception. It was lovely to have the museum to browse in between the ceremony and reception, and the surroundings - including the gorgeous museum itself and the Basilica beside it - were stellar for pictures. Highly recommend a visit to the museum if you're in town, and as a venue...

Local history well done. So many things to learn about this wonderful city. The finaces and political figures of its founding are fascinating. There is a long history recoded here dating back to the first nations inhabitants. Art meets history with local artists showcasing their work. The museum is housed in the old convent with displays connecting history to the building itself. The kids area is does a good job of connecting history and play in a creative way. The large scale models of the street car and sewing machine factory were two connection points i remember well. What a pleasant surprise to see th real life sewing machine building, (now repurposed), as we headed home. A great experience to deepen my appreciation for this...