Visit the Canadian Museum of Nature

The Canadian Museum of Nature is an incredible castle-like building in the heart of Ottawa. It is an educational and scientific institution that aims to increase and develop our scientific knowledge of the world and our understanding of our environment. It is also one of Ottawa's most popular tourist destinations.

The Canadian Museum is housed in the very first building erected to house a museum. It is therefore a symbol for Canada. The building is called the Victoria Memorial Museum Building. It is nicknamed "the castle" because of its aesthetic appeal. It houses the National Museum of Natural Sciences. The building has been listed as one of Canada's historic sites since 1990. It housed several museums before finally giving way to the Museum of Man, which then became the current Museum of Nature. Between 2004 and 2010, the museum was renovated, room by room.

The Nature Museum wants to pass on to future generations evidence, knowledge and inspiration from the world as we know it. This is why the concepts of conservation and collection are extremely important. Following this dynamic, the Museum of Nature has created the National Herbarium of Canada. It brings together plant collections and consists of more than a million specimens of plants, fungi, algae, lichens, etc. It is an invaluable collection. The team of scientists and enthusiasts at the Museum of Nature want to increase our interest in and respect for nature. The four pillars of the museum are :

• Botany: everything to do with algae, plants, lichens, fungi, etc.
• Geological collections: minerals, precious stones, etc.
• Palaeontology: vertebrates, plants, fungi and pollens.
• Zoology: invertebrates and vertebrates.

The Musée de la Nature hosts a number of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. As for the permanent exhibitions, they are rich, varied and well thought-out.

The water gallery, an incredible resource

The Water Gallery is an incredible gallery that tells the story of the importance of water to our planet. As you stroll through, you'll explore specimens that have lived on, such as the blue whale, the largest whale that has ever lived. The gallery has recently created the Pacific Discovery Basin. Here you'll find living animals such as moon jellyfish, starfish and freshwater fish.

The gallery of living bugs, captivating insects

A colourful and captivating exhibition of insects, arachnids and millipedes, each more incredible than the last. There are pink tarantulas, blowing cockroaches, mushroom ants, stick insects and much more to discover. In this gallery, you have a microscope to observe the insects up close and a giant model of the Hercules dynast, a beetle with extraordinary strength. A world of ingenuity and hard work awaits you. Not to be missed!

• A blue whale skeleton in the Water Gallery, the largest animal that has ever lived.
• Life-size dinosaur dioramas in the Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery:
• The fossils on display in the Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery are 85% authentic.
• Discover what a polar bear or a caribou looks like in the mammal gallery.
• The Arctic and understanding this ecosystem in the Canada Goose Arctic.