The 10 Best Specialty Museums in Ottawa, Canada

The National Gallery of Canada is committed to offering a welcoming and safe place for our visitors, employees and volunteers. To that end, in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have CLOSED the Gallery and cancelled all events and activities until further notice. Founded in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada (Musee des beaux-arts du Canada) holds in trust a collection of European and Canadian paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and photos.

TEMPORARILY CLOSED. In accordance with current Government of Ontario directives during this pandemic, the museum is temporarily closed until further notice.

Enter the heart of the economic system and explore fun, hands-on, interactive exhibits that cover everything from how people’s expectations affect the health of an economy to how inflation targeting works (hint: you get to fly a rocket ship!). The Museum also features artifacts from the National Currency Collection -- the most complete collection of Canadian coins, notes and tokens in the world.

Located on a former military air base just 5 kilometres from the Prime Minister’s residence in Ottawa, the Museum focuses on aviation in Canada within an international context, from its beginnings in 1909 to the present day. As Canada’s contribution to aviation expanded to include aerospace technology, the Museum’s collection and mandate grew to include space flight. The Collection itself consists of more than 130 aircraft and artifacts (propellers, engines) from both civil and military service. It gives particular, but not exclusive, reference to Canadian achievements. The most extensive aviation collection in Canada, it is also considered one of the finest aviation museums in the world. Museum Highlights: Largest surviving piece of the famous Avro Arrow (its nose section); the original Canadarm used on the Endeavour space shuttle; Lancaster WWII bomber; Life in Orbit: The International Space Station exhibition.

Visit one of the most unique tourist attractions in Canada! Built to protect top officials of the Canadian government from nuclear attack, this once-secret underground bunker is now a museum & National Historic Site of Canada. Explore over 100,000sq ft of bunker secrets and relive the experience of the Cold War. With its extraordinary engineering and architectural features, the Diefenbunker is a poignant reminder of one of the most turbulent periods of modern history.

The Canada Science and Technology Museum provides a highly digital experience for the whole family – igniting visitors with a passion for science and inspiring the next generation of Canadian innovators. After undergoing an $80.5-million renewal of its entire building, the museum features over 7,400 m2 (80,000 sq. ft.) of redesigned exhibition space, including an 850 m2 (9,200 sq. ft.) temporary exhibition hall to accommodate travelling exhibitions from around the world. Eleven new exhibitions – including the ZOOOM Children’s Innovation Zone, Artifact Alley and the Exploratek maker studio – as well as long-time visitor favourites, like locomotives and the Crazy Kitchen, delight visitors young and old.

The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is located at Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm, which traces its roots to 1886 and is the world’s only working farm in the heart of a capital city. The Museum offers programs and exhibitions on Canada’s agricultural heritage, food literacy, and on the benefits and relationship of agricultural science and technology to Canadians’ everyday lives. It provides visitors with a unique opportunity to see diverse breeds of farm animals important to Canadian agriculture past and present, and to learn about the food they eat. In addition to breeds common to Canadian agriculture, such as Holstein dairy cows and Angus beef cows, the Museum also has Canadienne dairy cows, Tamworth pigs, and Clydesdale horses. Many other breeds of dairy and beef cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, poultry, goats, and rabbits round out the collection. Public programming includes special weekend theme events, school programs, camps, tours and demonstrations.

The Billings family settled on the shores of the Rideau River in 1812 and took an active role in shaping the community as it evolved over time and until the 1970s when they left the estate. They helped build farms and churches, ran a dairy operation, and contributed to the development of the Byward Market by providing produce for sale and building the "Farmers' Bridge". This National Historic Site on 8 acres of green space is also home to one of Ottawa's oldest community cemeteries where well-known Ottawa pioneers, such as the Evans, Brouse and Firth families, are laid to rest.