Ottawa Museums and Art Galleries

Ottawa museums and art galleries are fun and exciting and a great introduction to Ottawa and Canada.

National Gallery of Canada Photo Credit: Ottawa Tourism

I've listed the MAJOR ones first, followed by an alphabetical list of the other ones, along with contact information and some brief descriptions.

MAJOR MUSEUMS & ART GALLERIES

National Gallery of Canada
380 Sussex Drive Box 427, Station A
Ottawa, ON K1N 9N4
Tel: (613) 990-1985
The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) in Ottawa houses the largest and most important collection of Canadian art in the world. See my article about it HERE.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization
100 Laurier Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M8
Technically not in Ottawa, but in Gatineau (formerly known as Hull, Quebec), but it's just a short hop, skip and jump across the bridge. A gorgeous, flowing building by architect Douglas Cardinal. Tells the story of Canadian history through fascinating artifacts. Lots of Aboriginal art. Houses the Postal Museum and Children's Museum.

The Canadian Museum of Nature
240 McLeod Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 6P4
Tel: (613) 566-4700
Toll-Free: 1-800-263-4433
Dinosaurs, mammals, birds, and a hands-on discovery centre for the kids.

The Canadian War Museum
1 Vimy Place
Ottawa ON K1R 1C2
Tel: (819) 776-8600
One of the newest of Ottawa museums. Canada's war history. Imposing tanks and other equipment.

Parliament Buildings
Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Technically not a museum, but did you know that tucked away in the parliament buildings are period rooms that you can tour just like at a museum? For example:
The Office of Sir John A. Macdonald
The Office of George Étienne Cartier
When you've seen the digs of the big wigs, go and visit The Assistant Clerk's office which, according to the government web site, is “a good example of the less elaborate quarters provided for the lower ranks of the civil service.”

OTHER MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES:

Bank of Canada/Currency Museum
245 Sparks Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G9
Tel: (613) 782-8914

Billings Estate Museum
2100 Cabot Street
Ottawa, ON K1H 6K1
Tel: (613) 247-4830
Oldest frame building in Ottawa (built 1829) occupied for five generations by the Billings family. Period rooms decorated in style of the early 1800s.

The Bytown Museum
P.O. Box 523, Station B
Ottawa, ON K1P 5P6
Oldest stone building in Ottawa. A permanent exhibit on the history of Ottawa.
Tel: (613) 234-4570

Canada Agriculture Museum
P.O. Box 9724, Station T
Ottawa, ON
Tel: (613) 991-3044
A working farm, flower gardens, fields of grain, and rare, imported trees. Learn how our ancestors farmed.

Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St. Laurent Blvd.
Ottawa, ON
Tel: (613) 990-6302

The Canada Aviation Museum
11 Aviation Parkway
Ottawa, ON
Tel: (613) 993-2010
The history of flight. Holdings include 120 aircraft.

The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
1 Rideau Canal P.O. Box 465, Station A
Ottawa, ON K1N 9N6
Tel: (613) 990-8257
Permanent collection of more than 150,000 images focusing on Canadian photography.

Canadian Postal Museum
100 Laurier Street, P.O. Box 3100 Station B
Gatineau, ON J8X 4H2
Tel: (819) 776-8200
Part of the Museum of Civilization.

Canadian Ski Museum
200-1960 Scott Street
Ottawa, ON K1Z 8L8
Tel: 613-722-3584

Carleton University Art Gallery
St. Patrick's Building, Carleton University
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6
Tel: (613) 761-1203

Diefenbunker Canada's Cold War Museum
3911 Carp Road
Ottawa, ON K0A 1L0
Tel: (613) 839-0007
Underground nuclear bunker built during the Cold War. Intended to house the top officials of the government and military during the risk of nuclear attack.

Laurier House
335 Laurier Ave E
Ottawa, ON K1N 6R4
Phone: 613-992-8142
Two Canadian prime ministers, Sir Wilfrid Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King, lived here.

National Archives of Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0N3
Tel: (613) 995-5138
Hosts temporary exhibits. For example, in 2008, one show on Anne of Green Gables and another on Quebec to celebrate their respective anniversaries.

Ottawa Art Gallery
Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa
Ontario K1N 6E2
Tel: 613-233-8699
Contemporary and 20th century art. Their permanent collection includes works by well-known Canadian artists Gagnon, Carr, Borduas.

Save money

You can save money by buying the Ottaw Museum Passport which gives you entry to 9 different museums for one low price. For details see http://www.museumspassport.ca.

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