Canadian Museum of History

Sitting on the Gatineau shore of the Ottawa River, the Canadian Museum of History draws over 1.7 million visitors a year — making it the most visited museum in Canada and one of the most visited in North America. The building itself, designed by Indigenous architect Douglas Cardinal, is a masterwork of flowing curves meant to evoke the Canadian landscape shaped by wind, water, and glaciers. From the museum's windows, Parliament Hill frames itself across the river like a postcard you didn't plan.

The Canadian History Hall is the centrepiece — a 40,000-square-foot permanent gallery that walks you through the entire arc of human presence on this land, from Indigenous peoples thousands of years before European contact through Confederation and into the modern era. It's not a quick walk-through; there are over 1,500 artifacts arranged in a way that tells stories rather than just displaying objects. Budget at least 90 minutes for this gallery alone.

Families should head straight downstairs to the Canadian Children's Museum, which is essentially a mini world tour — kids navigate through a Pakistani bus, a Japanese house, a Nigerian market stall. It's hands-on, chaotic, and beloved by children under 10. The IMAX theatre shows both documentary and Hollywood films on a screen six storeys tall — check the schedule online and book ahead for popular showings.

The Grand Hall on the main level is the museum's most photographed space: a cathedral-height room filled with towering Pacific Northwest totem poles and six Indigenous houses along a wall of windows facing the river. Early morning light here is extraordinary. Temporary exhibitions rotate throughout the year and have covered everything from the Vikings to Maya civilization to Canadian pop culture.

One practical note: the museum is technically in Gatineau, Quebec. You'll cross the Alexandra Bridge or drive over the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge. It's a five-minute crossing from downtown Ottawa, but your phone may switch to Quebec time zone briefly — don't panic.