Royal Ontario Museum

This is Canada's largest museum and the fifth largest on the continent, with 6 million objects in its collections. The massive and controversial renovation by starchitect Daniel Libeskind has had mixed reviews from visitors and locals: some love it, others decry the design. The new crystal wing, which houses six galleries, hangs out over Bloor Street, hiding the main entrance. (Finding your way in is just one of the inconveniences of the design.) From the interior of the crystal, there are peek-a-boo views to the street below, but it's best to focus on the content here, rather than the playful and often irritating renovation. Fortunately, there's plenty to see, with particular strengths in natural history and world cultures.

Don't miss the Chinese galleries, which feature an intact Ming tomb, as well as the Bishop White Gallery of Chinese Temple Art; wonderful galleries exploring the ancient world (Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, and Bronze Age Aegean are standouts); dazzling dinosaurs, including the largest mounted dinosaur in Canada at 27m (90 ft.) long; a newly improved Bat Cave (a very popular draw for kids); and galleries devoted to biodiversity in the animal kingdom. (In fact, the Museum's Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology is a world leader in preservation.) Hands-on galleries invite children to play educational games such as the CIBC Discovery Gallery's "dinosaur dig" (a hit with would-be paleontologists), and a teepee, costumes, and castles add to the attractions for tots. The four totem poles are remarkable, too, as are the mummies.

You can easily spend a day here, especially if you eat at either the refined C5 (one of the city's top restaurants) or at the cafeteria-style Food Studio in the basement.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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