Perfectly placed on the edge of the Botanic Gardens within a stone’s throw of the Arts Centre, the Canterbury Museum has something for everyone, but particularly kids, with a Discovery Centre (and Discovery Club for 3–13 yrs) where predator spiders and other creepy-crawlies can be viewed in glass-topped drawers. Its Antarctic display offers a compelling history of Antarctic exploration and so makes an excellent corollary to a visit to the International Antarctic Centre (near the airport). Among its crowd-pleasers are a re-creation of a Victorian street, scenes depicting Maori life before European settlement and the Special Exhibitions Hall, where changing and often controversial exhibitions (like one on T-shirts and a Whole House Re-Use event) are housed. The museum shop is on the ground-floor foyer and the cafe (daily 9am–4:30pm) is on Level 4.