Category: Museums

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7 Toronto museums to discover

7 Toronto museums to discover

Are you planning a trip to Toronto? Indeed, it’s a beautiful city to visit in any season, for its architecture and its many parks. While developing our Toronto Civic Center Tourist Scavenger Hunt and our Old Toronto Tourist Scavenger Hunt, we identified 7 Toronto museums we wished to share with you.

We’ve limited our list to the downtown core and harbourfront areas, where our scavenger hunts are located.

7 Toronto museums to discover

  1.  Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of Fame
    • This Hockey Museum features all the legends of the NHL, as well as its long history. This is where you can see the Stanley Cup most of the time.
    • The Stanley Cup was named for Lord Stanley of Preston, Governor General of Canada in 1892 when it first appeared at the Dominion (Canada) Hockey Challenge.
    • The Hall of Fame was originally founded in Kingston, Ontario, in 1943. The first to be honored was in 1945. It moved to Toronto in 1958 at Exhibition Place, to the west of here. Then to this historic Bank of Montreal building in 1993. Female hockey players have also been included since 2010.

    Canadian Textile Museum

  2. Canadian Textile Museum
    • Textile Museum of Canada is where you will see historic fabrics and explanations of their production methods.
    • It is located on Center Avenue, just south of Dundas.
  3. Campbell House Museum
    • The oldest house (manor house) in the former village of York built in 1822. It was the residence of Judge William Campbell, his wife, and his children. A fine example of Georgian architecture (also known as the Palladian style).
    • It is located at the northwest corner of University Avenue and Queen Street.
    • You can visit it every day except Mondays for $ 10.
  4. TRoundhouse Parkoronto Railway Museum
    • The Toronto Railway Museum, in Roundhouse Park, across the street from the CN Tower, is both an open-air, and indoor, museum where you can see and learn all about Canada’s railway system and history.
  5. AGO – Art Gallery of Ontario
    • The Art Gallery of Ontario boasts a huge collection of Canadian artists, as well as some European masterworks.
  6. Mackenzie House
    • Located on Bond Street, this is the 19th-century home of former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie.
  7. ripley's aquarium of CanadaRipley’s Aquarium of Canada
    • Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is next to the CN Tower. Here you’ll find over 20,000 aquatic animals from all over the globe here. This attraction opened in 2013. Admission is $ 35 per adult.

Try our Toronto Scavenger Hunts to discover these museums and more

We invite you to try our Toronto Civic Center Tourist Scavenger Hunt or Old Toronto Tourist Scavenger Hunt. They are 2-3 hours each, self-guided walking tours that you do with your smartphone (how it works). You’ll come across most of these museums and much more. Moreover, you’ll enjoy solving the various challenges at each step of the way while learning the history of Toronto.

In sum, they each cost $45 for a group of up to 6 people. Also, there is an Explorer version of the Old Toronto scavenger hunt available for $60. Indeed, it’s longer and has more challenges.

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6 museums in Downtown L.A.

6 museums in downtown LA

Are you planning a visit to Los Angeles? Considering visiting its downtown / civic center area? Are you the type to check out a city’s museums? In our research to develop a Tourist Scavenger Hunt in Downtown L.A., we came across a lot of information. Some we use exclusively in the actual scavenger hunt, but other we’d like to share with you.

As part of that research, we came across many museums. You can see these museums as you do the scavenger hunt. To enumerate, here are 6 museums in Downtown L.A.

Article updated on 2 August 2019

6 museums in Downtown L.A.

  1. the broadThe Broad

    • The Broad is a contemporary and modern art museum. It is named for philanthropist Eli Broad who financed the $140M building which houses these collections.
    • It is located on Grand Ave. next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

  2. MOCAMOCA

    • The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) ‘s collection and touring exhibits feature work created since 1940.
    • MOCA also has another branch downtown, the Geffen Contemporary at 152 North Central Avenue in Little Tokyo, and a branch at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

  3. Wells Fargo History Museum

    • Located at 333 S Grand Ave, this museum traces the history of Wells Fargo, an important Bank in America. It covers everything significant from its founding in 1852 to their stagecoach service, art, and archives of all kinds.

  4. Japanese American National Museum

    • Located at 100 N Central Ave, this museum is full of historical exhibits exploring over 130 years of the Japanese-American experience.

  5. The Main Museum of Los Angeles

    • This museum opened in 2016 and still has sections under contraction. Until it is completed it actually goes by the name “Beta Main”. It is a site for testing and learning in anticipation of the creation of The Main.
    • It is located at 114 W 4th

  6. Grammy Museum L.A. Live

    • A little outside the downtown core at 800 W Olympic Blvd, the Grammy Museum presents interactive exhibits & showbiz artifacts honoring music greats past & present.

We invite you to try our Downtown L.A. Tourist Scavenger Hunt. It is a 2-hour guided walking tour throughout the downtown core of Los Angeles you do on your mobile phone (how it works).  It only costs $30 for your entire group. Moreover, you will enjoy seeing the sights and hidden gems you might have missed otherwise. All this while completing challenges and learning about Downtown L.A.’s history.

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11 museums in Ottawa to discover

13 museums in Ottawa

Are you planning a trip to Ottawa? It’s a beautiful city to visit in any season, for its architecture and its parks. While developing our Ottawa Tourist Scavenger Hunt, we identified several museums in Ottawa on a variety of subjects.

We’ve limited our list to the downtown core and close proximity, while there are many others further around the city. They include 11 museums in Ottawa and 2 in Gatineau.

11 museums in Ottawa to discover

  1. Musée des gardes du Gouverneur GénéralGovernor General’s Footguard Museum

    • This museum is located on the east side of Ottawa’s City Hall on Laurier Avenue. The Governor General’s Footguard Museum faces Confederation Park along the Rideau Canal.
    • The Governor General’s guards service started in Quebec City in 1861. This military unit followed the Government when it moved to Ottawa in 1865. The museum was established in 1950.

  2. Ottawa’s Insectarium

    • This educational entomology center presents insects and tarantulas from around the world.

  3. bank of canada museumBank of Canada Museum

    • This entirely renovated museum presents exhibits on the economy and the role of the Bank of Canada in the Canadian economy. The museum opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm and is free to visit.

  4. Manjor's Hill ParkNational Arts Gallery

    • This museum, founded in 1880 by the Governor General of the time who was married to Princess Louise, who was an artist. In 1882, the museum was installed on Parliament Hill in the same building as the Supreme Court. It was moved in 1911 to the Victoria Memorial Museum which today is the Canadian Museum of Nature. In 1962, it moved yet again to Elgin road near the British Embassy. Finally, it moved to its own new home in a large glass building on the northern point of Ottawa, in 1988.

  5. bytown museumBytown Museum

    • Located at the entrance of the Rideau Canal is the Bytown Museum. It bears the original name of this city and presents the history of Ottawa.

  6. Museum of Greco-Roman Antiquities

    • This museum, situated within the University of Ottawa, began in 1975. Its daily collection presents the daily life of people in the 7th century B.C. up to the 7th century A.D.

  7. Canadian Museum of Agriculture

    • This museum is open daily and presents interactive exhibits on agriculture and food in Canada.
    • It is located on Queen Elizabeth Dr along Rideau Canal at the intersection of Somerset W.

  8. Canadian Nature Museum

    • Located on McLeod at the intersection of Metcalfe, the Canadian Museum of Nature aligns perfectly with parliament hill.
    • You’ll find here exhibits on the natural history of Canada, its flora and its fauna.

  9. Canadian War Museum

    • The Canadian War Museum is west of the downtown area. You’ll learn here about Canada’s military history from French colonization to the Great War up to today.

  10. Royal Canadian Mint

    • This museum is on the eastern edge of the downtown area. Learn how money was designed and fabricated in Canada throughout its history. It stands next to the Ottawa River.

  11. Laurier House

    • This manor built in 1878 was at different times, the residence of 2 past Prime Ministers. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, 5th prime minister, lived here from 1897 until his death in 1919. The Right Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King inherited this house from Laurier’s widow. He stayed here from 1923 until his death in 1950.
    • He, in turn, bequeathed it to the Canadian Government. It almost became the official residence of the prime minister, but Louis St. Laurent chose 24 Sussex Dr in its stead.
    • You can visit the manor for free at 335 Avenue Laurier, east of downtown.

2 museums to discover in Gatineau

  1. GatineauCanadian Children’s Museum

    • Located in Hull, across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill, is the Canadian Children’s Museum.

  2. Canadian Museum of History

    • The national history museum is also located in Hull, next to the Children’s Museum. Its original name was the Canadian Civilisation Museum
    • Its goal is to collect and present objects that illustrate the human history of Canada and its cultural diversity.

We invite you to try our Ottawa Tourist Scavenger Hunt. It is a 2-hour self-guided walking tour of the downtown area that you do with your smartphone (how it works). It costs $35 for a group of 2 to 6 persons. You’ll come across most of these museums and much more. Moreover, you’ll enjoy solving the various challenges at each step of the way while learning the history of Ottawa.

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10 Museums in San Francisco

10 museums to see in San Francisco

Do you seek history or art when visiting a city? There are several great museums in San Francisco you should consider seeing on your next trip.

Whether you are planning a visit San Francisco, or if you live here, this list is for you.  In our research to develop a Tourist Scavenger Hunt in San Francisco, we’ve come across much information, some of which can only be gleaned when doing the actual scavenger hunt.

However, we also wanted to share some of that information with you for your visit planning. Here are recommendations for 10 museums in San Francisco to visit.

10 museums in San Francisco

  1. asian art museumAsian Art Museum
    • One of the largest Asian art museums outside Asia, its collections include artefacts from the last 6,000 years! It opened in 1966.
    • The Asian Art Museum is located across the street from San Francisco’s city hall in the Civic Center neighbourhood.
  2. The Cable Car Museum
    • The Cable Car Museum stands in the Washington-Mason powerhouse and car barn on Nob Hill.  It overlooks the engines and wheels that pull the cables for San Francisco’s famous trams. Take a gander at the history of the cable car here.
  3. California Academy of Sciences
    • The California Academy of Sciences is home to an aquarium, planetarium and a natural history museum. It is located within the Golden Gate Park. Entry starts at $13.
  4. de Young Museum
    • The de Young Museum stands within Golden Gate Park, across the music concourse from the California Academy of Sciences. It showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st century. These include modern and contemporary art, photography, textiles and consumes.
    • Admittance starts at $6.
  5. The Exploratorium
    • The Exploratorium, located on Pier 15 on the Embarcadero, is a hands-on science museum for all ages. Over 600 hands-on exhibits can be seen and enjoyed here. As well, enjoy gazing at the city skyline and the bay from the Bay Observatory.
  6. Maritime MuseumMaritime Museum
    • The Maritime Museum appropriate stands in the Aquatic Park Bathhouse Building. Correspondingly, the structure looks like an old white ocean liner. In the centre of the park, this art deco structure sits across the street from Ghirardelli Square.
    • Here you will find 35,000 items on display about the local maritime tradition around San Francisco.
  7. Palace of Fine Arts
    • The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is the last remaining structure built for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. This pink and beige stone building with arcade sits next to a pond. It is near the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on the north side of San Francisco.
    • In light of its history and architecture, it now figures prominently on the National Register of Historic Places.
  8. San Francisco Art InstituteSan Francisco Art Institute
    • Art Institute, founded in 1971, is open most of the time during the day. Enter the courtyard, on your left, will be the Diego Revera room.  Proceed down the hall east until you get to the veranda (Zellerbach Quad). It overlooks North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower, Alcatraz Island and other sights.
    • Take note of the beautifully sculpted entrance to the Art Institute.
  9. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
    • SFMOMA intended to be the 1st modern art museum on the west coast of the United States. Since 1935 when construction completed, renovations were undertaken across its 10 floors. It reopened eventually in 2016. As a result of this renovation, it now looks like a giant white meringue. Snohetta designed SFMOMA.
  10. Walt Disney Family Museum
    • The Walt Disney Family Museum is located within the Presidio grounds. It will immerse you in the life of Walt Disney, the man behind countless Oscar-winning and groundbreaking animated films. Entry starts at $13.

In summary, we invite you to try our San Francisco Tourist Scavenger Hunt. All in all, this 2-hour self-guided walking tour takes you through the heart of San Francisco. Also, you’ll complete challenges and discover your next destinations directly on your mobile phone (how it works).  In short, it costs $30 for your group but is currently free. Moreover, you will enjoy seeing San Francisco’s museums while learning about San Francisco’s history.

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5 museums in L.A.’s historical district

5 museums in L.A.’s historical district

Are you planning a visit to Los Angeles? Considering visiting its historical district? In our research to develop a Tourist Scavenger Hunt in Downtown L.A., we came across a lot of information. Some we use exclusively in the actual scavenger hunt, which starts in the historical district, but other we’d like to share with you.

As part of that research, we came across many museums. You can see these museums as you do the scavenger hunt. To enumerate, here are 5 museums in L.A.’s historical district.

5 museums in L.A.’s historical district

  1. Chinese American Museum

    • The Chinese American Museum opened in 2003. Outstandingly, it took 20 years to make this museum happen.
    • It finds itself in Los Angeles Plaza Park, or El Pueblo. It is in fact very near Union Station.

  2. L.A. Plaza de Cultural y Artes

    • This museum presents exhibits dedicated to Mexican-American culture.
    • It is also located in Los Angeles Plaza Park, or the Pueblo, near Union Station.

  3. America Tropical Interpretive ExhibitAmérica Tropical Interpretive Exhibit

    • Located on Calle Olvera, in the very heart of L.A.’s historic center, this museum is a part of the Getty Conservation Institute. Its exhibits explore the mural in its different contexts. It stands as an important document in the history of Los Angeles, as a political statement on the time in which it was created. Further, it represents a monument of the Mexican mural movement of the twentieth century, and for its significant influence on mural artists in Los Angeles.

  4. Sepulveda House Museum

    • The Sepulveda House Museum finds itself on Calle Olvera, in the very heart of L.A.’s historic center. This 22-room Victorian house opened in 1887 in the East lake style. In fact, the original structure included two commercial businesses and three residences. Here you can tour the house in its original decor.

  5. Avila Adobe

    Avila Adobe

    • This museum was once a lived-in adobe, built in 1818. Admission is free, and it is open daily from 9 am through to 4 pm most of the year.
    • Around the interior of Avila Adobe are several rooms depicting life in the early 1800s here. Also, you will also find a number of wall plaques outlining the history of this place.
    • Don Francisco Avila and Maria del Rosario Verdugo, husband and wife, married in 1808, established Avila Adobe in 1818 and lived here until their deaths.

We invite you to try our Downtown L.A. Tourist Scavenger Hunt. Indeed, it is a 2-hour guided walking tour throughout the downtown core of Los Angeles you do on your mobile phone (how it works).  It only costs $30 for your entire group. Moreover, you will enjoy seeing the sights and hidden gems you might have missed otherwise. All this while completing challenges and learning about Downtown L.A.’s history.

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9 Museums to visit in Philadelphia

9 museums to visit in Philadelphia

Are you wondering which museums to visit in Philadelphia? Or do you live here but have not gotten around to visit the museum district of the city? In our research to develop a Tourist Scavenger Hunt in Philadelphia’s museum district, we’ve come across much information, some of which can only be gleaned when doing the actual scavenger hunt.

However, we also wanted to share some of that information with you for your visit planning. Here are 9 museums to visit in Philadelphia.

Article updated 2 August 2019

9 Museums to visit in Philadelphia

  1. City Hall

    Philadelphia City Hall

    • City Hall is the largest municipal building in the entire United States. It contains over 631 thousand square feet of floor space. Isn’t it breathtaking? Sculptures cover the exterior of City Hall, from top to bottom and all around. In fact, they represent the seasons, the continents, as well as allegorical figures. Alexander Milne Calder designed all the sculptures, including the 27-ton statue of William Penn atop the tower.
    • You will find City Hall where Market St. meets Broad St., on John F. Kennedy Blvd. Additionally, you can tour City Hall weekdays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

  2. Philadelphia Museum Of ArtPhiladelphia Museum of Art

    • The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the largest museum in Philadelphia. Also, it showcases objects from many different periods from Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Over 800,000 people visit it each year. The PMA resides at the opposite end of Benjamin Franklin Parkway from City Hall, in direct alignment.
    • The museum opens Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am until 5 pm, 8:45 pm Wednesday through Friday. Admission is $14 for youth and $20 for adults.

  3. Eastern State Penitentiary

    Eastern State Penitentiary

    • Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829 and was operational until 1971. It was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world but stands today in ruin, a haunting structure of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells once held many of America’s most notorious criminals.
    • Eastern State Penitentiary opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm, costs $10 for children / $14 for adults, and is located on Fairmont at Kelly Dr. Additionally, Terror Behind the Walls conveys you throughout October each year for evenings of fright between 7 pm and 12:30 am.

  4. The Franklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute

    • The Franklin Institute, opened in 1924, is as clever as its namesake. As a matter of fact, its eminently touchable attractions explore science in disciplines ranging from sports to space. Furthermore, the Tuttleman IMAX Theater can be found within.
    • The Franklin Institute opens daily from 9:30 am to 5 p, and costs $16 for children, $20 for adults.

  5. Academy of Natural Sciences

    • The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a leading natural history museum that houses 200 years of discovery. ANSDU opened in 1812 and resides 1 block east of the Franklin Institute on Race St.
    • The discoveries that rocked the world then and now share four floors of exhibit space in this family-friendly museum. 3-D painted dioramas replicate the natural habitats of large game animals acquired in the 1920s and 1930s are also on display. For Philadelphians of that era, this was their first sighting of an Indian tiger or a wildebeest.
    • The Academy of Natural Sciences opens daily from 10 am to 4:30 pm and admission range from $13.95 and $17.95.

  6. Rodin Museum

    • The famed 19th-century sculptor’s greatest hits are all here at the Rodin Museum. They are bold, energetic and emotionally intense. Several pieces are on exhibit on the outside lawn, visible from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, while most are within the museum.
    • Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, admission is $7 for youth & students and $10 for adults.

  7. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

    • The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts is a historic Victorian museum presenting 19th and 20th-century American works. By the same token, it opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free for children and $15 for adults.

  8. Masonic Library and Museum

    • The beautiful Masonic Temple in Philadelphia was constructed in 1873. Freemasons refer to the Philadelphia lodge as one of the great wonders of the Masonic World. Correspondingly, the museum presents thousands of texts and artifacts relating to the history of the Fraternity in the Commonwealth.
    • You can tour the Masonic Temple between 10 am and 3 pm for $5 (children) / $15 (adults).

  9. Barnes Foundation

    • Barns Foundation is an art museum on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, next to the Rodin Museum. Likewise, it presents paintings by artists including Picasso and Renoir, African sculptures, Native American textiles and more.
    • Barnes Foundation opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm.

We invite you to try our Philadelphia – Museum District Tourist Scavenger Hunt. It is a 3-hour guided walking tour around Philadelphia’s museum district you do on your mobile phone (how it works).  It only costs $35 for your group. Moreover, you will enjoy seeing these museums and much more while completing challenges and learning Philadelphia’s history.