I loved my visit to the ROM. I didn't get to see all of it, but what I did see was impressive. Starting with the dinosaur skeletons and then on to the antiquities, it was really enjoyable. We had a 4 year old with us so we spent a lot of time on the 2nd floor with the bees and the bats and the animals, but I enjoyed it just as much. The play area they have set up for the kids is brilliant, it engages the kids while also getting them involved in 'art' and 'design'. We made a bee out of pipe cleaners and then played in the garden area. I plan on coming back to Toronto next year and I want to come back to see what I missed. read more

Toronto Review 7/Many: I went to the Royal Ontario Museum as the first of many museums/exhibitions we did in the city. Apparently, tickets are cheaper if you book them online, but they were reasonable enough, with the typical discounts for seniors or kids. We added both the special exhibits, and for those interested, I would recommend one (Psychedelics) but not the other (Bees.) The first floor included the first special exhibit, "Bees: A Story of Survival," which was a collaboration/moving exhibition by the National Museums Liverpool along with Wolfgang Buttress. The exhibit covered bees in many ways, including their habits, conservation, and other topics. This was all presented in a series of corridors with many touch screens, though one of them wasn't working right. The rooms overall were pretty dark, with the whole exhibit being pretty abstract, including hives large enough for us to walk through, among other things. In the background, there was a mix of classical music and the sound of bees, but I couldn't really hear the bees, which might be a good thing, honestly. Overall, it was a bit of a letdown as it was just a bit too abstract for my liking, which was a bit of a buzzkill. Soon after, we beelined (okay, I'll stop) to the other exhibit, which was on the 4th floor. The other, much better exhibit, was "Psychedelics: Art, Culture. Science." It was a bit hard to find, as it was through an extra door which probably needs a label, but once inside, it was excellent. It was quite large and included various methods cultures have used to consume said substances, some music and other things created by said cultures, and many paintings/albums inspired by psychedelics. The exhibit also included a video portraying a "trip," which was unique and quite loud. It also ended with a nice artwork by Brian Blomerth (or should I say blometh for this exhibit/I kid,) who also has a rather trippy homepage. Outside of the two special exhibits, we went through a variety of things before getting hungry. Another exhibit I enjoyed was "Shokkan: Material Encounters in Japanese Art," which included some touchable objects and some good details and facts that I wasn't personally aware of. There was also a room that went over the various fauna and flora of Crawford Lake, and otherwise we checked out some general things. The other exhibits included suits of armor/weapons, a good mixture of dinosaurs, a more general Asian gallery (which unfortunately had a lot of background noise as they were working on another room, so we left,) and a small exhibit on Judaica. A particular highlight of the rest was a section going over various periods of European history, ranging from Baroque to Renaissance to semi-modern styles, including examples of rooms, architecture, music, and other things. While not my favorite thing we did on the trip, this was an excellent museum overall. I can see why it's so popular, and I would go back to see other exhibits so I could see the rest of the museum. read more

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Huge! We did 2 sections: 1. European household goods. Educational. Relaxing. 2. Dinosaurs. A massive exhibit. The best I have ever seen. $68.93 CAD for admission for 2. $9.60 CAD for coffee and hot chocolate. read more

So the last time I visited ROM was 10 years ago and the Dawn of Life Burgess Shale/Cambrian Explosion exhibit was just being constructed. I vowed to come back once it was completed cuz I am a nut for all the weird and wonderful life forms that showed up in the fossil record 450-500 million years ago. Well, it took a bit longer than I expected to return but today I did and couldn't be happier with the exhibit! It was fascinating to see some of the original fossils, interpretation models, and best of all, a stunning wall-sized animation of Cambrian life in full color, movement, and behavior. I saw it through 3 times! Well done! read more

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ROM was such a large and informative museum. There were a lot of exhibition rooms we saw but still several we missed given how big this place was. We spent a good few hours here before we were mentally spent. A really cool museum with a ton of history and artifacts. read more

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Such an amazing museum always love to go back when they have mew exhibitions. From dinosaurs to ancient Egypt they cover many fun and interesting historical timelines definitely recommend. read more

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ROM has been here for a while, but after a few years, we would still like to go again and again. The ticket was a bit expensive, but we got a ticket from Library. We always found something new in the museum. Probably, we didn't have kids before, but now more focused on the kids' activities. So it seems intruded more kids events. Maybe that's our perspectives changed. There were also new art exhibition and Nazi Camps documentary sessions. We attended both, they were really informative. read more

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Oh man... being from Toronto, this visit was nostalgic for me. The woman who assisted me acquiring my ticket mentioned it's one of (or is) the largest museum (in the world? In north america? Idk). I learned they offer free tickets every third Thursday but that obtaining the free tickets is to be done beforehand, online. It also is for visits after 4:30 pm. I wanted to get lost at the museum and knew I wanted to be there long before 4pm. I didn't arrive until 1pm and decided to get general admission because of my arrival time. I suggest general admission if you're too late in the day, this way you don't lose money by not having time for exhibits. I love this place. My great grandfather was one of the architects that designed the entrance I came in at. I was hoping to find a plaque or something that mentioend Chapman and Oxley for the renovated section in what? 1930 or something. See, now I have it all wrong. Point is, there was no plaque but a few of the staff were able to let me know that I came in there. Granny and Grandpa used to bring me here often. Maybe it's where I learned the things I don't remember knowing? Anyway, bring the kids, as often as you can. Leaves long lasting impressions long after the fact. read more

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Royal Ontario Museum is really huge. Can easily take an entire day and you still feel like you missed many artifacts. Make a good use of their audio guides. They are grouped according to the categories you might want to see first and covers the highlights. There is an entire room for just dinosaurs. I visited a lot of museums in my life but this is the only place that showed a mummy with an open casket. read more

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The Auschwitz exhibit is on at the ROM until September 1, 2025, and it is an absolute must-see, especially given today's world (terrifyingly so). It's a deeply heavy experience. At certain moments, I almost sat down and cried. But I'm so glad I took the time to go. The exhibit comes with an audio guide and takes about 2 hours to fully absorb. If you're in Toronto, don't miss this. And if cost is a barrier, the Toronto Public Library has passes that even cover special exhibits. You get 1 pass per year, allowing up to 4 adults entry, so please take advantage of it. I love the ROM in general -- it never gets old. The dinosaur fossils and minerals display always bring out my inner child, and I'll keep coming back again and again. read more

Royal Ontario Museum - Museums Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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For kids, way more fun than when I was a kid, when exhibits were limited. My child particularly liked the bat cave. Children are free this summer with the Canada Strong Pass. It was quite packed right on entry at 10am on a weekday. Gets pretty busy inside as the morning progresses. Odd stuff: the metal detector and bag probing on entry. Granted it's been years since I've been there and the climate may have changed, but it's giving strong airport vibes - I guess the security is great for the safety of all patrons read more

Was visiting Toronto from Vancouver and decided to visit ROM. Location was easy to find and staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The price seemed fair for the amount of content you can see , I personally enjoyed the Gemstones and ancient artifacts - The eye of Lanka was gorgeous! Wish there gift shop had a better variety - wasn't much i can easily take back home - or nothing really caught my eye as a easy souvenir. The missing star was more so the security screening at the door, which I totally understand the reason of doing it - however, the guards conducting it, were beyond rude - I almost dropped 2 stars for them, but didn't seem fair. read more

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It was fantastic. I could stay for days. Their collections of Roman, Bronze Age, Hellenistic age were very large. The dinosaurs and other fossils were great! Largest fossil I ever remember (see pic). Gems and minerals well organized and presented, it goes on and on! I would plan 2 half days to absorb the details. read more

Royal Ontario Museum - A big sauropod. - Museums Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The museum has a lot of interesting things for all kinds of people. I myself love human and natural history, and there is plenty of that to keep you entertained. As for special exhibits, I have seen both Auschwitz (which was very heavy and impactful) and Sharks (which was incredibly informative. I can say for sure that the museum has never disappointed me in terms of delivering a fun learning experience! read more

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We bought the all inclusive tickets as we were intrigued by the Bees and the Psychedelics Science special exhibits... the website made it sound really interesting, and wow what an anticlimactic let down! In the Bees Exhibit; there was barely anything real to see, it was mostly special effects abstract arts... with one single station actually showing real bees.... it was basically the art of taking about a page's worth of information, and stretching it out one crumb at a time... and when you get to the end you're still wondering "so where's the good stuff?!" The Psychedelic Exhibit... could have been summed up as a half page article... or an email! Such a waste of money, not worth it!! read more

I came here on a Saturday afternoon while visiting Toronto for the first time. I really love cultural and natural history museums, so I was excited to come here. They had great exhibits on Indigenous groups, mammals/birds, and Chinese/Korean artifacts. When I went, there was a special exhibit on quilts! All the staff were really friendly and the museum is doable with 2-3 hours. It's a great was to spend an afternoon! read more

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Went with a friend. Can recommend the special Earth exhibit wholeheartedly. Immersive and relaxing. The special exhibits on cats was okay. Good to learn. read more

Royal Ontario Museum - Museums Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Went to check out the new big cats exhibit and the new earth journey as well. The main floor is free for a bit through the summer so it was great to check it out to start. They had different art exhibits on the main floor including a cloud art activity in the China section and a cat ears one outside of the big cats exhibit. The big cats exhibit was interesting! Lots of taxidermied cats and skeletons. I wish there were a few more immersive activities but it was cool! The earth journey was cool. Very similar to Arcadia earth at the well. It said there would be scents but I really only noticed the smell of dirt in one section. It was cool. I liked that there were timers you could see so you could tell how much time was remaining and watch the whole thing. The exhibits remain mostly the same throughout so I'd seen most of it already. I love the room with all the rocks and gems. read more

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The Royal Ontario Museum , or ROM, is Canada's answer to the Smithsonian and it does live up to the expectations . For those who love earth science, natural history, geodes, mummies, Chinese history, this is your place. You can easily spend 2 hours on your own here without special exhibits. Great for kids and families read more

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Attended Rom: After Dark and it was such a fun experience! There were lots of food vendors, performances and great exhibits to see. I highly recommend going at least once - it's good vibes, people and so many interesting installations to see. read more

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These are the type museums I like to go to with tons of fossils or old artifacts from all over the world. The only thing is it was hot as heck in there. Not sure if this is a Canadian thing or not, but I don't think they like air conditioners there. Every Uber driver, the tour we took to Niagra Falls never turned on their A/C, even our hotel was hot. But anyways, this was a nice museum. read more

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The museum is quite big, we didn't have to wait long in the queue when we arrived. I feel the price for admission was very reasonable, well worth it considering all the exhibits to visit. They have an extensive map to pick up as you start your visit, and right as you come through to the main floor there's a futalognkosaurus towering above everything, this is a good picture opportunity! The museum has several floors to visit, so if you've got the time, then take your time because there's so much to see. If your limited on time or have specific exhibits you want to see, the map will help you find where you need to go. I recommend also checking out the museums website, you can find info about the exhibits, collections, tours, and everything else you need to know while visiting. I personally loved the Dawn of life gallery and the dinosaur exhibits. Every area you wander into is not only incredible but educational as well. If you are starting to feel a bit hungry, they have a cafe where can grab something to eat, and facilities throughout the museum for use. On the way out you have to go through their gift shop and see if there's anything you want to buy and take home with you. There are some really unique programs the museum offers, so definitely check that out on their website too. I hope you have a great experience like we did, make the visit and stay curious! read more

Royal Ontario Museum - Futalognkosaurus photo op! Dinosaurs are awesome! - Museums Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It's Canada Day and the ROM admission is free, why not, let's schlep it to downtown Toronto. To avoid the horrendous traffic, I took a Viva bus to Finch transferring to the notorious TTC subway. During the commute, it appears 1/3 of the people encountered don't believe in personal hygiene, people taking their pets into the train (are they really service animals?), people talking to their imaginary friends and the homeless camping out on the empty train seats. What a dystopia when compared to the Markham bubble I live in. To survive, don't make eye contact and put in your airpods and go to your happy place. Finally made it to ROM, the lines were long but they were well organized, got in within 20mins. Enjoyed the dinosaur exhibits. For the dinosaur skeletons they had color coded charts indicating which bone was authentic and which bones were recreations. The Egyptian exhibits were amazing, in addition to the numerous sarcophaguses, some contained real mummies. You need to spend at least 3 hours to fully enjoy the various exhibits. Surprising their downstairs cafeteria food prices were reasonable, go for the corned beef sandwich. Numerous toilets throughout the floors. All in all, a great way to spend Canada Day read more

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Beautiful museum. A must visit if you're visiting the area. Admission isn't expensive. It's around ~$30 for adults. Not very kid friendly especially for the younger ones. I think they'd be quite bored. I'd recommend 12+ for them to enjoy their visit. It does get crowded especially on a weekend as expected. We parked a short walk away in a nearby parking structure. Not sure if they had anything closer. The museum is in a nice area with luxury stores across the street. So you can go shopping afterwards. read more

I wish I could've like this museum more but the exhibitions seemed a bit disjointed to me. It is an immense space covering 3+ floors and well worth the price, especially if you get one of many discounts offered through various means (e.g., CityPass, mass transit use discount, Yelp check-in, etc.). Devote a minimum of 3 hours to peruse everything. Depending on one's interest, there's something for everyone. I found the Dawn of Life gallery very well done with plenty of exposition. On the other hand some of the ancient European culture exhibits were a bit dry, simply displaying old pottery and relics. The layout of the museum was also confusing. Understandable since later I found out that ROM was cobbled together from several separate museums. It is a premiere Toronto & Canadian attraction so it's almost a must-see. Still there's room for improvement. Final note: if at all possible, take the subway to get to ROM. The fare is affordable, you get a discount to museum admission fee by showing your ticket. But most importantly, you avoid the monstrous hassles of bottleneck traffic jams and limited overpriced parking. read more

Royal Ontario Museum - Replica of Sauropod dinosaur skeleton in main foyer - Museums Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I went to the museum for the "after dark" fete island event they had this summer. My friend was approached by a black male who was checking people's bags & tickets before they could enter the event. He quickly glanced at my friends bag then He told my friend that he needed to check "his bag" refering to me. I'm a transgender woman so I was shocked that at a high end establishment like this the staff aren't trained to not misgender trans customers or at the very least not gender us at all. But what really annoyed me was I felt that he unnecessarily went through my whole purse. to the point of demanding I open an identification compartment that is literally so small you can't even fit identification cards in there despite it being intended for that purpose. I literally had to tell him it's too small to fit anything in there, look at what you're trying to open. He looked embarrassed and reluctantly conceded and let me pass through. The whole situation left me feeling like I was being singled out for my trans identity. Why are you quickly glancing through everyone else's bag but you're looking through my bag like im trying to smuggle in illegal substances for the cartel!?! I definitely won't be returning to any future events through here as the disrespect was way too high. read more

This was on my must-see list during my Toronto trip (first time visit), and it was great experience. Admission cost is reasonable, and the museum is nicely laid out. I must have spent hours at ROM enjoying the exhibits. Highly recommended for first time travelers to Toronto. read more

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I went to see the Auschwitz exhibit, which was incredibly well executed, moving and thought-provoking. With the alarming rise in anti-semitism and holocaust deniers, this exhibit is incredibly important, so that such a large-scale atrocity does not re-occur. Auschwitz, a systematic killing machine, part of the final solution decimated the lives of 1.1 million. At the end of the war, 6 million Jews were systematically annihilated across Europe. The exhibit has a chilling video of the lives lost and many survivor videos. Bring Kleenex, as you're going to need it! There are also rooms where you can sit and collect yourself, if you need. I spent over three hours reading the texts, watching the videos and the chilling artifacts (e.g. a lone child's shoe with the sock coming out, an old stroller, etc). There is also a very informative audio guide to accompany the exhibit. read more

Royal Ontario Museum - Touching quote at the end of the exhibit - Museums Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here using the Toronto city pass as it was a much better deal than buying all the attractions tickets separately. Definitely loved this museum as they had a ton of exhibits to checkout. We came on a weekday so it wasn't super super crowded but still a lot of people. They have easily accessible bathrooms which was nice. I recommend this museum if you're looking to check out history exhibits. read more

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You can't really compare anything to the Met. But if you could, I would describe this museum as the Met of Canada. It is the largest museum in Canada and you could spend hours here and still not see everything. The feast for the eyes begins outside with the architecture. The original building front is traditional, but the west wing atrium entrance is modern and resembles large glass crystals. We were greeted by the sounds of live music from a local orchestra performing in the lobby. There are over 40 gallery and exhibit spaces, but we made sure to see the dinosaurs exhibit, the gems and crystals area, and the two current rotating exhibitions. The interior of the building is gorgeous with mosaic tile designs in the walls and ceilings. On a weekend, we did experience long lines for the restrooms and the coffee bar. Visiting this museum was very enjoyable and highly recommended. read more

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Great museum with a good amount of interactive kid friendly activities. Due to construction, the dinosaur exhibit was compressed so that was a bit disappointing but their antiquities i.e. Roman, Greek, Egyptian are great. They have a huge collection of paintings and sculptures from the middle ages. The biodiversity section was compelling. I'd definitely come back and spend more time as a half day was still not enough given it's massive size. read more

Gayle and I recently visited the Royal Ontario Museum during our too-short stay in Toronto. As we both have about a 2-hour max tolerance for any museum, we sold the ROM a little short during our visit. However, there were a few notable highlights: - The TRex (separate admission) Exhibit was fabulous and well worth the extra price. - The expansive interior courtyard never ceased to amaze. there's also a nice coffee shop in one "corner" that we both enjoyed (with really nice pastry). - The "Rocks and Minerals" Room was really cool with all sorts of variety to ooh an ahh over. - I was particularly fascinated by the "Lifers" exhibit of repurposed life jackets that messaged the damaging global effects of garment overconsumption. - The ROM gift shop was impressive, as were the professional staff we encountered here and throughout our visit. read more

We came here in early August. Between the construction noise and summer camp kids, it's loud. Louder then a children's museum loud. I think the worst part was the jack hammering. Outside of the noise, the museum has 3 stories of exhibits. From animals, to dinosaurs and fossils. There are section of amor and weapons. There was a section of living quarters from Roman times through the 1960's. We spent 3 hours and could have spent a couple of more hours. read more

Royal Ontario Museum - Fox - Museums Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Been to ROM After Dark a couple of times now and it's fun. Sure, it's a bit pricey (as of May 2023, $40 entrance plus $10 per food/drink ticket stub). But overall, you get treated to a party amidst prehistoric productions. I'm not a big partier, so my favourite part of RAD (aside from the food vendors - shoutout to Kanto that always has the tastiest and best value offerings) is getting access to the new exhibits. Was there recently and saw the T-Rex and Tusarnitut ones. Sure, dinosaurs are always a crowd pleaser, but the T-Rex one nicely mixed interactive games with the scale and scope of the tyrannosaurus family. And the Tusarnitut one was special, giving a glimpse of the importance and integration of music in inuit life. Overall, an enjoyable night. And I didn't even mention the DJ and performers and meet-ups happening all night long for all you more fun people out there. read more

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Low priced, nice exhibits and also a solid food court inside downstairs. Plan to spend four to six hours here at the ROM. read more

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I went here on a Monday around 11:32am during my recent Canada trip and there was a short wait. There were A LOT of people inside the actual museum areas because there were multiple groups of kids on a field trip. I was surprised by how crowded it got, but I was still ok with that. I noticed this museum has multiple floors here (I think it was 5 floors). The museum felt huge inside because of all the floors and some floors were more empty than others. My favorite floors was the one with the Dawn of Life gallery and also the one with the T-Rex Exhibition. At the Dawn of Life gallery, I liked how it felt a little interactive and more up close. At the T-Rex Exhibition, I liked how big the sculptures are, so that was cool to look at and stand next to. I'd recommend this place if you're traveling! At some parts, it did feel like this museum is more for kids, but that's probably because of the amount of field trips that happened while I was there. They also sometimes have live music performances at this museum, which usually brings a crowd of people and that was fun to watch. I only spent 2 hours at this museum, but it was a fun 2 hours. read more

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It was my first time visiting. The museum is really big with a few floors. There was a lot of interesting things to see. My family and I really enjoyed our time here. read more

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The Halloween party here sucked because they wouldn't let me wear my mask and they also wouldn't let me bring in my PLASTIC sword and it got stolen because they wouldn't let us store it inside plus the music sucked period. read more

Definitely a must see. I've traveled to toronto from Buffalo so many times, but surprisingly never stopped in this museum before. Sooo underrated. Maybe one of the best north american museums i've seen. Its really big and there is a lot to explore. If you love history, this is for you!!!! The Rome and Egypt exhibits are really perfect. Huge variety of things on display. It was pretty crowded when i went (sunday afternoon) but very lively, and plenty of room to relax. read more

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Had to go. It's a new city for me, and what better way to start my exploration then at the Museum. And the ROM, did not disappoint. It had enough exhibits to keep you engaged for several hours w/o being overwhelming. I especially liked their dinosaur exhibits. It also helps that the entrance fee was affordable. If you're ever in Toronto, go visit the ROM. read more