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Royal Ontario Museum
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums
100 Queen's ParkToronto, ON M5S 2C6
Neighbourhoods: University of Toronto, Downtown Core
(416) 586-8000
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sat-Sun 10 am - 5:30 pm
Fri 10 am - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
69 reviews for Royal Ontario Museum
Review Highlights
"The dinosaurs and the bat cave are really cool."
(in 9 reviews)
"I loved the World Cultures and Natural History exhibits."
(in 6 reviews)
"Thoroughly enjoyed galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs."
(in 19 reviews)
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67 reviews in English
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Review from Vic C.
1/26/2012 12 photos
I love this museum! The building on the outside alone just looks amazing, the structure is definitely an eye catcher and appropriate for a museum. Anyways, I came here with my brother and my fiance the last time I came to Toronto. We came here because we wanted to see the terracotta warriors but unfortunately we missed the last appointment. But we came in anyway to check out the rest of the exhibits, which is a lot! Honestly this is the perfect place to bring your kids and learn some history and culture or to spend a nice afternoon.
There are so many rooms and a number of exhibits here but my most favorite has got to be the dinosaurs exhibit, which is on the 2nd floor. The dinosaur displays are impressive and plenty. I have never seen a museum that had so many large structures. You can tell this museum takes very well care of their exhibits.
When we came, it was on a weekday late afternoon and it wasn't too busy. I think we were here about a little less than 2 hours before closing.
The next time I visit Ontario, I will make sure that I make another stop here. -
Review from Joyce P.
1/5/2012
Cool looking museum with interesting displays. We went with the regular ticket, no special exhibits.
The dinosaurs were definitely a highlight of the trip! I am totally geeked out by them. I also enjoyed the Africa / Asia / Latin America exhibits and most of the animal exhibits. There is almost too much to see in one day, so I would pick the exhibits that stand out the most to you.
Interesting note: not too many drinking fountains. Is having a drinking fountain in the washroom a Canadian thing? We were confused Americans. -
Review from Mauricio A.
Toronto, ON
10/27/2011
There are generally four takes and thus four root-reviews on the ROM and your opinion will vary with mileage and experience from such roots:
A-) You visit the ROM once or twice a year at most.
B-) Visits the ROM more than twice a year at times
C-) Same as above but you have visited other museums in the world.
D-) Same as above but you have an above average closer relationship with the ROM.
I happen to fall on 'D.'
As I used to take Egyptology language and history classes with Gayle Gibson (Aunt of that Jesus loving, Gibson fella, Mel) and as such got not only a chance to learn but also to see a few extra exhibits/collections not shown to the public. Plus I used to come here quite often on my own and use to be a regular at their Cultural Friday nights over 10 years ago. Great parties those mixers were! Alas things have gone a bit downhill.
Anyway, I was also in attendance at the ROM's unveiling party of the Crystal proposal. Did you know originally the thing was *supposed* to be mostly glass? It was supposed to look amazing! I thought so as well.
However it seems as if the architects and the engineers never really hanged out until much later, when the latter told the former they wanted to have some of the sweet stuff they were smoking because that glass thing was simply not going to work.
So for one reason or other, the plans got altered and as such we are left with the huge chunk of metal sticking out of the ROM which although interesting to look at from far away, it is a pain to navigate once inside.
Also as mentioned before, being a member is hardly a perk just look at the perk list and you will probably go 'meh.'
Also at least before we had more of an old-museum vibe for our ROM. Now most exhibits in the "crystal" seem to have this budget feel to it, since there is no airiness nor natural light. They lack the grandiose gravitas of other museums. Which of course is highlighted when you HAVE visited other museums in say, London, Paris or Florence. It is a shame.
Don't get me wrong we have some great exhibits, sadly however, I think our museum's rating tends to go down the more you see other museums and their exhibits in the world. Their scrolls exhibit was tiny and a bit of a rip. But again, some of their new exhibits are great, others are so-so.
So in the end, a world-class museum the ROM is not. Is it a good museum on it's own vacuum? Yes but sadly, that just makes it an average one for what Toronto claims to be.
Fun Fact: We have the largest collection of ancient Egyptian beads outside Egypt. Why? We paid a bunch of kids to collect them for us for cheap back in the early part of the 1900's
Extra Fun Fact: We have a fairly decent collection of wooden dildos that are over 20 centuries old! ...The wood is quite smooth too. :P -
Review from Emma A.
Toronto, ON
10/26/2011
I want to love the ROM. I want to love it so badly. I grew up here, at the weekly Saturday morning camp, and spent many a day wandering through the animal exhibits, and especially the bat cave. I loved the absolutely beautiful rotunda, a dramatic and beautiful entrace-way. I wandered through the dioramas of dinosaur bones, complete with fake prehistoric plants.
And then they renovated. They built "the crystal." It's terrible. They moved the entrance to Bloor Street, but good luck finding it. Instead of a grand, powerful rotunda, they have a dinky little desk. You can't even go to the rotunda, one of the most beautiful, powerful rooms in Toronto, unless you book a wedding or something.
Despite this millions-of-dollars reno, they ended up with less museum space than before, which meant cutting down existing exhibits, and new ones. The dinosaurs are no longer in educational and fun dioramas, but in boring, badly designed white spaces (meant to be reminiscent of the dinosaur exhibit in the Natural History Museum in New York - but it pales in comparison). Moving from one exhibit to another involves walking over weird grates that gave me such bad vertigo that I thought I wasn't going to be able to go across it the first time I visited.
It's a shame, really. They have such a wonderful collection and you can't see any of it. Just try and go to the textiles, I dare you. There's nothing there. Despite a wonderful collection, they can't show anything - too much light (who doesn't think about light when they design a museum? OH WAIT - they thought about it so little that they had to redesign the building because they were going to build it out of glass, which maybe doesn't work so well when showing thousand-year-old artifacts), and MOTHS. MOTHS, in a museum.
If you're just going for a nice time, looking at art and history, and you want to go to a museum that respects it's patrons and its works, check out the Art Gallery of Ontario. You'll have a much nicer time. -
Review from Hazel P.
12/12/2011
We were here to see the Mayan special exhibit. I have to say my feeling about this exhibit is kind of ho-hum. There were some interesting artifacts but nothing that was really a dazzling show stoppper. Compared to the terra cotta warriors from China it seemed boring to me. But that's just my personal bias. Anyway, we didn't have time to see the rest of the ROM because we spent all our time at the special exhibit. In past visits I've really enjoyed the Gems & precious rocks exhibit, as well as the European paintings.
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Review from Jorge L.
5/29/2011
I am basing my star rating on the fact that I was a MEMBER. If you're only visiting the museum once, read other reviews as this is NOT applicable to you. I gotta be fair to the ROM.
I was a member and I didn't think it was worth the money.
My first modern art experience with the ROM was Dan Perjovschi when he was supposed to draw in front of the guests. I brought my Meetup Group - Art Lovers but we could not find Dan. No one knew where Dan was.
And also, their members' privilege is lame. Even though there's a lane dedicated for members... they still expect you to line up with the general public. The staff is annoyingly annoying (did I say annoying)? Their previews are also lame... AGO runs better previews.
The Contemporary Exhibits are downright absurd.
Having said all that, I'm not interested in seeing the Dinosaurs 52 weeks in a year. Even though their baby eggs are pretty.
And a date with a REAL mummy sounds so nympho.
They have sections that appeal to me, however such as the knights, the romantic era furniture and the Dynasty artworks.
Some special exhibits are cool like Dead Sea Scrolls and Terracotta Warriors.
However, if you have kids, and you want to educate them about natural history... this is a place to go.
Three star for OK member benefit.Listed in: Culture Vultures
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Review from Alice H.
Toronto, ON
8/14/2011
We went Wednesday aft at 3:30 (free entrance!!) We were almost deterred by the length of the queue - it went from the front door along Bloor to Avenue Rd - and then down along Avenue - it reminded me of the queue to the Louvre! Anyway - it moved remarkably quickly.
Highlight included the dinosaurs, the Canadian section, Gems and The Stairs of Wonder. There was also a temporary exhibit on by the photographer Edward Burtynsky: Oil - it was spectacular.
The only downside was that the Museum closes at 5:30 - so with the free entrance you only have about 2 hours - so you do need to pick and choose what to see. We probably saw about half the museum (we didn't linger too long over things - except the Edward Burtynsky exhibit). And we will go back another Wednesday aft to catch the rest of it. -
Review from Sunil R.
7/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Well, was pleasantly surprised that the entrance was free the afternoon we went there. I forgot what day but you can look it up on their website.
Great place to spend the day. Lot of great exhibits. My favorite were the dinosaurs. I thoroughly enjoyed the Greek and Roman artifacts as well.
Beautiful architected building as well. -
Review from Angelo T.
6/18/2011
In all my visits to TO, I've always ended up checking out the ROM. The first time I went was a random suggestion to friends that resided in the city. To them it was also an unique experience since in their few years of living in the area, they never had a chance to check out the museums.
The ROM was a great experience that had many exhibitions that each provided an intense experience. One moment I'm re-educating myself about dinosaurs, the next I'm checking contemporary art from China. In honesty I haven't been to many museums to make comparisons, but the ROM will always be on my "to see" checklist whenever I visit TO. -
Review from Anne M.
2/23/2011
Figuring they would have the best public bathrooms in the area, I wandered in on a Wednesday around 4:30. After I used the bathroom, I realized the bathrooms aren't public (nor very nice) and I was already in the museum! Apparently they open it to the public for free from 3:30 - 5:30 on Wednesdays. It was a lovely treat, especially since I've been meaning to check out the museum for awhile! I'm going to have to start wandering in on more Wednesdays since an hour wasn't nearly enough time to see everything.
I highly recommend the dinosuars and walking through the bat cave - if you can bear it!
Downside - lots of families, kids, tour groups, etc. Upside it wasn't insanely busy like some museums can get when they're free (yay Canadian apathy?) -
Review from Sergey S.
2/1/2011
Foreign visitors, please be advised that Royal Ontario Museum has no visible connections with the royal family, has nothing to do with Ontario (except for location) and is not that much of a museum, but rather a set of exhibition spots, occupied by unrelated collections.
You may wish to visit ROM if you have skipped one of the "travelling" international exhibitions, or have a specific interest in Asian, African and Middle Eastern civilizations. Dinosaur fossils and especially the minerals collections are quite decent, too.
Ontario itself is barely present and pretty much faceless in the Royal Ontario Museum. And if you have ever been to something like Louvre or Hermitage, there will be no reason to spend your time in ROM.
I personally detest how the building looks like, but visiting people should be happy to snap some cellphone shots of "me and that weird thing in Toronto". To each his own taste. -
Review from Darren L.
Scarborough, ON
5/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Go there about once a year. Great place to learn about things or take a lot of pictures.
There are a lot of ways to get discounts if you want to take the time to get $4 off the admittance.
Place can be a tad confusing so make sure to pick up a map. -
Review from Alex S.
7/5/2011
Very comprehensive and diverse museum!! I took my mother over there for her birthday. My mother doesn't speak English or France, so I was force to translate everything into Spanish. My mother love it, which mean to me a lot of hours invested in translating.
Please foreign language audio tour will be nice. I will paid for not translating. -
Review from Sandra T.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 1/20/2011
Just wanted to update my review to include a brief review of The Warrior Emperor and China's terracotta exhibition.
Luckily, we were invited to a work-related event over the Christmas holidays so admission to the ROM was free. As a bonus, they were also distributing tickets to see the exhibition. I think tickets are normally $13ish?
Anyway, it was a pretty cool exhibition but it was a little less visually impressive than I thought it would be. In my mind, I thought I would be looking down upon rows and rows of terracotta warriors ... I think there were probably less than 10 actual warriors to enjoy.
There were more boards to read and films to watch than there were things to look at - well, at least that was my impression.
If you've seen the movie "Hero" with Jet Li (a top 10 fav) or "The Emperor and the Assassin" this exhibit may be more meaningful to you - well, that is how I made it more meaningful to me.
Anyway, I don't think I was really in the mood to "learn" that night seeing as how I was wearing uncomfortable shoes and wanted to take advantage of the open bar and it was my first date night in 7 months so ... I'd say the exhibit was "okay" ... but I don't think I would have paid $13ish for a ticket - $26ish for a couple for approximately 1.5 hours of "entertainment" if you read everything carefully and watch all the videos.
If you feel like staying in and saving a few bucks, rent/ buy Hero (with Jet Li) and use wikipedia to fill in the rest of the gaps.Listed in: Mommy Stuff
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/10/2010
Beautiful museum. The dinosaur collection was extremely impressive. I can imagine this exhibit… Read more »
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Review from Clarissa S.
4/17/2011
Flashback: Me in the late 80s in a little velour sweatsuit and a bowl cut getting herded into the old ROM with a hundred other GTA school kids and peeing my pants in excitement over the dinosaur exhibit.
Now flash forward to my return to the ROM in my mid 20s and peeing my pants over the gorgeous crystalline architecture, Damien Hirst- like avian exhibits and angular stairwells.
Granted, I understand why people want to hate on the museum in its current state: Yes, it's a tad pricey, no, it's not the Natural History Museum in LA or New York, and no, I would not expect tourists to see it as a fulfilling tourist destination. But the ROM should still be celebrated for what it is: the cutting edge of modern Canadian architecture, and an innovative specimen of modern convention in exhibit design. -
Review from Dante B.
12/22/2010
Beautiful building and such great collections. I would only suggest moving the pachyderms off the first floor and put the minerals in a better location. Good call on the terracotta warriors exhibit being below-ground, though. (get it?)
The minerals/semi-precious stones exhibit is absolutely breath-taking and unique. Go there first, even over the terracotta warriors.
I am glad that I am not a Canadian taxpayer, though, as I hear it cost around $160 million CAD. I would question in the investment if I was paying for it myself.
Chin chin! -
Review from Naureen H.
3/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
My son had the time of his life here! The "new" ROM is fantastic. I took him on the half price friday nights and it was totally worth it! The dinosaurs exhibit is seriously one of the most enjoyable. My son was constantly in awe of the amount of fossils they had. Ieatve that they have a great childrens area too...
One complaint - the restaurant downstairs is seriously lacking for dinner...especially given how busy it is on Friday nights...I plan around it if you were coming in the evening -
Review from Robert S.
11/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
The Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit is AMAZING. I was visiting Toronto, and my cousin suggested checking it out. I was a bit cool to the idea, but I really didn't have anything else to do, and some hours to burn one day, so I checked it out.
MIND BLASTING!
It was so awesome to see not just the warriors, but all the history that enveloped them. It covers the first unification of China under the Qi dynasty, what inspired the First Emperor to build all the stuff he did, and what happened afterwards. Artifacts, videos, infographs, and text all came together for a really remarkable exhibit. I spent over 3 hours there without realizing it!
I actually barely had time to see the rest of the museum. It was near closing time, so I ran through, but the rest looked pretty cool. I am a big dinosaur fan, and they had some great dinosaur exhibits. I also saw some of their other cultural exhibits, and they were pretty neat. I really wish I had allocated an entire day to check it out.
The security was very nice too. They weren't very pushy about kicking me out. They gently reminded me it was about to close, and let me scoot on out by myself. Nice to see security treat others like...adults.
Go see the Terra Cotta exhibit while you still can. Love it. -
Review from Tong J.
9/14/2010 38 photos
Went ROM to see The Warrior Emperor and China's terracotta army exhibition. Very informative. The exhibition was nicely laid out from start to finish. I wish the exhibit was in a larger space.
Disappointed that ROM has not given face-lifts to the old dated space, to compliment the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition.
Thoroughly enjoyed galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs. It was one of the my favorite sections of the ROM.
Love Earth's Treasure galleries with all the gem. And that gigantic 900 carat cerussite gem, WOW!
Impressive collections in World Culture Galleries as well.
If you want to have a great visit without paying full admission fee, check for Free Hours and Half Price Admission promotions, and plan accordingly: http://www.rom.on.ca/v...
Great place to spend a day with family, especially family with young children. They'll love the Age of Dinosaurs for sure! -
Review from Cristobal T.
11/8/2010
Dopest museum I've been to, to date. I think the ROM museum is a lot better museum than anything we have in the Bay Area of California.
When we went we paid an extra $5.00 to see the Ancient Chinese Terra Cotta exhibit on the basement floor and got check out all the other exhibits on the other floors. Their dinosaur exhibit was probably my favorite because they had a great collection. I liked all the historical artifacts they had presented over here in all the different exhibits. You can spend a good 4-6 hours here if you go to each exhibit and look at things in detail, but we had to do it all in a quick 1.5 hours since we went at the end of the day.
Don't forget your student ID card or your BMO card for those special admission discounts. -
Review from Amanda L.
Toronto, ON
11/7/2010
I went in the summer to see the Terracotta Warriors. I was a little disappointed as the price was high and the exhibit was small. What they did have was well laid out though. I like to have an audio-guide and that wasn't an option here...you had to download it to your ipod before you came. Compared to King Tut at the AGO I thought this not as good. The gift shop was spectacular though...I bought a really neat Chinese Calligraphy kit for a teen for her birthday.
The dinosaurs and the bat cave are really cool. Too bad it is too expensive for a lot of families.....Listed in: Sometimes I feel like a…
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Review from Elvis A.
After you get over the architectural abomination of the facade the museum is quite good. How could they spend so much money and approve this design This front has an uncanny resemblance to City Center crystals mall in Las Vegas which is down right awful IMO. Needless to say the initial impression is not good.
The front is a confusing mix of seating areas which don't get much sun light so its not inviting and the seats are industrial looking with emphasis on style rather than comfort.
The showroom area fares better but again they could have done a lot better. Its very confusing to figure out how to get to the other floors. They have self running audio tours as well as guided tours both are free. They currently have an exhibit for bats which is sure to please the young ones (hey I hardly know a child who is not fascinated by the creepy crawlies and things that eat them). The Greek, Asian and nature exhibits were top notch. The Bollywood exhibit was however another story. Its a sad attempt at trying to capture what defines Bollywood (merely a collection of posters and historical overview doesn't do that industry justice) Would I recommend it sure but there are better options AGO is one for starters.
4 Star for the Exhibits and 1 Star for facade. 2.5 Stars over all.
The have a restaurant/bar on the 5th floor as well a cafeteria in the basement. -
Review from Robin D.
9/7/2010
The ROM is amazing. They have very good collection, but if you really like dislike museums you probably won't enjoy this one still. Egyptian and Asian treasures are in particular really nice.
The layout and spacing is well done. And the limited-time Terracotta Warrior Exhibit for extra $7 is a must-see.Listed in: Touristy Things in Toronto…
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Review from Rebecca W.
7/24/2011
One of my favorite stops during our trip to Toronto. My 6 year old (and the rest of our family) were especially in love with the dinosaurs and the mineral exhibits but we thought the whole thing was great. We went intending to visit ROM in the morning and Casa Loma in the afternoon but ended up spending the entire day at the ROM.
I especially enjoyed all the info available in each exhibit-my daughter is a great one for asking 1,000 questions and after reading the placards that went with many of the displays I was able to answer many of her questions.
We had lunch there and while lunch was a little pricey (but probably no more than the fare at anything like that) it was extremely good and there were a ton of healthy options.
My only quibble-the building is very oddly laid out-we spent a lot of time referring to the map trying to figure out where we were going and trying not to miss anything (and it would be a shame to miss anything!)
Our group of 6 ranged in age from 6-78 and we all enjoyed ourselves and agreed this was a must do. -
Review from Claudia J.
10/23/2010
History meets the 21st Century!! It's an adventure meeting history, on its full swing!! Went there particularly for the Terra Cota Warriors Exhibition, they only have 8-10 original pieces, but it's a full presentation, videos, pictures, and loaded with much information.
You want to go back to 230 million years ago life on earth? check out the dinosaurs, they are REAL!!! Many dinosaurs are in the museum; creatures from the past in bone structures, that is!! reptiles, dinosours,
Dinosaurs, mummies, ancient jewelry, you even get to see the Parthenon in a smaller scale!! It's a history lesson! -
Review from Jeannette W.
6/23/2010 3 photos
Do you like dinosaurs? And Egyptology? And shiny minerals, like diamonds and sapphires? Want to learn about ecology? Then visit the ROM.
I was very impressed with the way the Egyptian exhibit was laid out. I had attended the Tut exhibit in San Francisco earlier this year, and felt this was much more informative and easier to digest. The context of the objects on view was readily apparent because the information was presented in such a way as to make it easy to follow the progression of Egyptian culture, government, and technology through time.
The volume of the dinosaur exhibit is also impressive. I gleaned this must be mostly a result of the fact that Alberta has a lot of dinosaur fossils. But I agree with a previous Yelp review, this section could have been laid out better so as to give a visitor a more thorough explanation of the evolution of the dinosaurs. I got tired of trying to figure out how all of the skeletons fit into an evolutionary timeline with each other and just focused on the scale of the animals instead.
The day I was there, I was lucky enough to join a quick docent tour of the biological diversity exhibit which was thought-provoking, as well as, engaging. I generally get bored on these tours, but the content was interesting and the guide was succint and knowledgeable.
If I lived in Toronto, I would definitely become a member. The place is so big I probably only saw a third of it before I got too tired and had to go and get some rest. Wish I could see more of it. By the way, there will be a Chinese Terra Cotta soldiers exhibit starting this weekend that I am sad to have to miss. -
Review from Shannon G.
9/20/2011
OMG several levels of absolute amazement! The artifacts were stunning and they have so many!!!! I was even surprised at their dinosaur section. They had several dinosaurs with the real fossils they uncovered. Definitely worth the trip!
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Review from Laura C.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 5/25/2010
I'm updating this based on my trip to New York and the American Museum of Natural History.
I'm so disappointed at our ROM because it USED to be better.
I liked the way the Am. Museum of NH organized their exhibits. For example, for the Dinosaurs, it was placed in a logical format that began at a certain point in the prehistoric times and you follow the path of the evolution.
There was description about interesting points to take note, you can choose to read them or not, and branches that come off to further explain anything else you might be interested in related to the topic (like how they figured out the dinosaur was walking upright or not, or why it has a duck bill).
The biggest difference I found was that the Natural History Musuem promoted learning, something I find the dinosaur collection in the ROM lacks. It's just a jumble of bones with hard to read plaques that's more like an art gallery than a museum.
In the rest of the Natural History museum, it goes to explore the different cultures of indigenous people from all over the world, with their artifacts and culture.
All I can remember from the ROM is some pots behind some glass, scattered around haphazardly with minimal description. It needs to have some logic and engage the viewer in learning, and reading about what they are looking at.
In addition to the learning experience at the American Museum of Natural History, the exhibits themselves are aesthetically spectacular, and I really think the ROM lacks this wow factor.
Granted, I am comparing the ROM to a more established museum, but what kills me is that the ROM has the ability to provide such interaction and learning experience. They took it away. It was there when I was a kid. And they could have improved upon it.
I look at the reviews of the ROM below, and the only positive ones are the special exhibits that were sponsored by a 3rd party. Everything I am comparing the ROM and the Natural History Museum to is the permanent collection.
I feel strongly about this, because it was a good thing that got taken away from us. Thank you for reading my rantListed in: Stay away.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/22/2010
Honestly, ever since they built the crystal I felt the ROM went down hill.
The place used to be a fun… Read more »
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Review from Marie F.
8/7/2010 1 Check-in Here
I thought it would be fun to organize an education field trip with a few friends and my vote for the AGO got trumped for the ROM, specifically The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army exhibit.
Well the exhibit itself was interesting was very short and very expensive. We got through the whole thing within an hour, weren't aloud to take pictures and paid $31 each.
Since the ticket also included general admission, we decided to check out the rest of the ROM. The dinosaur section was probably the coolest part, and dare I say better than its "special" The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army exhibit. -
Review from Chantal S.
10/17/2010
I really loved my visit to the ROM. The size of it was amazing. All of the different exhibits are sure to have something that interests everyone. Its really well thought out. And it was great going through it because even though there were tons of people there, I didn't really feel like everyone was ever crowding around everything. It was very relaxing while you were looking at all the different artifacts. I spent the better part of the afternoon in there and didn't see the whole thing because the people I went with were getting tired of walking. haha. Take comfortable shoes!
I'd definitely go back. -
Review from Eric B.
4/5/2009 2 photos
I visited the Royal Ontario Museum a few years via the old entrance on Queen's Park. The new "cubist" (or maybe glass/angular) entrance on Bloor is quite a sight to behold. So is the gift shop and the transition between the new lobby area and the brick of the old building. The restaurant area off the main lobby is also open without paying the entrance fee. I really enjoyed the feel and energy of these spaces.
My only quibble is the $23 entry fee for non-members, even though I realize that the Museum needs to pay its bills and this world-class museum deserves our support. -
Review from Scott W.
Toronto, ON
My 8 year old daughter and I spent 6+ hours at the ROM this past weekend...which factoring in our combined ADD/ADHD is a miraculous feat in and of itself.
All of the exhibits that I remember from my childhood plus a bunch of touring cultural exhibits that were new to me and of great interest.
The Earth's Treasures gallery is really great. In simpleton terms (aka terms I can use) it's all types of rocks/minerals etc. in columnar display cases with touch screen monitors that allow you to zoom in on very detailed photographs, and see more detailed information regarding the origin etc.
The Diamond exhibit was of more interest to me than to her. Actually, it was of no interest to her...which I think is not only rare for a young woman, but also promising moving forward as I think I've been able to focus her more on technology and things of that nature than where DeBeer's would like her interests to lie.
The cultural exhibits (China, Japan, Ukraine) are all of great interest, and even after spending 6 hours there, we didn't get a chance to see everything that was on display.
One of the things I could've done without seeing was a $19 lunch bill for two drinks, a chili, three chicken fingers and potato wedges. If I wanted to experience these kinds of food prices I'd have eaten at the airport or ACC.
There was a great medieval fair that was held specifically for March Break I believe. This was really cool because they had guys in full armor battling with weapons. Not theatrical fighting, full blown, full contact "I'm trying to smash your skull in with a pick axe" type of fighting. While I was surprised to see this, I wasn't in any rush to walk away from it...this is as close to Robot Wars as I'm ever going to get.
Architecturally, the building is a combination of the old structure combined with a funky new facade. I didn't like it when I saw photos originally, but after having spent some time looking at it, I think it does a great job of meshing the two together.
I would absolutely go back, and will go back...at my daughter's request.
I'm thinking that the price of membership is justified with just three visits, and it contributes to supporting a fantastic museum in the heart of our city.
Who would've thought something so educational and culturally enriching could also be so much fun? -
Review from Wilhelm Y.
8/7/2008 2 photos
I've been known to spend five to six hours inside the Royal Ontario Museum because there is plenty of exhibits to see. I thoroughly enjoy the museum's World Cultures Gallery and the Natural History Gallery.
The World Cultures Gallery houses art and architectural history from Asia, Africa, Canada, and the Middle East. My favorite exhibit explores the ancient architecture of China using artifacts and miniature models. Included in this exhibit is a full scale replica of the interior of an ancient palace from the Forbidden City. You can find lots of sculptures and deities based on the Buddhists of early China as well as the history of early Asians in Canada.
If you like bats you'll really enjoy the Bat Cave located within the Natural History Gallery. In addition to the flying rodents several species of snakes and giant spiders are also on display. Most of the displays dealing with animals are featured as fossils or skeleton replicas thereof. The dinosaur exhibit, as most are, is quite interesting.
The museum also features touring and temporary exhibits. My experience here is that the museum is rarely crowded which allows me to explore the exhibits freely without having to worry about getting in the way of other museum patrons. -
Review from Andrew Y.
8/6/2009
Went to the ROM to see primarily the Dead Sea Scrolls. Go on a Friday where the admission is half price ($11). With the scrolls, it was $17 per person. There are a lot of things to see from around the world, but I'll say that I was a little underwhelmed other than seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the main foyer, there was a performance going on which was pretty nice.
The asian art was plentiful, but there was very little in the way of Korean art. Also, unfortunately for the ROM, they had a wing on the top floor dedicated to egypt and another wing for greece, both of which I went to a couple of months ago. Oh well.
All in all, it was nice to visit after so many years. Easy to get to from the Museum or St. George stations. The outside is nicely renovated, but the inside is about the same as it always has been. -
Review from Christine K.
Toronto, ON
2/6/2009
When the new design for the ROM was first unveiled, I was not impressed. I thought it was going to take away from the grandeur of the original architectural design and somehow cheapen it - I am happy to say I was wrong! I like the strong angler lines created by the use of glass - the building really stands out and has a more "worldly" feel about it.
One of my favorite exhibits in the "new" ROM is the ornate reconstruction of a 17th century Chinese Imperial Palace building from Beijing's Forbidden City - it's magnificent.
The ROM also offers an array of educational and family programs just about every night of the week - a great way to learn history, understand today and meet new friends. -
Review from Taiyab K.
Toronto, ON
8/5/2009
Found out that POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS receive FREE ADMISSION ON TUESDAYS...so I thought I'd go, living in Ontario my entire life and frequenting Toronto regularly since 2007.
I don't have much to say with exhibits, went with a few friends and walked around...may have not been to every exhibit actually. Nevertheless..
It is actually a great place. I just find looking at the stuffed 'dead' animals (lol) somewhat boring, rather go to the zoo...and some were scale/model representations of animals. Having said that, still pretty near, definitely gives you a perspective of how big these animals can be.
The world cultures gallery was quite cool, tons of ancient-ancient-ancient artifices.
Definite word of advice, show up early and maybe even by yourself and take some time to actually go through everything an get an appreciation of what's there.
Nevertheless, it was free as a Post-Sec student so no complaints! -
Review from Reesa T.
11/19/2009 2 photos
Well I went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls (missed them when they were in Seattle) and stayed all day- the closed and herded us out... :(
Most fun I've had at a museum in as long as I can remember. And we missed SOOOO much, like entire floors... I have to go back sometime (apparently a Tuesday when I can get free admission...)
Dead Sea Scrolls: this was a great exhibit. I loved that it traced through everything and gave a visitor the context of when they would have been written and what everything was like. The exhibit carried it through right to preservation of the Scrolls, which I think is important and drives home what a treasure they really are. There was a docent-type going through the exhibit with a group, we joined on for a little while but quickly found he didn't have any new information for us- I mean... more than what was printed on the plaques for visitors, but less than what anyone whose studied the time period in any depth... meh... I'm a snob that studied art history in college for too long... sorry.
The rest of the museum was GREAT. I wasn't really hyped about seeing dinosaur bones, but away we went. They were alright, but the adjoining exhibit about giant crocodile remains found in Ontario, stuff like that, comparing the wild animals today (in sheer size) to their counterparts during the last ice ages and before... that was totally interesting.
There was a kids area with hands on activities which was GREAT! 1) the kids liked it 2) us adults had a blast with the microscope thing and what not...
I missed far too much- but all in all, this was a great trip and I totally want to get back to finish the ROM sometime. -
Review from greg j.
11/28/2010
excellent museum.. great location....the terra cotta warriors was my draw..and it didn't dissapoint... very thorough...and wow I was truly impressed by the depth of knowledge shared.. in a accessible.. fun way..
throughout the musuem were many sweet interactive features...I'm a jaded new yorker.. but even I got into them....
great to see so many diverse people up in there... hey, those kind of things matter to me...
the staff were very helpful with my questions...simple stuff.. like hey what's down there... and what do you recommend....and blah blah blah..
the exhibits were easy to navigate from floor to floor...
I especially loved the natural history area...and the dinosaurs didn't dissapoint.. how could they!?
when in ontario.. go check it out.. see what's happening in there...I'll be back... -
Review from Kate C.
2/17/2010
What a great collection! We visited the ROM to see their Darwin exhibit, which was incredible! Not only was the collection huge, it was displayed in a way that did not overload you. My other favorite was their Egyptian collection. They had a whole wall mural that was spectacular.
I don't recall all of the permanent collection, but the museum has vast collections that could take hours to take it. I can't wait to go back and view the rest!
Parking wasn't difficult, and the Tim Horton's across the street was a great place to grab a bite while taking a rest.Listed in: Where I get my learning on -…
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Review from Nicole H.
Toronto, ON
(My 100th review!)
* General *
- First of all, let me get this out of the way - I think the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal looks awesome, and they did a great job of making modern renovations integrate with an older building. (The internal staircases are crazy awesome, too.)
- More generally, the museum is a pretty big one - they've done a reasonable job at making it easy enough for people to find their way around, but I think the wayfinding and signage around the museum could be more obvious and helpful. The maps you get when you enter are a big help though!
- Accessibility-wise the museum is fairly good - wheelchair accessible, large print guides available and a reasonable amount of audio tours/descriptions are on offer. There are even frequent guided tours throughout the day that are free with admission if you're a fan of getting a little guidance and information from docents.
- In addition to this, the ROM runs a great events program and there are often special lectures, tours that tie in with special exhibitions, and the fantastic (and free!) ROM Walks program - through all of this the ROM prove they are not just a building, and foster visitor involvement which is fantastic to see.
* Exhibitions and Galleries *
I could get out of hand with this, so i'm going to try and keep it simple:
- An excellent variety of subject matter on display - natural history, social history, world cultures, ancient cultures, and even a little art and design.
- Great visual draws without dragging you down with too much text to read (yet not leaving you info-starved either!).
- First Peoples gallery is a great feature, deserving of the large gallery space it's been situated in.
- The quality of objects and specimens being exhibited is excellent, and accompanying information is engaging and interesting.
- Recent renovations have really made a difference to not just the quality of space in the galleries, but also the quality of how everything is displayed.
- Some fun hands-on stuff that's probably meant for kids, but that I love even as an adult visitor.
- Special exhibitions are of a reasonable standard, often drawing in international travelling exhibitions (the Terracotta Army one is a great example).
* Practicalities *
- Getting to the museum is pretty much a breeze on the TTC - a short walk from Museum station and not too far to walk from St George, either. It's a pity that there's no internal link from the TTC stations into the museum for bad weather, but it could be worse (like a certain Ontario Science Centre).
- If you're feeling like you might perish from all the exhibition wandering, there are food options within the museum. Downstairs is a cafeteria-like environment with a pretty decent range of food/drinks that aren't actually hideously expensive as far as museum cafe prices go. There is a fancier restaurant/lounge in the upper reaches of the ROM too, if you're feeling in a Yorkville kinda mood.
- The shop feels like a mini-gallery in itself, so much so I feel guilty sometimes when I pick up stuff to look at it. Good range and variety of stuff that covers most (if not all) of the museum's subject range. Clothing, books, trinkets, jewelry, etc.. I just wish they had a bigger range of postcards. Things can run pretty pricey here.
- Ticket prices can be a bit hard on the wallet, but there are some ways to save. Friday evenings from 4.30 - 9.30pm are half price, the CityPass deal means you can save on all sorts of attraction admissions including the ROM, and the Toronto Public Library MAP program (http://www.torontopubl...) offers a limited amount of free tickets to members every Saturday. Sadly the free hour on Wednesday afternoons seems to have passed by the wayside.
For dollar value, for variety of exhibits and for experience, the ROM is pretty much your best bet if you're only going to visit one major attraction like this in Toronto. (It's definitely a comparable quality to other Canadian/North American museums, too.) It's great for repeated visits too, and has a little something for everyone. The only thing stopping me giving the 5th star is the price factor and the inconsistencies in wayfinding around the museum. Definitely worth your time!Listed in: Museum Reviews
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