I am an imperfect visitor. As much as I love museums, sometimes I struggle to engage with their content. Within this post, I am going to outline some of the places I would like to go back to and why. Usually, it’s a combination of being an imperfect visitor to imperfect places designed with an ideal visitor in mind.
Click here for an updated list of 2026 museum visits (I have combined visits so sites are only listed once)
- Toronto Zoo (4 visits; Free visit with library pass and the I purchased a membership)
- Museum of Toronto at Harbourfront Centre, Mr. Dressup to Degrassi (January 9, by donation)
- Ontario Science Centre KidSpark, Harbourfront Centre (January 9, 15$ a person)
- Toronto Reference library’s Retail Retrospective (January 10, free)
- Textile Museum of Canada (January 10, free visit with library pass)
- Aga Khan Museum (January 16, free visit with library pass)
- Woodland Cultural Centre (January 17, 27$ per adult)
- Wellington County Museum and Archives (January 20, by donation)
- King Heritage and Cultural Centre (January 23, free)
- Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (January 27, 8$ per adult)
- Guelph Civic Museum (January 31, 6.50 per adult)
- Art Gallery of Guelph (January 31, by donation)
- Ireland House Museum, Burlington Museums (February 3, 10$ per adult)
- Joseph Brant Museum, Burlington Museums (February 3, 10$ per adult)
- Gardiner Museum (February 5, free with library pass)
- Royal Ontario Museum (February 5, free with library pass)
- Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory (February 20, 22.50$ per adult)
- The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum (February 20, April 24, 15$ per adult / 5$ per child as part of Mini Museum Explorers)
- Discovery Centre Halifax (March 5, free with gifted pass)
- Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 (March 5, 19$ per adult)
- Resurgo Place (March 12 / May 16 and May 19, free with gifted pass)
- Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre (March 19, by donation)
- Peterborough Museum and Archives (April 15, suggested donation 10$ per group)
- The Canadian Canoe Museum (April 15, 20$ per adult)
- Niagara Falls History Museum (April 17, 6$ single admission)
- Niagara Parks Power Station (April 18, group admission / unknown)
- Ripley’s Believe it or not Museum (April 20, 29.99$ per adult)
- Montgomery’s Inn (April 22, and June 10, free)
- The Paris Museum (April 24, by donation)
- Orillia Museum of Art and History (April 25, 5$ per adult)
- Museum of Lennox & Addington County (April 27, 5$ per adult)
- Moncton Library community art exhibit (May 1, free)
- Joggins Fossil Cliffs and Centre (May 12, 7.39$ per adult)
- Fundy Geological Museum (May 12, 8.50$ per adult)
- MR21 (May 13, visited as part of a museum association event)
- Centre Homarus (May 14, 12.50$ per adult)
- Musee Acadien (May 16, 11.50$ family entry)
- Albert County Museum and RB Bennett Centre (May 18, 10$ per adult)
- Cumberland County Museum and Archives (May 19, I do not think my dad paid before leaving)
- Minister’s Island, the Van Horne Estate (May 21, 19.50$ per adult)
- Ross Memorial Museum (May 21, by donation?)
- Kingsbrae Garden (May 21, 20$ per adult)
- Monument Lefebvre (May 22, free)
- Potato World (May 23, 6$ per adult)
- Malabeam Centre (May 23, free)
- Colbourne Lodge (May 29, free)
- Ingersoll Cheese and Agricultural Museum (June 1, by donation)
- McMicheal Canadian Art Museum (June 2, 20$ per adult and 7$ parking)
Sensory Issues and Overstimulating Spaces
I am sound sensitive and museums can be noisy places. Art museums have humming sounds from the lights and environment controls. History museums often have audio content.
Sometimes, I am in the right mood and the sound isn’t an issue. Other times, I come prepared with earplugs and/or head phones to mitigate the issue. There are also occasions where I have to leave because I cannot read or think and my usual tools are not working.
Burlington Museums
Burlington Museums includes two museums – Ireland House and the Joseph Brant Museum.
The Ireland House is a fairly typical historic house museum (built in the 1830s). The family occupied the house until 1985 and the city purchased the space for a museum in 1987. They have restored the space to the 1850s, 1890s, and 1920s (Museums of Burlington 2026).
I was excited to visit Ireland House and the Joseph Brant Museum without a toddler in tow. While I do not have much to say about the experience, I enjoyed the tour. Highlights included the 1920s kitchen and the signs asking people not to touch.
After visiting, I had time for another experience and headed to the Joseph Brant Museum, which is a typical municipal museum telling local history. The original Museum (opened 1942) was housed in a reconstruction of Joseph Brant’s home. They reopened in a new space (with funding from all three levels of government) in 2019. Notably, I previously visited in 2014 or 2013 and recall the space centering Joseph Brant. In the new configuration, there is an isolated case about Brant and the majority of the gallery takes a thematic approach to the region’s history.
I went the Joseph Brant Museum hoping to learn more about Joseph Brant and Indigenous communities in Burlington. Unfortunately, they had music playing fairly loudly in the space. No matter how much I tried to engage, I became increasingly irritated and unable to think. I left disappointed because the music did not seem integral to the story they were trying to tell. Further, unlike other municipal museums, they offered no discounted or combination pricing for visiting both museums.
That being said, I would like to return and engage further with their history. I will come without a toddler (there are few interactives / content for that age group) and be prepared to wear an ear plug / headphones combo.
Off Season Visiting
I visit museums year round. Unfortunately, lot of institutions are limited to summer operations for a number of reasons (e.g., funding, ability to hire summer students, buildings that are not climate controlled). Others have limited operations during the off or shoulder seasons.
King Heritage and Culture Centre
The King Township Historical Society formed in 1972 and advocated for a museum when the Kinghorn School closed in 1978. After the Township purchased the building for their use, the volunteers managed the King Township Museum until 2000. They transfered management to the Township, which then hired the first curator on contract in 2001 and the first permanent curator in 2003. They changed the name to the King Heritage & Cultural Centre (KHCC) in 2014. The KHCC site now contains four buildings – Kinghorn Schoolhouse, Laskay Hall, King Christian Church and King Railway Station (King Heritage & Cultural Centre 2026).
There is a brief history available on the museum website here. The 2021 Heritage & Cultural Master Plan provides additional details, including a timeline and information about additions to the site.
Since I visited in January during an exhibit installation, I only saw the long term exhibit in the original one-room schoolhouse space. It was too cold to wander around outside and my toddler was in an exuberant mood, making reading difficult. I had a few thoughts about the space at the time – I loved the peekaboo into the wall, I found the shiny panels harder to read, and they had a simplistic interactive for kids that worked well.
The thought that has stayed with me – the staff was very kind. You can see collections storage behind the front desk. When my little one and I talked about what we could see, the front desk staff moved the storage units for us. It was very exciting.
Clearly, I need to revisit.
Toddler
I grew up going to museums and we still go as a family whenever we’re together. Now, I go to a museum and/or library weekly with my little. Visiting a museum with a toddler can be amazing. They see the world differently and we have some really fun adventures.
However, toddlers have a limited attention span. In some museum spaces, they have planned for kids, considering their height and providing interactive elements. In those cases, the design enables me to read and engage while also following my toddler overlord. In most museums though (even ones claiming to be family friendly), this is not the case.
Most museums aren’t for toddlers.
Montgomery’s Inn
Montgomery’s Inn is my local community museum in Etobicoke. In the 1960s, the Etobicoke Historical Society began advocating for the building’s preservation in its original location. They convinced the land developer to sell them the building at his cost. Eventually, they transferred ownership to Etobicoke Township and successfully lobbied for the building’s restoration. Montgomery’s Inn then opened as a museum in 1975 (Reid 2026).
The Inn’s ongoing existence as an active museum demonstrates the significance of engaged volunteers within the local community. In 2011, the City of Toronto dissolved their museum advisory boards and reportedly planned to close four of their museums – Montgomery’s Inn, Gibson House, Zion Schoolhouse and the Market Gallery. The INNovators organized, incorporated, and protested the Inn’s closure (Nelson 2021). Today, the City continues to operate Montgomery’s Inn and the INNovators sell bread to support their operation as part of the weekly market. I would love to know more about their work but there is limited information online.
I love the weekly market, which reflects work being done to keep the spirit of Montgomery’s Inn alive rather than focus on preserving a specific memory of the space. The Museum hosts a number of events in addition to the market. For example, I once went to a dinner with dancing at the Inn with my sister. Notably, all visits have led to some exploration of the space.
I would love to go to more of their events, but I live life with a toddler in tow. In most cases, it is unclear if a toddler would be a distraction. That being said, there is an upcoming storytelling event that we’re looking forward to attending.
Cumberland County Museum and Archives
The Cumberland County Museum and Archives is a small community museum in Amherst, Nova Scotia. The Amherst Township Historical Society purchased the building, Grove Cottage, in 1981 and turned it over to the Province of Nova Scotia to operate as a county museum (Goodwin 2026).
Today, the site receives support from the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture under the Community Museum Assistance Program (CMAP) of the Nova Scotia Museum, which funds community museums across the province. Notably, the funding program is currently at risk. In 2026, the Province announced an intention to transition sites to community management while also cutting funding to CMAP, which provides the funding for museums across the province.
I do not have much (anything?) to say about my visit because I spent the whole time chasing a toddler around the space. When there are no barriers between us and the objects, the risk of touching is extremely high. Usually, when visiting with another adult, we take turns on toddler watch. However, my dad loves to chat and he got a lovely tour.
Potato World
Potato World is a relatively new museum. It opened with funding from all three levels of government in 2004 after advocacy from the local community.
There is a lot to read and see at the site. However, there are very few interactives or content that appeals to a small child. I also made the mistake of telling my toddler that we would eat potatoes in their cafe. As a result, they rushed us along and eventually pushed me out of the gallery.
They were right, the food was delicious.
Ingersoll Cheese and Agricultural Museum
The Ingersoll Cheese and Agricultural Museum opened in 1977 as a re-creation of a 19th century cheese factory. They have added more buildings over time, starting with the Ingersoll Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. The municipal Museum began operating year round in 2012, which led to more buildings and exhibits (Town of Ingersoll 2026)
Unfortunately, my toddler was most interested in buying cheese from their gift shop and then eating it while playing in the cheese playground. Food is clearly a greater priority than museuming. I should have left out the cheese part when I told them we would go to a museum because I was able to read almost nothing (the exception being content within the sight line of the two coloring stations).
McMichael Canadian Art Museum
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection began as a private collection of Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven. They donated the collection to the Province and the public museum opened in 1966 (McMichael Canadian Art Collection 2026). Currently, exhibits continue to focus on nature landscapes and there are a number of galleries showcasing Indigenous art.
We went to the McMichael because my little one announced that we needed to go to a museum. Their only requirement was that the museum have animals. I confirmed artistic animals would be fine and we headed to Kleinburg. It did not go well.
After the first gallery, my little one noticed there were no activities and asked to leave. We did come across a colouring station, but all of the materials were out of reach (they are in an independent phase so helping them was not an option). The activity beside the coloring also led to frustration because they were too short. The lack of stool meant that, once again, things were out of reach.
I insisted we walk through the entire space because visiting the McMichael is relatively expensive (especially when you consider the parking charge on top of admission). I got a lot of looks and a couple suggestions that we go to the coloring area. I think they were trying to be helpful but it came across as telling me that I should not have my toddler in the space.
I am curious about their family Sundays, which are free and (according to the website) have kid centric programming. So, we will be returning for that!
I am simply not that interested in the content
Sometimes, I am unable to properly reflect on the experience because I am not into the content. I love to learn about local history and culture. However, I have a toddler who dictates many of my museum choices and we have different tastes.
For example, my little likes dinos. To foster this interest, we have been to the ROM, Joggins, and the Fundy Geological Museum so far this year. I have a lot of thoughts on the ROM’s layout, but during our last visit we were pretty dino focused. So, I did not take pictures of very many things, and I do not remember much of the visit (this is typical for my ROM visits. I find the space way too overstimulating). Our trip to two Nova Scotia museums with dinos and fossils was fun. However, all of my reflections were easily contained in the reels I made about the experience because I did not read or engage with any dino content.
Another category of museums that my kid (but not me) loves are live animal museums (e.g., zoos and aquariums). I have done a basic reflection on the Toronto Zoo and we do go a lot because we are now members. Before I was comfortable purchasing the membership, I did research on the ethics of the zoo and noticed they are often mentioned when providing positive examples. They do a lot of great work.
My visits to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory and Centre Homarus were plagued with an internal dialogue about whether it was ok to be there from an ethical standpoint. I did not do any research in advance and should have. I also did not find the content interesting enough (a me issue, not a them issue) to stop arguing with myself and engage while visiting. As a result, if I wanted to reflect properly on the experience, I would have to go back.
Questions
Are there any other ways you have noticed me being an imperfect visitor?
How about you, are you an imperfect visitor too? If so, how?
References
Gordon Goodwin, “The Cumberland County Museum and Archives,” Historic Nova Scotia, accessed June 14, 2026, https://historicnovascotia.ca/items/show/184.
Government of Canada. 2004, September 10. “Official Opening of Potato World.” News Release. Accessed June 15, 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2004/09/official-opening-potato-world-new-brunswick-potato-museum.html
King Heritage & Cultural Centre. Accessed May 20, 2026. “About.” King Heritage & Cultural Centre. https://www.kingheritageandculture.ca/about
Nelson, R. (2021). Turning the Light on: The Ontario Historical Society and Museum Governance. Ontario History, 113(1), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.7202/1076077ar
McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Accessed June 15, 2026. “McMichael History.” https://mcmichael.com/mcmichael-history/
Museums of Burlington. Accessed June 15, 2026. “Ireland House Museum.” https://museumsofburlington.ca/visitor-information/ireland-house-museum/
Reid, Randall. Accessed June 7, 2026. “Montgomery’s Inn.” Etobicoke Historical Society. Reprinted from The Work Pioneer vol. 99. https://www.etobicokehistorical.com/montgomerys-inn.html
Town of Ingersoll. Accessed June 14, 2026. “Ingersoll Cheese and Agriculture Museum.” https://www.ingersoll.ca/live-and-play/ingersoll-cheese-agricultural-museum/
Museoception 