If only we could time travel to ancient times and see how the Greeks Gods, Egyptian Pharaohs, and powerful Vikings lived! It’s incredible to imagine that dinosaurs once roamed our Earth, other than what we read to our kids in books and see in the movies.
The next best thing to travelling to ancient sites is visiting a museum, and showing your children first-hand some amazing objects. Yes, they’ll learn history in school with their peers, but rather than learning from textbooks and lectures, the museum can take them away to faraway lands.
Introducing your kids to a museum opens up a world of imagination and exploration, and helps broaden their knowledge about the world we live in. The museum offers kids a space to explore their own curiosities, be inspired and learn through interactive exhibitions and hands-on play.
The Royal Ontario Museum is a must-visit for history buffs, tourists, and families. Since 1912, the ROM has accumulated more than six million objects, making it Canada’s largest museum of art, world cultures and natural history.
There is so much to see in the museum that it is nearly impossible to explore every exhibition in one day. Especially when you have children, they can maybe manage through two hours at a time before they are completely spent. But there is so much more to explore!
ROM Family Membership
A ROM family membership is the best value for visitors to explore the museum at your leisure. For what it would cost you to visit a couple of times, you can easily buy a family membership and enjoy free access to all the exhibitions at the museum year-round.
Here are some amazing things to do with the family at ROM:
Explorer Passport
This is a super fun and exciting way for children of ROM Members to experience the museum. Kids are welcome to pick up an Explorers passport, and then have it stamped every time you visit and when you complete a bonus stamp activity. Kids can earn stamps and win prizes each time a page is filled (5 stamps per page – only one prize per page). The top prize is when you collect 40 stamps – you get a special behind-the-scenes tour with a ROM expert.
Kids and Family Programs
When you have a family membership, kids can enjoy free programs and activities during March Break, Family Weekends, ROM for the Holidays and more. ROM Members receive advanced booking and discounts on a variety of kids’ programs too, which is great savings for parents
Special Exhibits
Travel back in time over 1,000 years and explore the Viking footprint in Canada. Exclusive to the ROM, VIKINGS: The Exhibition, dives into the archaeology and history of the Norse on our East Coast. Follow their journey across the Atlantic and discover some of the myths and mysteries of these ancient peoples.
Explore the brilliance behind Christian Dior’s dramatic creations that revived the Paris haute couture industry after the devastation of the Second World War in ROM’s original exhibition, Christian Dior. Senior Curator, Dr. Alexandra Palmer, draws from the ROM’s extensive collection from the first ten years of Christian Dior haute couture, 1947 to 1957, to offer captivating insights into the creative process and mechanics of the fashion industry in Paris during a pivotal time.
Member Experiences
There are also free member experiences and previews exclusively for ROM Members, as well as free weekend admission to other attractions around the city including the Bata Shoe Museum.
Membership Benefits
- Unlimited free admission to ROM galleries and exhibitions
- Unlimited free admission to special ticketed exhibitions*
- Free Coat Check
- Previews of select exhibition and gallery openings
- Subscription to ROM magazine
- Discounts on select programs, lectures, and special events
- Advance booking opportunities for special ticketed programs and events*
- Discounts at ROM Boutique and Druxy’s ROM Café*
- Discounts on select Gift Membership Levels*
- Special Member-only discounts at local cultural institutions
- Free general admission at select Canadian Museums*
- Monthly eNewsletters to keep you up-to-date
- Travel opportunities to destinations around the world*
*Some restrictions apply. See here for pricing information and membership levels.
For a family with two adults and 4 children (17 and under), the cost is $161 for one year, or $291 for two years. A ROM family membership is the most cost-effective way to see all of what the museum has to offer, and enjoy a fun, interactive and educational experience with the family.
Disclosure: This post is proudly sponsored by the Royal Ontario Museum. As always, the opinions expressed herein are my own.
1 Comment
great post on the ROM! Our fav spots are the Dinosaurs, Bat Cave, Mummies and also the kids loved the hands-on biodiversity. I plan on asking the grandparents to get this for us the next time they are looking for a gift for the grandkids.