Some Nifty Canadian Museums

Buzzfeed has a list of 39 museums to visit before you die. Unlike many BF lists, this one is pretty well rounded. I would go so far as to say it's a good list. Sure, it skews heavily to America with a nod to Europe and, I think, one Canadian entry (the Canadian War Museum, which really is an incredible experience and you should totally visit), but you don't see much from Asia or pretty much the entirety of the Southern Hemisphere. Considering that the Buzzfeed community, while global, is largely centred in the English speaking West, it's not surprising. And, frankly, I can't add much more to the list because I am not well travelled, not in a global sense.

But, I am well travelled enough through Canada to add a few more selections. Not necessarily suggested for their big budgets or blockbuster exhibits, here are five museums, in no particular order, you should totally visit in this diverse and gigantic country I call home.

Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg: it has a sailing ship inside it. They built the wing that houses The Nonsuch around the 17th century naval ketch. It also houses the spectacular HBC gallery, which showcases some of the incredible artefacts collected by the Hudson's Bay Company over three hundred years.  Also, it's the home of the world's largest trilobite.

Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Halifax: Canada's version of Ellis Island and no less emotionally charged, this museum of immigration focuses heavily on the lived experience, using oral history effectively within simple, but aesthetic exhibits.

MacBride Museum of Yukon History, Whitehorse: There are a number of wonderful, unique museums in Yukon, and I had some trouble deciding to pick this one over the others.  That said, this museum has a pretty diverse collection and touches on natural and cultural history in a place where nature and culture are intimately entwined.

The Canoe Museum, Peterborough: It's not just a museum about canoes.  This is a museum about Canada.  It encompasses First Nations histrories, colonial and settler histories, art & craft, mechanisation, industry, tourism... I could go on.  Also, it's just plain nifty.

Buxton Museum National Historic Site, North Buxton (Chatham): This little museum in southwestern Ontario blows my mind.  The story of Buxton is one of the Slave Trade and the Underground Railroad as much as it is of success and struggles, percerverance, and community.  While you're in the area, you can also visit the real Uncle Tom's Cabin and just driving through the region you can also find plenty of colonial and 1812 history, too.  It's not all corn and tobacco fields.

Have you visited any of these sites?  What did you think of them?  Leave a comment.