Is the Museum of Nature in Ottawa Autism Friendly? -

Is the Museum of Nature in Ottawa Autism Friendly?

The Canadian Museum of Nature looks like an incredible destination. However, I didn’t find much here that would appeal to most children with autism. In this review, I break down different aspects of the museum and give ratings out of 10 so you know whether it will be a good fit for your child.

Ottawa was the first stop on our East Coast Canada road trip. We spent three nights in the city, dedicating one full day to Calypso Water Park (follow our Facebook page so you don’t miss that autism-friendly review!). This itinerary left us one full day in Ottawa to explore. Since Grandma wasn’t interested in any of our planned Ottawa attractions, Brie, Zen, and I went out for the day on our own.

We, of course, checked out Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal, which left enough time to visit two museums. I knew we wanted to visit the Canadian Museum of History to check out the Children’s Museum (review here), since the kids loved the London Children’s Museum. This meant we had time for one more museum visit in the morning. We chose the Museum of Nature because it seemed to offer a lot. But, as far as being autism-friendly, it was a miss for us.

The Canadian Museum of Nature doesn’t offer any specific sensory-friendly hours. If you’re looking for places that do in Ottawa, check out this guide. If you want more general details about what you’ll find at the museum, check out my family review of the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Where to Stay: Hotels Near the Canadian Museum of Nature

If you want to stay close to the museum, here are some top hotels near the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa:

The Business Inn ($): 9-minute walk
Cartier Place Suite Hotel ($$): 12-minute walk
The Metcalfe Hotel ($$$) : 18-minute walk
Lord Elgin Hotel ($$$$): 14-minute walk

If you don’t mind staying a bit further, here are some other great Ottawa area hotels:

Château Cartier Hotel ($): 17-minute drive
Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre ($$): 8-minute drive
Brookstreet ($$$): 22-minute drive
Fairmont Chateau Laurier ($$$$): 23-minute walk or 7-minute drive

My Canadian Museum of Nature Autism-Friendly Rating

Overall rating: 5/10

While the Canadian Museum of Nature may be appealing for an autistic child who has a special interest in a topic that’s featured in one of the exhibits (like dinosaurs or birds), for most children, the museum will be pretty boring. Sensory seekers won’t find much to fulfil their needs here, and sensory avoiders may struggle with the noise level and crowds. While some museums make great places to take a break from busier attractions when traveling with an autistic child, this one is as busy as most other Ottawa attractions.

Tickets

Rating: 9/10

Tickets can be purchased online if you want to avoid the line-up to purchase at the door. The Museum of Nature accepts the Access 2 Card, which allows one accompanying adult to enter for free with the cardholder. To purchase tickets in advance with the free support person, email [email protected].

We didn’t get our tickets in advance, but the line-up moved fairly fast, so it wasn’t a long wait. With me getting in free as Brie’s support person, and the Canada Strong discount for both kids, it only ended up being $13 for all three of us.

Safety For Children with Autism

Rating: 6/10

The museum is huge, with 5 floors and one or two exhibits on each. Each exhibit is in a fairly self-contained area, with only one entrance/exit for the exhibit, but there are also emergency exits. These exhibits aren’t just a room either; they each take up half a floor, and there are many places where it would be hard to figure out which way your child went if they got too far ahead and turned a corner.

If it’s not too crowded, it’s fairly easy to keep an eye on your child while still giving them a bit of space, but once the crowd comes, it gets harder. If you have a wanderer or runner, you’ll want to keep them close. Or, if you aren’t using a stroller, I’d recommend a safety harnesses, wrist leash, or waist leash, and a tracking device like an AirTag, Tile, or Smart Tag worn in a bracelet, necklace, shoe insoles or hidden AirTag pockets.

Staff

Rating: 7/10

There were staff at the door or inside each exhibit. Their primary role appeared to be security, as they stood in doorways and monitored the area. They seemed very observant and watched everyone closely, so they would likely notice and stop a wandering child.

While quiet, they did appear approachable for help or questions. However, their uniforms were not child-friendly. They had more of a professional look, so a lost child may not easily recognize them as museum staff.

Noise Level

Rating: 8/10

The entrance area was a bit loud, but the noise level dropped significantly once we entered the exhibits. The rooms are very large and open, meaning that even with a crowd, it doesn’t become overwhelmingly loud. Brie had no issues with the noise level and gave it a thumbs up.

Museum of Nature Sensory Friendly Activities

Rating: 4/10

There really aren’t any dedicated sensory-friendly activities, or even many play areas. While some interactive exhibits may engage older kids and teens, the museum will likely be pretty boring for younger children.

The museum does offer a sensory bag available to borrow if needed. This bag includes ear defenders, sunglasses, communication cards, and fidget toys. Brie had her own travel sensory bag, so we didn’t check it out.

On a positive note, the museum is generally not an overstimulating environment. When it’s not crowded, all of the exhibits have a pretty serene vibe, and some areas even feature calming music.

Sensory Friendly Times

Rating: 0/10

The Canadian Museum of Nature does not offer any sensory-friendly times or events. While the noise and lighting weren’t an issue for us, the regular crowds can certainly be overwhelming. I strongly recommend visiting on a weekday morning or during the off-season if you are looking to avoid the crowds.

Break Areas

Rating: 3/10

While the museum generally offers a serene environment, finding a quiet place to take an overwhelmed child may be impossible when it’s crowded. The only designated quiet options I found were the family washrooms (one on each floor) and a nursing room located off the Café.

Brie was getting pretty overstimulated near the end of our visit. We opted to take a break outside on some benches near the entrance before calling an Uber to our next attraction. This worked well for us since the weather was nice, but if it hadn’t been, we would have struggled to find a suitable indoor space for her to relax.

Eating Area

Rating: 7/10

The Café offers a few kid-friendly food options, such as pizza and ham and cheese sandwiches. They also sell some treats, including “worms and dirt” and cookies. I found limited gluten-free options, mainly a salad and some veggies with hummus.

Located past the Café is a large eating area that provides more seating (the Café itself fills up quickly). You are also allowed to bring your own food into this area, which is ideal when traveling with a child who has food aversions or allergies. Unfortunately, this space is fairly loud, with bored kids running around and playing after they finish eating.

Brie’s Experience

While Zen enjoyed the content and took her time reading in the first gallery, Brie quickly lost interest. A young child crying nearby triggered Brie, and she asked for her headphones. We quickly took a break on a bench in a quieter spot to manage the sensory input.

Though that was the only time she needed her headphones, her interest level didn’t increase much in the rest of the exhibits. When I asked her, she gave the Museum of Nature a 10/10 for fun, but there truly wasn’t much that caught or held her attention. I pointed out all the hands-on exhibits I saw, but she didn’t want to try many of them.

We did find a small play area inside the Bird Gallery. Brie walked inside the little vet building to look around, but wasn’t interested in playing. A memory game caught her attention, and she happily watched another child play with it, but declined to try it herself once he finished.

Her favorite area was the Water Gallery, which she spent a bit longer exploring, but we finished long before Zen did. By the time we reached this exhibit, the museum was getting crowded, so she was likely becoming too overstimulated to fully engage. Overall, she gave the museum a thumbs up for loudness but a thumbs down for the crowd.

Final Thought on Visiting the Canadian Museum of Nature with Autism

The Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa looks like an incredible destination. While the museum is amazing to see, and the price made it worth stopping since we could use the Canada Strong pass and Access 2 Card, at full price, it wouldn’t have been worth it for us. If you do decide to check it out, I’d recommend going on a weekday morning, off-season if you can, to avoid the crowds.

If you’re looking for more sensory-friendly activities or autism-friendly travel ideas, check out our other posts on autism friendly events, attractions, and hotels and follow us on Facebook and TikTok so you don’t miss what Brie and I discover next.

Want to share your experience at the Museum of Nature, Ottawa, or recommend other sensory-friendly attractions in Ontario? Join our new Autism on Vacation Facebook group, where families can share reviews and tips or ask others for advice when planning their trips.