2 Best Sights in Toronto, Ontario

The ROM (as the Royal Ontario Museum is known to locals), opened in 1914, is Canada's largest museum and has a reputation for making its science, art, and archaeology exhibits accessible and appealing. The architecture of the gigantic complex, which includes the ultramodern Michael Lee-Chin Crystal gallery—a series of interlocking prismatic shapes spilling out onto Bloor Street—helps exemplify this.

Other highlights include the Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court, a four-story atrium with aluminum bridges connecting the old and new wings, and an angular pendant skylight through which light pours into the open space. A look through the windows reveals parts of the treasures inside, such as the daunting creatures from the Age of Dinosaurs exhibit standing guard. The Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costume angles out 80 feet over Bloor Street from its fourth-floor perch.

The Daphne Cockwell Gallery of Canada exhibits an impressive range of First Peoples historical objects and artifacts, from pre-contact time to the present. The Matthews Family Court of Chinese Sculpture Gallery displays monumental Buddhist sculpture dating from 200 BC through 1900; the Gallery of Korea has over 260 artifacts of Korean art and culture. The Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery houses the best objects of a 7,000-piece collection that spans 5,000 years, and includes items from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. The main floor has free admission during the summer.

It has been called a museum of the 21st century, but it's much more than that—where else can you stroll through a real rain forest and explore the boundaries of the human body? Even the building itself is extraordinary: three linked pavilions float gracefully down the side of a ravine and overflow with exhibits that make science and technology fascinating. The sprawling Weston Family Innovation Centre, rife with hands-on activities, is all about experience and problem solving. Younger visitors learn through play in KidSpark, a space specially designed for children eight and under to enjoy and explore. IMAX films and demonstrations of robotics, electricity, and more take place daily; check the schedule when you arrive.