Description: The Natural History Museum is a great place to come with kids any time, but we especially like it when it's free. The museum opens up on Canada Day for the whole day, and it's a nice respite from the weather (either heat or rain).
The museum has an annual butterfly tent which is up and running by Canada Day. You go through a double entry to get into the tent to see the butterflies up close. If you are very still, a butterfly might even land on you. There are dozens of different breeds of butterflies in the tent.
This year, there was also an exhibit on "Norther Jaws: Sharks of Canada" that the kids liked. They particularly liked the model shark head that you could climb into.
The other temporary display that was open when we were there was the Bug Zone. There were many different kids of bugs, mostly butterflies.
The Bug Zone was also a hit with my kids. The 8-year-old and my mother both tried a mealy worm as cooked up by Chef Bug-ar-dee in the museum. Eww.
Permanent displays that are always amusing include the live bees (the bees have a hive in the museum that they enter and exit through a tube to the outdoors), the display case of animal dung, (luckily it is not fresh), and Gus the Turtle. Gus is 84 years old and has been living at the museum for 50 years. There are also displays about the earth, ocean life, live reptiles, etc.
There is lots of room to get the stroller through the museum, even when its crowded. There is a ramp to get to the upper level (which is only a couple of steps up). You do need to come in through a side entrance to get in though. Luckily, the wheelchair/stroller entrance is adjacent to the parking lot, so it is usually not a problem.
The problem this year is that the parking lot is currently under construction. There is a large sign saying that parking is available at the QEII Health Sciences Centre across the road, but you have to go around to the Robie Street Side to get to it. That is about a 2 block walk. (There is closer parking at meters, but they do have time limits).
Normal summer rates are $3 for kids (6-17), and $5 for adults or $15 per family. In the winter months, the price is less ($9 per family). Normal hours are 9:30-5 (5:30 in the summer). They are also open late on Wednesday (until 8pm) and it's free to get in after 5.
You can also get a Nova Scotia Museum pass for $75 per family that is good at 27 different museums in Nova Scotia (many in the Halifax area).
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