Ripley's Aquarium of Canada and Sawfish Love

A recent trip to Toronto was mainly about being with family but we did manage to squeeze in some touristing too. The largest aquarium in Canada had opened since we last visited there and it was getting some good reviews. So Spud and I checked it out.

There are no whales or dolphins or seals; that didn't bother Spud one bit; he's more of a non-mammal guy anyway. But there was an amazingly long underwater tunnel through a 2.5 million litre tank! If you can believe it. It includes a ride on a slow moving sidewalk which is a genius method for dealing with crowds — every spot is a front row seat to beautiful vistas including colourful fish, rays, sharks, turtles and sawfish.

Spud was really excited to see the endangered green sawfish up close, in person. He's had a fascination with sawfish since his grade 2 project on endangered animals. This was his rendition of the sawfish reproductive cycle. The two in love kill me every time.

The ROM

TORONTO WITH KIDS | GREAT MUSEUM
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen’s Park · 416 586 8000

The ROM is world class and very well suited to every age group. We enjoyed the natural history...









The ROM has been very successful in modernizing its exhibitions. What once was probably countless drawers and glass cases of stuffed and pinned animals is now lively displays of mini environments including plenty of interactivity.





We also took in a few cultural exhibitions ...







Keep an eye out for the 3 Hands-on Galleries. And ask what's happening at ROMkids. We participated in a little jewel scavenger hunt, mined for gold, and created crystal structures with molding clay.



While not for everyone, the architecture alone was worth the visit for me. The new addition to the ROM is spectacular. It's hard not to marvel at the exterior's grandeur and extreme angles. Is there even one perpendicular, right angle anywhere in the structure? How do they do that?









This is equally apparent on the inside where each room has its own dizzying shape and personality.





Where the old and the new come together is very exciting. You know, any time you can use the word juxtaposition it's always fun.



My photos hardly give it credit. Check out flickr for more.