Because this week is March Break here in Ontario I decided to plan a trip to the
Royal Ontario Museum(ROM) to keep my guys busy for a day. Located in the heart of Toronto, the ROM offers something for visitors of all ages. As luck would have it, the
Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit was still running so I knew it would be the perfect place for my boys to explore.
Getting to the ROM is relatively easy, but finding parking, is another story. After circling the block around the museum, we settled on an underground lot just North of the museum. If you are able to, the easiest way to get there is by subway. In fact the stairs come up right in front of the museum.
General admission is $15 adults, $12 kids 4-14 and $13.50 for seniors and students. Admission to the
Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit was $10 more for and adult and $5 more for kids. After a quick calculation I realized that it would be $59 for the three of us to get in and started looking online for coupons. The only thing I could find was a 35% discount for entry after 4:30, which was fine. Our date to the ROM would be a dinner one and I would save $18!
As soon as we arrived our first stop was the basement where the
Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit is being housed. The ROM did a really great job of displaying a variety of dinosaurs and information in an interactive way. In front of every dino skeleton, there was an iPad that had videos in french and english to explain about the characteristics of each one. All of our favorites were in attendance including the most popular – T-REX and Giganotosaurus(last image).
After spending over an hour in Gondwanaland, we headed up to the main floor where the Bishop White Gallery of Chinese Temple Art Gallery is located. This beautiful exhibit features murals from the Yuan dynasty (AD1271 – 1368), and sculptures from the 12th to 15th century.
Here we also saw some beautiful Chinese Architectural pieces like this carriage, which would have been used from the 17th to early 20th Century. It was in great condition and had been constructed with wheels that had been reinforced by 423 iron nails.
Next we moved up to the third floor where we visited the gallery dedicated to Ancient Egyptian culture. Walking through this section of the museum gave me the opportunity to teach my boys about mummification and early customs. Seeing all of the artifacts created such an interest for my oldest that he insisted that I find him more information on the Ancient Egyptian culture and the pyramids when we got home. And while they were a little taken back at first, seeing a ‘real’ mummy was a highlight for both of them.
A must for me was visiting the
Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costume exhibit on the fourth floor. Recently refreshed to include some new pieces, the Textiles & Costumes exhibit ‘features forty objects – both historical and contemporary – gathered from the ROM’s extensive collections showcase from around the world. The pieces range from Egyptian clothing to 18th- and 19th- century western costumes to 20th-century haute couture. Some have never before been on display.’
As you walk through the door, John Galliano’s Passage # 5 gown welcomes you. This gorgeous masterpiece took 500 hours to make and 175 metres of cloth. It was created just one month before Galliano’s controversial anti-semitic comments, which caused the designed to be fired from his position as head designer at the fashion house.
Vivienne Tam’s “Water sleeve” evening gown is also on display. Created with digitally printed textiles, this gown is only 1 of 17 produced.
A dress from Tom Ford’s last collection for Yves Saint Laurent, which was just one of three created, was also featured.
I liked a silk sleeveless dress that was not as high profile as the high fashion pieces that it accompanied, but was carefully created from rich velvet and lavish gold and silver embroidery.
The kids were less interested in Textiles & Costumes exhibit than with the others, but they found a spot on a couch in the corner and watched a video on a felt yurt being constructed. The display actually had quite a few videos on various textiles, which they enjoyed. This bought me some time to walk around the room and appreciate all of the pieces. Thankfully it was also very close to closing time so it was just the three of us in the room.
During our visit, we were only able to see a very small percentage of the exhibits that were on display. If my boys were older I would say a full day would be in order, but in their case 4 hours was more than enough history for them. I plan to go back this Summer to see what will be replacing the
Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit and hopefully visit to the rest of the floors to see the Teck Suite of Galleries: Earth’s Treasures and Samuel European Galleries.
If you want to see the Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit you need to go quickly. It closes on the 17th of March. For more information, please visit the
ROM’s Website.
Built in 1724, the historical significance of this site is apparent with every step you take around the grounds. And while the main buildings are incredible, the one thing that struck me as paramount was the wall that surrounded the property.
Significantly reduced over the years, the thick stone wall, which is known as the long barracks was used as Spanish army barrack and hospital, later it was a fortress, a United States Army quartermaster depot, a general store, and in 1905 became a shrine and museum. It was once two floors but the second floor was removed in 1913 in an effort to remove the “unoriginal” portions of the building, leaving only the walls standing.
Below is an image with the second floor attached when it was known as the Hugo and Schmeltzer Building. I found this image of it at WilkinsonRanch.
Now the Long Barracks (Convento) house a museum.
A monument outside shows the size of the original mission.
Note that the chapel is at the top right. The two boxes to the left of the chapel still exist(partially), but the huge outer wall no longer exists. In 1836 the Mexicans knocked down some of the outer walls of the compound.
The chapel of the Alamo Mission(Mission San Antonio de Valero) is the undoubtedly the most famous part of the site. Inside it is lined with cases containing artifacts from the Battle of Texas. Weapons, maps, news articles and many treasures can be found in the chapel and also in the long barracks and gift shop. Also on display is William Barret Travis’ Ring.
Also on the site is the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library. Because I visited on a Sunday, I wasn’t able to go inside and look around. The building the library is housed in was built in 1950. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas have collected an extensive anthology of Texian history. In fact, many of the pieces in the reference center have been donated by families in the area.
Across the street there is also a memorial, The Alamo Cenotaph, that was erected in Memory of the Heroes who sacrificed their lives at the Alamo, March 6, 1836 in the defense of Texas.
Seen on the sides of the Cenotaph are carvings of the Alamo defenders, including depictions of William B. Travis, Jim Bowie, David Crockett and James B. Bonham. The monument also bears the names of men who died at the Alamo and this inscription,
