Royal Ontario Museum

Pros: lots of interesting stuff, particularly from Shanxi
Cons: see review

When I paid my fifteen Canadian dollars to get into the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the ticket seller checked to make sure that I was aware that some galleries were closed, as a startling expansion is underway and that the whole museum would be open ...

Pros: World Class exhibit quality, interesting building and surroundings, good special exhibits
Cons: Pricey for a family of four, construction until 2006

In spite of suffering from a slight case of museum fatigue, I made my to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) at about 3 o'clock on a Saturday. The ROM is the biggest museum in Toronto and in fact is the largest 'natural history' museum in Canada with 6 ...

Pros: Outstanding collections, particularly Asian artifacts
Cons: Poor accessibility, confusing navigation, not kid-friendly

Having grown up enjoying the ROM, I was looking forward to sharing its delights with my own children.  However, having now visited the newly-expanded ROM - featuring the startling Michael A Lee-Chin Crystal addition - twice, I am sadly ...

Pros: Friday nights are free!
Cons: Wish we could have been there longer.

I think every visitor to TO must visit the ROM! There is so much to see and I always make sure to see the mummy (Egyptian Pavilion) display every time I go.
The ROM is far better than visiting the CN Tower (which I think is boring for the amount...

Pros: Gift shop
Cons: Libeskind-designed 'Crystal' wing is the worst museum wing anywhere.

The once-noble Royal Ontario Museum was a favorite stop on my visits to Ontario. In its dignified setting, a reasonably good, if provincial collection was displayed to good effect. - Recently the museum underwent a disastrous expansion and renovation that lowered the museum to the level of a cheap amusement park ride. The exterior of the building is scarred by the most pretentious, attention-grabbing gimmick of a facade. The museum's new exterior might be appropriate for a casino in Las Vegas, but not for a cultural institution. Inside, jarring, poorly lit exhibitions try to settle into awkward and clumsy-looking galleries. Sloping walls and randomly-placed windows create a confusing, disoriented sense of place that make it hard to concentrate on the collection. This is now a museum where the most important exhibit has become the EXIT sign. I could not wait to get out of this pretentious place. So sad to see a once-good museum pander to the sort of design that will grab attention only to the great disservice of its collection.