Gadding About Ontario

Do you have a bucket list?  We are developing one about Ontario at the moment, trying to see some of the highlights within our region.

We started getting serious about it a couple of weeks ago, and went to Sudbury for 2 days.   Sudbury, you ask?  The city is home to two fascinating museums, one called Science North, and the other called Dynamic Earth.

We spent a full day at Science North, much to our surprise, because there were so many things to see and do.  One could argue that Science North is for children, because there are so many ways they can interact with the displays.  On the other hand, some of us seniors held our own in getting to do things.

One of the first displays we saw was a 4-D display on firefighting wildfires.  Yeah, we had the screen and the special glasses, which gave us a terrific 3-D picture.  Then, our seats shook as the water bomber took off to deliver a load of water, raindrops fell on us as the load was delivered, and mist arose when we were following the groundfighters into the smoky forest.  Wow!  What a bag of fun!

Most displays had information explaining natural forces and then opportunities to see how they worked.  Doesn’t this remind you of playing at the curbs after a rainstorm?

They had an excellent bug museum where everyone was encouraged to hold the insects and spiders.

In addition, a butterfly museum challenged photographers to try and catch the insect on the wing.

A collector’s trading place allowed kids to bring in whatever rocks, insects, pressed plants, etc. they had collected to earn points.  Those points could be used to “purchase” other collectables.  The rock samples were to die for—I almost came home to get mine to trade in.  Staff helped a collector to use the library provided to correctly identify their samples, and points were awarded not only on the relative rarity of the sample but the knowledge of the collector as well.

As you went up the stairs to the topmost level, a huge dinosaur skeleton hung overhead.

The topmost floor was dedicated to space (naturally) and participants had the opportunity to participate in a gyroscope that trained astronauts on their new orientation to different perspectives.  The guys toughed it out, but the women always screamed.

The best part about Science North was there was never too much on any one topic; there was just enough to stimulate curiosity and interest and make us plan to come back soon to see more.  (And play with the toys when the damn kids weren’t around!)

Our second day was spent at the museum called Dynamic Earth, but was best known as the Big Nickel.

This museum focused on mining and the history of mining.  We got a tour (merely 70 feet underground) which depicted mining from the 1800’s to today.  What I didn’t expect was all the water dripping down the rocks (it was raining outside), and realizing how miserable it must have been in the primitive conditions the early miners experienced.  Our tour guide gave us lots of useful info.

Today’s mining mostly comprises machines underground that could be remotely operated, and you could try your hand at it at different points in the museum.  Apparently it is an acquired skill.

Dynamic Earth also featured fossils to some degree, and had a special feature on sharks.  The ancient ones were BIG.

All in all, it was a wonderful Ontario adventure, and we are looking forward to the next one.