Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

my friend and i both thoroughly enjoyed this museum, even with the limited winter facilities. the aquaculture building is cool & informative, loved seeing the animals & especially the calves! the small animal barn was closed when i visited, i understand 100% the necessity of closing the barn for the health of the animals and visitors, i do wish it had been mentioned when we purchased our tickets. generally, i do wish the museum was a little more interactive & informative, the process of farming is so important and interesting, lots of extras they could do!

A fun museum for kids and adults. It took us 1.5hrs at a slow pace to go all around. I recommend a thick coat if going in the winter, the barns are heated but it still is a bit cold. All the animals here seem super healthy and well treated.

Wonderful "Live animal" farm ! Great for adults and kids. There was a Halloween themed area while we were there! Nice! Many farm animals to see (cows, calves, horses, pigs and their piglets, goats, sheep, bunnies and more. There's a play area for the little ones too ! Bonus: if you book online you can get CAA discount !

🌾 Canada Agriculture and Food Museum Where barns meet science — a working farm right in the city. Real animals: cows, sheep, horses — you can actually smell the hay, not just see pictures of it. Exhibits connect the dots between farming, food, and modern life in a way that feels grounded. Kid-friendly without being kiddie — adults learn plenty too. Visitors tip: Go early in the day — animals are more active. Expect strong barn smells and flies — it’s authentic farm life, not sanitized. Bottom line: A refreshingly down-to-earth museum that trades glass cases for fresh air, muck boots, and a dose of reality.

A Hidden Gem for Families - Canada Agriculture and Food Museum We absolutely love the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum! It’s hands down our favourite spot to visit as a family, and it’s no surprise that it’s my kids’ top pick. My son, especially, has been asking to go every single day during the week, and we finally made it happen this past Sunday. And oh boy, it did not disappoint! The museum has something exciting happening every 30 minutes, so there’s never a dull moment. From hands-on activities to interactive exhibits, the kids were completely engaged all day long. One of the highlights of our visit was when my kids got to participate in a cooking class – they made maple cupcakes! Being able to bake something so Canadian and delicious really topped off the experience. The cupcakes were amazing (and yes, we ate them all)! Another memory that will stay with us forever was getting to meet the adorable baby cows and lambs. The little ones were just too cute, and it was heartwarming to see my kids learn about where their food comes from in such a fun and engaging way. If you're looking for a place to spark joy and learning in your little ones, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is definitely worth a visit. It’s an enriching experience that brings our Canadian heritage to life, and it’s one we will be coming back to again and again. Highly recommend!

As someone who reviews a lot of places around Ottawa, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum has always stood out to me. I’ve visited a few times, including once as a volunteer on my son’s school field trip, and that day remains one of my favourite memories. Spending time with a group of kids, learning how ice cream was made before freezers existed, and even discovering where the name “ice cream sundae” comes from—it was fun, hands‑on, and surprisingly educational. This museum is one of the most engaging science‑related national museums in the capital region. It’s a place where both kids and adults can learn, explore, and enjoy something new every time. A reliable, meaningful stop for families and anyone curious about food, farming, and science. The museum is not free most of the day, but it is free every day from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. This is an official daily complimentary hour.

so fun!! you can even pet the baby cows which is 10/10 experience. the baby pigs are also so cute. it’s not busy or crowded so it’s a good spot for families :)

Nice Farm, but there wasn’t as much to see as we expected. It’s probably more suited for kids or families with young children. Still, it was a pleasant visit overall.

We enjoyed our visit. Children are ages 4, 7 & 9 and no one had any complaints. Person at the check in window was super nice & friendly. We will defenetly be back.

TLDR: Fun museum for kids. Lots of farm animals. Some parts are very smelly, lol. My husband and I went here with a friend and his kids. I think it's a great museum for kids, especially if they like animals or are interested in farming. There are lots of farm animals. They had horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, alpaca, turkeys, ducks, chicken, quails and rabbits. You can even pet some of them. They had some live demonstrations, which are amusing for kids. They have lots of exhibits, some of which are interactive. They had quizzes, and even video games like tractor driving simulators. There's a park with a play structure if kids need to burn off some energy. They have lots of picnic tables, some of which are covered. The only food sold on-site is from vending machines, so feel free to bring your own food. They do have an indoor area to eat by the vending machines if you don't want to eat outdoors. I like that they have lots of washroom throughout the site and also a few handwashing stations. They have water fountains where you can also refill your water bottles. They also have lots of hand sanitizer everywhere. They encourage you to sanitize your hands before and after touching the animals. I support good hand hygiene! Lol. There's lots of parking on-site. It's $3.75 an hour and the daily max is $9. (107)

Wonderful Place to take children. There was an ice cream making demonstration and many lovely farm animals to be seen and learn about. The property itself is gorgeous and with many shaded areas to take refuge was a great place for the kids in a sunny afternoon.

What a beautiful museum. This place is great for kids. I came here post lock down (I'll leave some details about the protocols at the end of my review), and I had a great time! Staff were really friendly and explained everything clearly to us before entering. They have a large park where you can play, lots of land to run around. Bring snacks/lunch if you plan on spending the day here, there is no restaurant on site. There is a honey bee farm on site, that I did not know of until I got near it, and then ran. Bring your camera! Great place for pictures! Covid 19 Protocols/things to know: -Book your ticket online. -Show up at the time you booked. Do not come late. They may refuse you from entering. Do not come without a booked reservation. They will refuse you from entering. If you show up early, there is a tent with picnic tables at the entrance where you can wait. -Bring your mask and wear it during the indoor exhibits. You can remove it outside if you wish. -Follow the arrows (Just like at the grocery store. I know this is new for everyone, but a lot of people were not following the arrows!) They are placed in all indoor exhibits on the floor to guide you. -Don't touch or feed the animals.

Very interesting demonstration farm with a working dairy, and various museum-style exhibits.

Ottawa has some amazing Museums. Unfortunately this is not one of them. Somehow there is no food available at a food museum. You can go through the whole thing in like an hour. Animals look miserable, have VERY limited space. The hogs hardly have enough room to stretch out and their only entertainment is a toy on a chain in the tiny little pen. Not only was this museum boring and disappointing, it left us feeling very sad the rest of the day. Parking is $3.75 per half hour. I am a museum person, this was hands down the worst one I've been to anywhere. There's some better local petting zoos and park omega only an hour away.

It was free after 5PM tonight (a Wednesday). Hard not to score that a five. A bit smelly, but a picturesque farm with lots of learning opportunities. Very peaceful.

This place is more like a farm/petting zoo than a museum so great for kids and adults alike. They have all sorts of animals: goats, alpacas, donkeys, pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens. Some of the notable exhibits: - They have an alpaca named Laurel, who was named before the whole Yanny/Laurel debate, as the staff was very adamant about. The alpacas were led to be pet by kids. - They have incredibly cute baby goats which can also be pet. The angora goats were very fluffy. - Go see the piglets!!!! They are the most adorable animals on the farm. When they sleep together, they are just a mass of piglets all sleeping on top of each other. - At certain times of the day, a staff member will do a presentation on the milking cows as you watch another staff member goes about preparing them to be milked. Everything is mechanized now, so pretty interesting site of seeing a long line of cows being milked by the machines. Be careful, the cows poop a lot. There was this one cow in the stall which we were looking at who spit at us. Be careful of that too. They can spit so far, so impressive. - They have two buildings that are more museum-like. One is the food building where you get a history of food preservation. Pretty cool exhibit. They also have an exhibit of tractors where they have a large tractor that you can climb up and sit in. I didn't see anywhere to get food, but the bathrooms are in the building that houses the pigs and sheep. Great place to come even if you don't have kids.

Everyday 4-5 is free admissions! We took advantage of this for sure and I think one hour was really all we needed in there for us. Plus no line and less people. We hit up every single place. I like the set up they have with animals in each barn like building. We saw employees milking the cows with the machine. There are alpaca, chickens, bunnies, horses, cows etc! We are from Connecticut so these things arent that out of the norm for us but the signs were very informational and exhibits were pretty interesting. We read about the bees in one of them and rode on the John Deere tractor simulation for tractor exhibit.

I absolutely love this place! They have an annual Sheep Shearing festival every year. You can actually see sheep being sheared, and if you are very lucky and ask nicely, you just might be able to go home with a real fleece! There is also an area where Arts and Crafts are on display, and children can learn and do things. The museum teaches a different craft every year, but there are other displays where you can learn to knit (The Ottawa Knitting Guild has a booth there every year with some of their work on display). Other demonstrators show Indian Finger Weaving where they make beautiful shashes, and there's a loom for weaving as well. The Ottawa Spinners and Weavers Guild has been there, spinning yarn. It's fun to visit the animals in the barns, all the cows and horses - and there's a donkey called Eyore! And this year as in previous years, there's a sheep dog demonstration. I look forward to this event every year!

I bought the Ottawa 3 museums pass (Aviation, Science, and agriculture). From all the museums this one is the least impressive. If you like to see farm animals you will love this place you can see pigs, cows, horses and chickens. You will learn about the things they do to them in farms (not sure its that smart to teach kids about some of the cruel things they do to them). I did enjoy the canola oil and seatalite farming technology part but overall I am glad I didnt pay admition and had the free pass.

This is a neat place to spend a couple hours with friends, family or children. It's also distinct because it's a preserved and operational heritage farm surrounded by green space in the middle of a large city. The animal barns are nice to visit, especially around the time when babies are being born. I highly suggest the baby chicks. However, you risk cuteness overload with these barns sometimes. My friend went to the museum last Sunday before coming over to my place. She was almost an hour late because she couldn't stop petting the animals. That's probably an extreme cautionary tale though. ;) There are frequent demonstrations of farm activities throughout the day. Make sure to be in the right barn at the right time. There are also a few scattered exhibits, including a pretty neat tractor room. Regular admission is $6 per adult, $5 per student and senior, $3 per child 3-14 and $13 per family. Children under 3 get in for free. Admission is free to the animal barns during the winter months (November 1 to February 28).

I absolutely love this place! Our family visited the Canada Agriculture Museum for the first time this summer. This museum is part of a group of 3 for which you can buy a yearly pass for the whole family. If you plan to visit often, the pass is definitely worth it! We have already spent the cost of the pass by visiting 3 times. This museum is more geared towards kids. My almost 3 year old loves this place. He loves visiting the animals, playing with the water exhibits, as well as the honey/bees one. There is even a small play area with a variety of toys. This was the perfect spot to stop so my toddler could play in a safe area while I nursed my newborn. My only complaint (and this is why I'm giving it 4 stars) relates to the fact that there is nothing nutritious to eat on site if you plan to spend the day there. Most people seem to bring a picnic but since we didn't know this at our first visit, we ended up eating machine-bought cookies. There is a nice air conditioned building with a few vending machines with junk food in them. Nice building but poor quality food. If you plan to visit, I suggest you bring a bag with your own food. For the first time this winter, the museum will stay open. We look forward to our next visit! If you have kids, this is a must-see!

I visit this place more as a petting zoo than a museum, so I can't really speak to the exhibits and demonstrations, but when I need to de-stress, this beats a spa appointment any day. The Ag offers lots of opportunities to observe and interact with the animals within nicely kept barns that have a rustic, heritage ambiance. The animals are adorable and very willing to approach visitors, which makes the farm lots of fun for kids (actually, 90% of the time, I'm the only visitor who isn't in possession of a child, but I love this place too much to feel awkward). The trip from barn to barn is quite short and most barns are ventilated with big fans, so hot-day trips are bearable. The germaphobe in me appreciates the easily accessible hand-washing stations. The animal/manure smell might be overwhelming for some, so before splurging on a full-length visit, drop in at no cost after 4PM--it's free one hour before closing--and see whether you can handle it. If not, the surrounding Arboretum offers fresh air, beautiful flowers, and a lovely, peaceful setting for a walk, picnic, or quiet afternoon of reading.

The up close experience that this museum/farm provides is amazing. We were looking for something to do with our young kids and they had a great time here. They especially liked the sheep, ducks, tractor exhibit, learning center and bees. Being able to show our children where their Milk and food comes from is a wonderful learning tool. They loved to interact with the animals and hear the cows Moo and the goats Bahh. The barns are not heated (other than the learning center) so dress warm if visiting in the winter. Even though the playground was snow covered the boys got a little climbing and sliding in. Great fun for the family!

Many thanks to the wonderful staff at the museum. They are terrific with children and spend a lot of time explaining the exhibits. A great place to spend the afternoon with your little ones. Super learning opportunities.

This was a great place to bring the kids. There is lots of interaction with animals, and a wonderful playground to run and get energy out. There only down side is that if you want to spend all day (which you could seeing the events happening every half hour) you need to bring in your own snacks and meals. There is some vending machines but leaving and coming back for lunch is a pain. Other than that, very nice.

Huge hit with kids. Overall we visite this museum the most. Different things going on always based on the season. It's cool. We've done everything from ice cream making, hay bail climbing to brushing a baby goat. So much to do so much to learn. Hope they get a new colony of bees soon. Kids miss finding the queen bee