Goats, Cake and Monkey Bars…Where Else?
Kids and animals are a natural fit, and there’s no better place in town to visit baby goats and new calves than the Canada Agriculture Museum. Now there is a fresh dimension of farm exploration for your family with the opening of the brand new, beautiful, two-level Learning Centre.
The main floor of the Learning Centre is home to A Piece of Cake. This display presents the sources of every required ingredient to make an Apple Cake. The highlight for us was the egg incubator’we’ll definitely be back soon to see the live chicks breaking out of their shells. There’s also a cute kitchen play area’settle in, because you’ll be able to sit in cool comfort as your little chef creates their own wooden picnic. As a bonus, the main floor offers a sleek new snack room and updated bathrooms’the best place on the farm for a family break.
Upstairs, there are three stunning lab rooms, where crafts, cooking classes, day camps and birthday parties are held. Yes, we said birthday parties. During special events, you can create a butterfly using apples and carrots (and then eat your creation) or use dry ice to create a fizzy drink as you explore kitchen chemistry. It’s all part of the fun’or learning’whatever way you want to look at it.
Once you’ve toured the new centre, don’t forget about the old favourites, like the small animal barn, the cow barn and the best outdoor play structure in town.
Good to Know: If it’s your first time visiting, be sure to pick up a schedule of the day’s interactive presentations at the entrance booth. Don’t miss the well-camouflaged back side of the dairy barn, which houses a contained toddler/preschooler play area, a tractor exhibit (with ride-on simulators) and the kitchen demonstrations’where you can nibble on a piece of delicious Apple Cake prepared according to the Learning Centre’s central recipe.
Live animals, playtime and treats too? We love that the Canada Agriculture Museum really does make learning a piece of cake.
Want to know what else we love? Check out our 10 Reasons to Love Ottawa.
Tested by Lynn J., Ottawa
