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Armoury of the Mount Royal Fusiliers
The former munitions depot of this Canadian Black Watch regiment is a miniature château complete with steel turrets and battlements. Today it's an administrative center and a museum of old military gear, but you'll be hard-pressed to find it open.
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Biodôme
At this captivating kid-friendly exhibit you can amble through a rainforest, the Arctic Circle, rolling woodlands or along the raw Atlantic oceanfront - all without ever leaving the building. Be sure to dress in layers for the temperature swings.
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Biosphère
Located in the striking spherical dome of the former American pavilion in the '67 World's Fair, the center has the most spectacular collection of hands-on displays in the entire city. The 'sphere's' raison d'être is to explain the Great Lakes-St Lawrence River ecosystem, which makes up 20% of the planet's water reserves.
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Black Watch Highlanders Regimental Museum & Archives
The presence of the legendary Highlanders is usually reserved for holidays and official ceremonies, but military buffs can delve deeper at this small museum of military memorabilia which includes medals, insignia, munitions and small arms prior to 1969. The fanciful building - a faux Gothic castle, complete with turrets - also houses a national military archive and takes numerous requests for personnel documents.
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Centre Canadien d'Architecture
The Canadian Centre of Architecture has a dual role: as a museum of the country's architectural heritage, and as a research center to promote future development. This innovative building incorporates a modern museum with Shaughnessy House, the 1874 residence of a wealthy businessman and one of Montréal's few 19th-century homes open to the public.
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Centre d'Histoire de Montréal
Housed in a handsome old fire hall on Place d'Youville, the Montréal History Centre has 300-plus artifacts that illustrate the city's eventful past with the aid of models and videos. It also does wonderful temporary exhibits like the recent 'Swinging Nights in Montréal', the history of the city's jazz scene.
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Château Ramezay
A home of French governors in the early 18th century, this mansion is one of the finest examples from the ancien régime . It was built for the 11th governor, Claude de Ramezay, and includes 15 interconnecting rooms with a ballroom of mirrors and mahogany galore. Ramezay went broke trying to maintain it.
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Cosmodôme
Experience the thrill of space flight in this interactive museum of space and new technologies a half-hour's drive north of Montréal. Exhibits focus on the solar system, satellite communications, teledetection and space travel, and there are mock-ups of rockets, the space shuttle Endeavor and planets. The center also runs space camps for one to five days for kids aged nine and up in a sort of mini-NASA training.
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Écomusée Du Fier Monde
This magnificent ex-bathhouse explores the history of Centre-Sud, a former industrial district in Montréal. The museum's permanent exhibition, Triumphs and Tragedies of a Working-Class Society, puts faces on the Industrial Revolution through a series of excellent photos and multi-media displays. The 1927 building is the former Bain Généreux, an Art Deco public bathhouse modeled on one in Paris. Frequent modern art exhibitions are also held here.
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Fur Trade In Lachine National Historic Site
This old stone depot from 1803 is now an engaging little museum telling the story of the fur trade in Canada. Visitors can view the furs and old trapper's gear, and costumed interpreters show how the bales and canoes were schlepped by the native voyageurs , or trappers. The presentation is held throughout the day and kids love it.
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Holocaust Memorial Centre
The Montréal Holocaust Memorial Centre provides a record of Jewish history and culture from pre-WWII Europe and holds seminars, exhibitions and other events. There's also a Jewish library open to the public. The museum is closed on Jewish holidays; call to confirm Friday hours between November and March.
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Maison St-Gabriel
This magnificent farmhouse is one of the finest examples of traditional Québec architecture. The house was bought in 1668 by Marguerite Bourgeoys to house a religious order. Young women, called the Filles du Roy , who were sent from Paris to Montréal to find husbands also stayed here. The 17th-century roof of the two-story building is of particular interest for its intricate beam work, one of the few of its kind in North America.
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McGill University
The campus, one of Canada's most prestigious learning institutions, is rather nice for a stroll around at the foot of Mont Royal, and also incorporates the Musée Redpath. Founded in 1828 by James McGill, a rich Scottish fur trader, the university's medical and engineering faculties have a fine reputation and many campus buildings are showcases of Victorian architecture.
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Montréal Planetarium
This 20m-high dome offers a window on the stars, space and the solar system via a celestial projector. The 50-minute shows run in shifts: mornings are geared toward kids and school groups, afternoons are for all ages and evenings are reserved for adult programs. Seasonal presentations run at Christmas and other times of the year.
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Moulin Fleming
This restored five-story windmill was built for a Scottish merchant in 1816, and a multimedia exhibit inside covers its two centuries of history. It's a nice diversion if you're out here visiting the other Lachine sites, and a great photo op.
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Musée d'Archéologie et d'Histoire Pointe-à-Callière
Built on the very spot where European settlers set up their first camp, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology & History provides a good overview of Montréal's beginnings. Visitors should start with Montreal, Tales of a City a 20-minute multimedia show that illustrates the centuries with the aid of film, hologram characters and real drizzle.
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Musée d'Art Contemporain
This showcase of contemporary Canadian art has eight galleries divided between past greats since 1939, and exciting current developments. A collection of 6000 permanent works includes Quebec legends Jean-Paul Riopelle, Paul-Émile Borduas and Génévieve Cadieux. There are also temporary exhibitions of works by current Canadian and international artists.
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Musée de Lachine
One of the oldest houses in the Montréal region (1669) with shooting holes inserted in the structure for defense. In those days Lachine was the last frontier for trappers headed west and the final stop for fur shipments. Here you can see and smell the old fur-storage building from the original trading days. Adjacent to the museum is a huge waterfront sculpture garden that you can visit anytime from dawn to dusk.
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Musée des Beaux-Arts
Montréal's Museum of Fine Arts, the oldest in the country and the city's largest, is housed in two buildings: the classical, marble-covered Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion, and the modern annex across the street, the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion. The latter plays host to works by European and Canadian masters but also ancient artifacts from Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Far East; Islamic art and works from Africa and Oceania.
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Musée des Soeurs Grises
Dedicated to Saint Marguerite d'Youville, founder of the community of the Sisters of Charity, better known as the Grey Nuns, this museum has a small but wonderfully presented set of exhibits. There's regularly scheduled tours in French and English but you must call ahead for the schedule and availability.
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Musée Ferroviaire Canadien
The Canadian Railway Museum contains more than 150 historic vehicles, ranging from locomotives, steam engines, Old Montréal street cars and passenger cars to snow plows. It's widely acknowledged as one of North America's most outstanding collections. Not particularly well-known by Montrealers, this museum gets raves from those that make the trek, especially families, and many claim it's the best museum in the Montréal area.
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Musée Juste Pour Rire
The Just for Laughs Museum is the seat of the summer comedy festival of the same name. Apparently comedian George Burns was nearly killed by a brick of fake banknotes here, but otherwise guffaws are few and far between. A favorite with kids, the Abracadabra show reveals a fascinating glimpse of magic and magicians behind the scenes. The adjacent Cabaret Theater (845-2014) stages special events and shows.
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Musée Marc-Aurèle Fortin
This museum has but a few viewing rooms dedicated to a sole Québec painter, Marc-Aurèle Fortin (1888-1970), whose depictions of lush trees and greenery transformed the art of landscapes. A self-taught genius, Fortin produced thousands of works. He painted until his death, even after he lost his legs, and later his eyesight to diabetes. Fortin's bold, colourful paintings are a sharp contrast to his tragic end.
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Musée McCord
With hardly an inch to spare in its cramped but welcoming galleries, the McCord Museum of Canadian History houses nearly a million artifacts and documents illustrating the social, cultural and archaeological history of Canada from the 18th century till the present.
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Musée Redpath
A Victorian spirit of discovery pervades this old natural history museum though you won't find anything more gruesome than stuffed animals from the Laurentians hinterland. The Redpath Museum houses a large variety of specimens, a life-sized dinosaur skeleton and seashells donated from around the world. A highlight is the 3rd-floor Ethnology Gallery which traces the beginnings of mankind.
