There are several museums that I really like, some have amazing exhibits and some have awesome artifacts, but The Military Museums in Calgary, Alberta had something else completely. On top of all the ordinary things that we love about museums, this museum had the ability to make us truly feel. We were able to learn about all of the things that soldiers have done through history but we were also able to get a glimpse into the lives they lived and the people they helped through all of the extremely well-done exhibits throughout the museum.
The museum is broken up into multiple different exhibits going through Canada’s involvement in the wars. World War 1, World War 2, and the war in Afghanistan are the most prominent wars but there are also different wars mentions throughout the museum. We learned about so many interesting things that we didn’t know about or understand fully before our visit. Seeing the Cold War exhibit and the bomb shelter was a real eye-opener. Showing the kids that soldiers also do very good things that don’t involve any violence at all, such as helping little communities get clean water or giving children little gifts. My daughter in particular really enjoyed learning about the peacekeeping missions because she really doesn’t like the idea of violence.
I think that if you want to go somewhere to learn about the Canadian Military or the history of the wars that the Canadian Military has assisted in then this is the best place to do that. It was eye-opening as well as educational and yet still family friendly. The learning opportunities are endless, there are so many signs with information and stories as well as some more interactive learning opportunities.
Pros:
- Family friendly, wheel chair and stroller accessable
- Really good price, family rate is $30CAN
- Educational, many signs and videos throughout
- Amazing exhibits, some of the best exhibits I’ve seen
- Washrooms throughout the museum
- Coat room so you don’t have to carry your coats
- Airplanes have stairs so that you can see inside
- Movies playing throughout the museum
Cons:
- No caffatera, it’s a large museum so something to eat would have been nice
- We weren’t told that there were QR codes that were for a virtual tour
- If you go in the winter it’s hard to see all the vehicles outside
