Royal Ontario Museum

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of world cultures and natural history located in central Toronto. It opened in the early 20th century and has grown into one of Canada’s major museums of art, archaeology and natural sciences.

Collections on display cover natural history including fossil and dinosaur specimens, plus extensive world cultures galleries with artifacts from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. The museum campus includes a contemporary crystallized extension that provides gallery space, visitor facilities and a distinctive exterior.

The ROM was established as a public museum in the early 1900s and expanded through the 20th and early 21st centuries as collections and exhibition space were added. The modern external addition altered the museum’s public profile and exhibition capacity in the 2000s.

The museum is located at the edge of downtown Toronto near the University of Toronto, on Bloor Street West. It is within walking distance of Museum subway station and adjacent cultural institutions.

• Best visiting time: Weekday mornings are usually the least crowded time to visit popular exhibition halls and fossil displays.
• Nearby institutions: The museum sits adjacent to the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory, making it easy to pair with cultural visits in central Toronto.

What to See #

• Michael Lee-Chin Crystal: A dramatic, angular addition to the original museum building completed in the 2000s that houses galleries and visitor facilities and is a visible landmark on the museum campus.
• Fossil and natural history galleries: The museum's natural history halls including major fossil and dinosaur displays used for public exhibits and research collections.