What’s Happening

The Museum offers a wide variety of activities and promotions for visitors on nearly every calendar day. Please click on the title of events for more information.

May

Dear friends,

The BYTOWN MUSEUM, your community museum since 1917, will remain closed to the public for the time being. This decision was not made lightly; however, we want to ensure the safety and well-being of you, your families, as well as our staff and our volunteers.

We very much miss serving our community directly – visitors, volunteers, stakeholders and tourists alike – as well as your insights, interactions and conversations about the Museum and the remarkable history of Ottawa.

Until we can safely welcome you back, we would like to encourage you to visit us online to immerse yourself in Ottawa’s rich history. Our collections, programs, tours, activities and special “Let Us Entertain You” performances are all available on our website. Our new weekly video series, “Bytown Bit by Bit” acts as your personal guided tour throughout the Museum’s galleries, and our Virtual Tour allows you to discover and explore all of our exhibitions from the comfort of your home. In addition, we are excited to announce that our newest special exhibition, “A Local Canvas: Paintings from the Bytown Museum Collection” will be added to our ever-popular interactive Virtual Tour very soon.

Stay safe and be well. We are sincerely looking forward to welcoming you back to our beloved Museum when the time is right.

Doors Open Ottawa

The Bytown Museum Team is thrilled to start welcoming our community back to the Museum. The last two years have been defined by change, adaptation, and transition, but also by exciting opportunities, collaborative projects, and rebuilding. We’re pleased to announce that our first public programs of the 2022 season will kick off during the Doors Open Ottawa weekend!

On Saturday, June 4 we’ll be offering FREE outdoor “Lock Talks” tours. Join us and travel back to the early 19th century when Lt.-Col. John By and his workers were breaking ground on the Rideau Canal, North America’s oldest continuously operated slack water canal. Learn how the locks work, why the canal was built, and about the lives of the people who planned and built this majestic waterway; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.

Bilingual tours will be offered at 10am, 11am, 1pm, and 2pm. We can’t wait to see you! Be sure to stay tuned for future details about our summer programs.

FREE Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/doors-open-ottawa-at-bytown-museum-tickets-341921505427

Crafts and Activities

Need some entertainment while you’re at home? We’ve taken some of the crafts you would find at our craft tables, and put them online for you to follow along from home!

Visit our Crafts and Activities page, and download all of our instructions and info sheets.

Virtual Tour

The Bytown Museum, in partnership with Point3D Commercial Imaging Ottawa, is excited to announce the launch of its virtual tour. Take a walk through our three floors of exhibitions, explore artefacts, and immerse yourself in the Museum – located in the Commissariat, Ottawa’s oldest stone building – from home!

Take the Virtual Tour Today

Bytown: Bit by Bit

Filmed on site in social-distancing conditions, and featuring our very own Manager of Visitor Experience Steve Mattiussi, these short videos will feature hot topics on Bytown/Ottawa’s history as well as previews of upcoming exhibitions, special guests, and behind-the-scenes happenings.

Episode 1: Ottawa’s Violent History

Episode 2: Ottawa Becomes Capital

Episode 3: Architecture Tour Pt. 1

Episode 4: Architecture Tour Pt. 2

Episode 5: Building the Canal

Episode 6: Victorian Curiosities

Episode 7: Canadian Confederation

Episode 8: Thomas D’Arcy McGee

Episode 9: The Great Fire of 1900

Episode 10: A Local Canvas Pt. 1

Episode 11: A Local Canvas Pt. 2

Episode 12: Lt. Col. John By