McGill University’s natural history collection is housed in a solid-looking Greek-revival building with views over Downtown. Like the building, the Redpath Museum (Musée Redpath) collection dates to the late-19th-century, and there's still a general feel of that era in it's old-fashioned style and eclectic nature.

Here fossils, minerals, gems, stuffed wildlife, whale bones and dinosaur skeletons line an impressive oval atrium, rubbing shoulders with ethnological curios (samurai armour, African masks and the like).

It's all rewarding for those with a taste for a good rummage, but otherwise the collection's a little too small to be top-flight, and the displays too uninspired to really ignite the imagination... A good rainy day option nonetheless, as well as a spot not to miss if you're passing through the campus.

Practical Info

859 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest (Metro: McGill)

Tues–Fri 9am–4.30pm; Sat 10am–4pm

Entry free; donations encouraged.

www.mcgill.ca