Space for Life

"Start us off with an overview. Montréal Space for Life, located in and around the Olympic Park, is the largest natural sciences museum complex in Canada. It's home to the Biodome, Insectarium, Botanical Garden, and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. What's in all those spaces? Each museum offers something different. You can view "EXO, Our Search for Life in the Universe," the permanent exhibition at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium; see 4,800 animals from 230 different species, 750 plant species, and some 250,000 specimens of living and naturalized insects at the Insectarium, one of the largest insect museums in North America; wander among themed gardens and 10 greenhouses at the 185-acre Botanical Garden; and walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas in the Biodome. Are there any rotating exhibitions? All four Montréal Space for Life museums have permanent and temporary exhibitions, events, and activities. Don't miss the Botanical Garden’s hugely popular "Gardens of Light" lantern festival in September and October. Who's there? The Montréal Space for Life museums are popular with families and school children, though the Planetarium is also a great place to bring a date. On the practical tip, is it tough to get around? Each museum is easy to navigate, but getting from one site (Biodome and planetarium) to the other (Botanical Garden and Insectarium) requires a fair bit of walking. And if we're craving a little shopping to go with all that science? There are gift shops at the planetarium (astronomy-related educational toys) and at the Botanical Garden (products for gardeners and horticulturalists). How do you recommend we fuel up for a marathon of museums? Montréal Space for Life has several snack bars and dining areas. In summer, if you pack a snack or lunch you can set up at one of the complex's picnic tables. It sounds like a lot. How much time will we need? All of the museums require longer than an hour, but special passes will allow you to leisurely knock them off over the course of multiple days—and up to a year." - Richard Burnett