The Best Museums in The Barrie Area
The best museums in Barrie and the surrounding areas are centres of history, art, and all sorts of curiosities. In fact, the region’s cup doesn’t exactly runneth over with museums. But those that are here are well worth a trip, even for longtime locals.
Here are the best museums in the Barrie area…
Coldwater Canadiana Museum
The Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum is an officially designated historic site, where you can explore the area’s story of rural and village life from 1830.
Highlighted by Woodrow Homestead (originally built in the early 1840s on an a stagecoach route) you can take self guided tours of the grounds. Moreover, there are plenty of spots for a picnic along the river.
Collingwood Museum
Built in a circa 1873 train station, the Collingwood Museum is filled with vintage curiosities.
Among the notable finds are a razor-sharp bill from a sawtooth shark, and a twisted piece of metal recovered from the Halifax Explosion.
Marine enthusiasts will find plenty of throwbacks to the area’s shipping history. All in all, well worth a stop on your next road trip.
Discovery Harbour
A visit to the harbour should include walking the decks of the two full scale replica British naval ships; the Bee and the Tecumseth.
Further, you can check out the various exhibits and the original hull of the Tecumseth in the harbour’s museum/centre.
The OPP Museum
Located in Orillia, the OPP’s official museum is slated to reopen this year.
Accordingly, admission is free, and you can see a wealth of exhibits, photographs and vintage vehicles. In like manner, you can even try on a uniform.
Orillia Museum of Art and History
Open Tuesday – Saturday, the Orillia museum is a hub of art from local and national artists.
Further, there are over 17,000 artifacts. And pieces range from artwork to archival documents to locally relevant objects of all kinds.
Simcoe Museum
Located only a few minutes north of Barrie, the Simcoe Museum has plenty of options for a day out.
Notably, the museum boasts five indoor galleries and 16 outside Heritage and display buildings, as well as hiking trails through 327 acres of forested parkland.
