Museums Exhibit Treasures of Art, History, Science...and Shoes?

Among the characteristics that make Toronto a world-class metropolis are its impressive array of museums and art galleries.

Whether annual meeting attendees are interested in fine arts, sports, rare books, or even shoes, Toronto has a museum that will delight and educate.

The city's two most famous art museums are the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Royal Ontario Museum, which recently benefited from an $80 million renovation, boasts an outstanding collection of archaeological artifacts, with especially comprehensive collections of treasures that show off the glories of ancient Rome, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Nubia.

The museum has also won praise for its collections of Chinese art and artifacts as well as for its Canadian art. There is also a special wing devoted to science that should be particularly intriguing to children, with its hands-on exhibits and its Bat Cave. The latter displays 4,000 freeze-dried and artificial bats. Open daily, admission to the museum is $8, though it is free Tuesdays after 4:30 p.m.

The Art Gallery of Ontario features an impressive collection of European and North American, especially Canadian, painting and sculpture. A 1993 expansion more than doubled its exhibit space and allows the museum to display contemporary and Inuit art. The Art Gallery has drawn attention for its Henry Moore Sculpture Garden, which is the world's largest collection of that sculptor's work. The museum charges various admission prices and is open daily, with late hours on Wednesday nights.

In the realm of specialized museums, Toronto's George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art contains a $25 million collection of European ceramics and extensive displays of pre-Columbian artifacts. Open every day but Monday, admission is included with that of its neighbor, the Royal Ontario Museum.

Nearby and far more specialized is North America's largest museum devoted to footwear. The Bata Shoe Museum Collection has more than 8,000 offerings. Highlights include a pair of outrageous boots that once belonged to Elton John, and a recent addition, a pair of socks once the property of Napoleon Bonaparte. Admission is free on Tuesdays, $6 on other days. It is closed on Mondays.

A short walk from the museums devoted to ceramics and shoes is one dedicated to rare books and their predecessors. At the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library visitors can gaze on nearly 4,000-year-old Babylonian cuneiform tablets and Egyptian papyrus that is "only" a little over 2,000 years old. Admission is free; the museum is open daily.

Crime buffs should be drawn to the Metropolitan Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre, which contains a reproduction of a 19th-century police station, a 1914-vintage paddy wagon, and memorabilia concerned with famous crimes. Another "highlight" is a collection of car crash videos. The museum charges no admission and is open every day.

Away from the city center in southwest Toronto, meeting goers can visit the Beth Tzedec Museum, which displays a collection of artifacts representing Jewish religion and everyday life as far back as ancient Greece and Rome. The museum, attached to the eponymous Conservative synagogue, is closed Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and does not charge admission.

A colorful trip through Canadian history can be found in a less-traditional museum format about a 30-minute drive northwest of downtown Toronto. Black Creek Pioneer Village is a detailed recreation of a small Canadian village of the mid-1800's. It is filled with original buildings-including shops, a school, the town hall, and a working flour mill-that have been moved to this site. Actors in period dress conduct their daily business and chores and are happy to discuss their work with inquisitive visitors. The village is open daily with an admission charge of $7.50.

More Cultural Activities in Toronto