Toronto museum on Bloor — a planning guide — Toronto Museum Ticket Guide

My name is Frank De Luca. For twenty-two years I was an exhibit preparator at the big museum on Bloor Street here in Toronto — the one with the Crystal sticking out of the front like a broken chandelier. I mounted fossils. I built the cases the gems sit in. I lit the galleries at two in the morning when the building was empty and the only sound was the air handler. I retired two years ago and my knees have not forgiven me.

A mounted dinosaur skeleton under a spotlight — **This is the sort of thing I spent my days on.** Every bone on a mount like this is on a steel armature you never see. I know where the bolts are because I put some of them there.

This site is a planning guide, not a review and not a blog. It exists because people keep asking me the same four questions: which entrance, how long does it take, is it worth it with a six-year-old, and where do I park. I answer them here so I can stop answering them at family dinners.

My daughter set this up for me in March 2024. I wrote the words; she did whatever it is you do to make a website. It took us a weekend and one argument about fonts.

I don't sell tickets. I never have and I never will. Admission is sold by the museum itself, and their site is the only place you should be typing a card number.

If you want the museum's own homepage, it's here. Timed tickets, e-tickets, special exhibition add-ons — all of that is their business, not mine. I'm independent so I can tell you the truth about the cafeteria and nobody calls me about it.

What's in this guide

The DinosaursThe gallery from the man who mounted the bones — and which skeleton has a secret. The CrystalThe architecture everyone argues about, seen from the crew side. How Admission WorksGeneral admission vs special exhibitions. Timed tickets, e-tickets, the door. Plan The VisitHalf-day route for families, a grown-up route, Museum station, parking reality. When To ComeTuesday at eleven. That's the answer. The page explains why. FAQAffiliation first, then strollers, bags, photos, food. AboutTwenty-two years in the workshops under the building. ContactP.O. box on Bloor, email decoded by a small script.

One thing up front. I don't take bookings, don't hold timed slots, and don't have a cart. If a page asks you for a card number while claiming to be "the museum ticket guide", close it. This site is reading only.

I update the pages when I remember to, which is less often than my daughter would like. If something is stale, write to me and I'll fix it on a Sunday.

— Frank

Twenty-two years behind the glass

What's in this guide