Montreal’s Insectarium offers an immersive plunge into the world of insects, challenging perceptions with a blend of science, art, and sensory experience. This 38,750-square-foot marvel is the largest insect museum in North America. The journey begins outdoors in a pollinator garden, leading into dark alcoves where projections and floor vibrations simulate insect perspectives, from the kaleidoscopic vision of flies to the tight crawl spaces of cockroaches. At the Chromatic Collection, preserved insects are arranged by color in a stunning domed hall, while the journey ends in a greenhouse alive with hundreds of free-flying butterflies.
The Insectarium seeks to shift human attitudes towards insects, underscoring their vital ecological roles. Visitors are encouraged to rethink their place within the natural world, fostering what the museum calls “entomophilia”—a love and respect for insects that mirrors the biophilic design embedded throughout the museum’s LEED Gold-certified structure designed by architects Kuehn Malvezzi and local firms Pelletier de Fontenay and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte.
4581 R. Sherbrooke E
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Art, history, oddities, curiosities: The best museums in Montreal
Together, the best museums in Montreal make up an eclectic scene that tells the city’s stories with living, breathing spaces. From botany and art to avant-garde architecture and archeology, expect a mix of high culture and grit that challenges you to rethink what a museum can be.
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