ABOUT SCIENCE NORTH
Science North is Northern Ontario’s most popular tourist attraction and an educational resource for children and adults across the globe.
Science North maintains the second and eighth largest science centres in all of Canada and features an IMAX® with Laser theatre, digital Planetarium, butterfly gallery, special exhibits hall, and so much more!
DINOSAUR DISCOVERIES
A PASSPORT THROUGH TIME
Big teeth and ferocious claws! Explore the lives of the Tyrannosaurus rex, Carnotaurus, and many more of history’s greatest predators. Uncover why some dinosaurs were so big and why they became extinct.
2ND FLOOR
Nature Exchange, Lapidary Lab, F. Jean MacLeod Butterfly Gallery
Head to the second floor of the science centre for some one-of-a-kind visitor experiences.
- Polish a mineral in the Lapidary Lab
- Handle exotic invertebrates, and trade some natural artifacts at the Nature Exchange
- Visit tropical butterflies in the F. Jean MacLeod Butterfly Gallery
3RD FLOOR
Northern Ecosystems
Take a voyage through Ontario’s natural landscapes with Northern Ecosystems.
Visit Science North’s animal ambassadors and learn about the wildlife found in our own backyards. Discover what fish live in Ramsey Lake, learn how you can help at-risk species in Ontario, and even come face to face with a snake!
Science North has been an affiliate member of Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) since 2013. CAZA is a nonprofit organization that sets high standards of care and welfare for animals in human care across Canada. Their mission is to connect people to nature through education, conservation and animal welfare. Science North remains committed to providing exemplary care for our the animal ambassadors to ensure they are healthy, comfortable, well nourished, and safe at all times.
4TH FLOOR
Discover. Learn. Play.
Tinker, play, and have fun in our Tech Lab. Build racecars, learn about space exploration, and take a spin in the Gyroscope. Or discover the latest breakthroughs in biology in our Bio Lab.
FUNDED BY
CLIMATE ACTION SHOW
Sheepy is back with a brand-new climate action mission! Building on Science North’s past award-winning multimedia object theatres on climate change, the Climate Action Show empowers visitors of all ages to become change agents.
TD CANADA TRUST
TODDLER'S TREEHOUSE
KIDS ZONE
Toddlers and preschoolers have a special place at Science North! This great educational play area is dedicated to young children from newborn to age five.
DISCOVERY THEATRE
Science Demonstrations
This amphitheatre is the setting for wacky and wonderful science demonstrations, hosted live each day by Science North’s talented staff! Each show features plenty of audience participation and plenty of surprises! The Discovery Theatre is accessible from both the 3rd and 4th floors.
VALE CAVERN
FILM SERIES
Get a unique look at some of nature’s most ferocious and fascinating phenomena!
Get up close and personal with some of Northern Ontario’s Species at Risk in the 2D films:
- Massassauga Rattlesnake
- Fowler's Toad
- Blanding's Turtle
- Pitcher's Thistle Films
Films are screening in Science North’s unique Vale Cavern.
GIFT CARDS
Give a Gift
For the person who has everything – a valued employee or a special client you may be trying to impress – our gift cards make for a fantastic gift! Redeem them and discover all of the wonderfully unique experiences our science centres have to offer!
SHOP & EAT
Whizards
Shopping has never been so much fun! Whizards is filled with hundreds of fun science-based and educational gift ideas that will stimulate the brains of children young and old. The best part? The kids will be having so much fun that they won’t know that the gift you’ve given is educational!
Featuring original souvenirs of Sudbury, Science North "Bluecoat approved" educational toys, clothing, novelties, and gifts for all ages.
Members save 10%
elements
Revive yourself with healthier choices in our new food court. Pick up something hot from the grill, try one of our daily specials or grab a quick snack. Enjoy your meal while overlooking Ramsey Lake from our indoor seating area or out on the new patio.
Members save 10%
COCA-COLA CORNER
Whether you prefer your snacks salty or sweet, enjoy a delicious treat from Coca-Cola Corner during your IMAX® film adventure!
Members save 10%
UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE
- A snowflake perched atop a rock crater — this is the architectural metaphor that is Science North. The snowflake is symbolic of the glaciation that sculpted Canada's northern landscape. A snowflake is also a crystal, the basic component of so many natural minerals. The rock crater is symbolic of the Sudbury Basin.
- The Sudbury Basin is a unique geological phenomenon. One hundred kilometres wide and 15 kilometres deep, the edge of the basin is the source of nickel, copper and 15 other minerals that have made Sudbury one of Canada's largest mining centres.
- The architects created two snowflakes — the smaller hexagonal building houses administration offices, a restaurant and a cafeteria. The larger hexagon, the exhibit building, rests atop a rock outcrop some 60 metres away at an elevation some 15 metres higher. The elevation difference allowed the architects to link the buildings by an underground rock tunnel beneath the exhibit building. At the end of this rock tunnel is an underground cavern, used as a theatre, an exhibit area for special displays and as an auditorium for guest presentations.
- From the Vale Cavern, visitors proceed to the exhibit floors by way of a glass-enclosed ramp or by elevator. The view is dominated by a panorama of Ramsey Lake, a huge Fin Whale skeleton, and the Creighton Fault, a unique geological feature.
- The exterior of Science North's glittering snowflakes are clad in stainless steel, the key ingredient of which is Sudbury's nickel. The architectural blend of snowflake and rock crater is the work of the same two teams of architects that were co-leaders of the original conceptual study and feasibility analysis for Science North.
- Raymond Moriyama, who designed Science North, was also the architect for the Ontario Science Centre, the Metropolitan Toronto Library and the Scarborough Town Centre, and has achieved international acclaim for his work. Yallowega Bélanger Architecture of Sudbury are the architects for the Science North IMAX® Theatre, the F. Jean MacLeod Butterfly Gallery, the Science North Special Exhibits Hall and Science North’s former Virtual Voyages motion simulator, which now houses the digital dome Planetarium.
