This downtown museum found a new home in 2005, moving to a complex known as The Rooms (the Provincial Art Gallery and Provincial Archives are also located here). It offers a good introduction to the natural and cultural history of the island, through exhibits that both kids and adults can understand and enjoy. The second level features a lesson on canoe-building from an Innu native, while the third level focuses on the processes of change as glaciers retreated and native peoples settled the province. You'll also learn about flora and fauna here, finding out for example that the moose is in fact not native to Newfoundland. The fourth level suggests how 19th-century life was lived by the province's British settlers and features a re-created fort, stories about Newfoundland's fisheries, and a history of the constabulary (in other words, the fuzz). In addition, look for delicate carvings of bear heads and exhibits highlighting the awesome power of the polar bear; special exhibitions include a Canadian heritage quilt project. Allow about an hour for a leisurely tour.
