Run out of things to do in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan? Have a passport? It may be time to head over to Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Canada! With a little bit more of a big city feel to it, Sault Ste. Marie Canada, has a lot to offer that Sault Ste. Marie Michigan does not. One said experience, as mentioned on the Soo Locks tour, is the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center.
Bubba is very interested in airplanes right now. Having flown a few times, and living near an international Airport, he can pick out almost every airplane in the sky. When I found the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center, I knew that he would be filled with joy at the opportunity to touch some real airplanes.
We are so thankful to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center for inviting us to come and visit during our stay in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan. It was well worth the drive across the bridge!
The museum, which should come as no surprise, is one giant airplane hangar along the St. Mary River. When you first arrive, there is a hallway that connects the reception and gift shop area to the main Museum. In this section there is an educational history of the first woman in space from Canada. I was very impressed that Buggie was paying close attention. The topic of Roberta Lynn Bondar also resurfaced later in the summer, and she remembered a lot of what she had learned at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center.
Once you step inside the hanger, it is literally airplanes as far as the eye can see! I was very happy that we had Josh as our tour guide through the facility. Though they have wonderful placards explaining the history, and abundant learning opportunities, Josh had the human passion element that made the tour, and learning that much more authentic, and contagious.
Josh explained that each exhibit in the museum had been curated through museum volunteers over the course of a number of years. There was even a plane that is close to being restored enough to fly. It was interesting to see them in all phases of restoration.
There were a few planes that allowed children to climb up into the cockpit, of course that was a big hit for Bubba. Even though all he really wanted to do was play with the instruments. Buggie was a little more inquisitive about the structure of the planes. I think it got her thinking about the big airplanes that she has flowing on commercially.
Inside of the museum, was also a replica fire lookout tower. They were able to spot pretend fires around the museum, and tried to put them out.
They both must be little fire bugs, because they were most interested in the firefighting section of the museum. Our visit came during a time of the summer when there were a lot of forest fires out West, so they had seen clips on the news, and this made it much more real for them.
The part of the museum that I found most intriguing, really had nothing to do with bushplanes at all. Located in the center back of the museum was the Northern Nature Trading Exchange kiosk. I have never seen such a thing before in my life. The concept is amazing! Kids are encouraged to seek out and collect natural specimens, and then they can turn them in for points, or exchange them for other natural items. This is perfect for your avid rock collector, or nature lover. To find out more information about this program visit the website for the nature exchange.
The time had come for us to part ways with Josh so that he could get back to his work at the museum. He encouraged us to watch the informational movie about bush planes before we departed. I wasn’t sure that Bubba was going to be able to sit through what I thought might be a documentary on bush planes, but I figured we would give it a try. I was surprised at how immersive the video program was. It was much more than a video on the screen, and it held Bubba’s attention waiting for the next interactive exhibit.
On our way out, just to the right of the nature exchange, were two heavily interactive rooms. Very much set up like a children’s museum with exhibits teaching all different aspects of science related to flight. Since we were up against a deadline to pick Buddy up from hockey camp back in the states, we did not budget nearly as much time as Buggie would’ve liked for this area. I would say we could’ve spent an hour or more just doing the interactive exhibits.
If you are Disney movie fans, I would highly suggest watching the movie Planes before visiting, both the first and second movies. It will give you more of a background on different types of planes, and your children might have a better appreciation for seeing them in real life.
Bubba left with a metal diecast of a bushplane, from their gift shop. They also sold many books on the topic. You might want to consider grabbing a few books ahead of time again, to lay down that prior knowledge before visiting. Here are a few great ones for young kids.
Babies
Planes Board Book by Byron Barton
Young Kids
Amazing Airplanes by Tony Mitton
National Geographic Readers: Planes by Amy Shields
Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen
The Airplane Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
Older kids
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Aircraft: The Definitive Visual History by DK
Civil Aircraft: 300 of the World’s Greatest Civil Aircraft by Robert Jackson
If you are visiting the USA/Canada border region of Sault Ste. Marie, I am going to put this on the must visit list for your adventure. I promise you will not regret it!
