May is officially Museum Month — with the International Museum day on May 18th — which means it is the perfect time to plan a leisurely road trip across Sarnia-Lambton to visit many of the great, and diverse, museums in our County.
View world-renowned Canadian art pieces, learn about our rich history and the innovations that shaped our region, or step back in time and experience what it was like to be a Sarnia-Lambton resident in the late 1800s.
Stop #1
Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery – Sarnia
The Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery is a public art gallery located in downtown Sarnia, Ontario. Admission is always free. With over 1,100 works of Canadian art in the permanent collection, the gallery offers a variety of historical and contemporary exhibitions that focus on visual art and visual culture by Canadian artists of national and regional calibre in a dynamic environment.
Stop #2
Moore Museum – Mooretown
Explore the life of the past in the Moore Museum heritage community, which includes a one-room schoolhouse, historic church, blacksmith shop, log cabin, Victorian cottage, railroad station, fire hall and caboose. Discover the work of the land in the agricultural implement building and the lakes with a marine exhibit room and 1890 range light. Don’t forget to check out the Lionel model train exhibit while you are there.
Stop #3
Sombra Museum – Sombra
Sombra Museum’s collection is housed in a completely furnished 9 room 1880’s Victorian home as well as three attached rooms- Agricultural Tool & Technology Room, Marine Room and Reference Room. Further, the site has an 1830’s pioneer log cabin. Be sure to take some time to enjoy the heritage walking tour, or to attend one of their special exhibits.
Stop#4
Oil Museum of Canada – Oil Springs
The Oil Museum of Canada is one of Ontario oldest National Historic Sites, and is home to North America’s the first commercial oil well. With a newly renovated main gallery and virtual, interactive and regular rotation of exhibits, the Oil Museum tells the story of Canada’s important contributions to the development of the world’s oil industry through fun and interactive ways. With over a dozen indoor and outdoor exhibits seasonal events and demonstrations, the Oil Museum of Canada is a great day-trip for any history, or museum fan.
Stop#5
Petrolia Discovery – Petrolia
The Petrolia Discovery is a place where you can walk in the footsteps of the early pioneers of Canada’s Black Gold Heritage. Experience a fascinating, one-of-a-kind glimpse into the early days of the world’s oil boom. From the first, hand-dug wells of the 1850s, to the great refineries and machine shops which abounded at the turn of the century, Petrolia’s Oil Heritage runs old and deep as the wells themselves.
Stop #6
Forest-Lambton Museum – Forest
Located in the town’s old bakery in downtown Forest, the Forest-Lambton Museum showcases displays from the Forest Excelsior Band (the longest running civilian band in Canada), the Grand Trunk Railway, doctors of Forest, local businesses, churches and schools, agriculture and much more. Whether you are an occasional visitor to Forest, or you walk its streets everyday, the forest museum is a grea tplace to learn about the rich history of this Sarnia-Lambton town.
Stop #7
Lambton Heritage Museum – Grand Bend
Discover the history of Lambton County at the Lambton Heritage Museum, south of Grand Bend. The museum includes a modern exhibit centre plus a historically accurate slaughterhouse, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse, 1867 church, a fascinating assortment of agricultural implements, as well as the only remaining horse-drawn ambulance in Ontario.