Bata Shoe Museum exhibits are some of the most unique in all of Toronto, a city where there are many amazing museums to choose from. But then, the Bata is not your typical museum to begin with. As you might guess from its namesake, the Bata Shoe Museum collects and exhibits footwear. The museum also functions to preserve and research footwear and the historical and cultural implications of various styles from around the world. There is a modest fee to get it, so if you want to take advantage of Bata Shoe Museum Toronto free admission, the best thing to do is become a member. After paying a totally reasonable one-time fee (which will pay for itself after only a couple visits to the museum), you can enjoy a wide variety of educational workshops and social events hosted by the museum throughout the year.
The history of the museum dates back to the 1970s when Mr. Thomas Bata and his wife Sonja Bata of the Bata Shoe Company began collecting traditional and indigenous footwear from the various places they visited on business and recreation. There are three revolving exhibits and one permanent exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum. The Bata was founded in 1979 and moved to its current location at 327 Bloor Street West in downtown Toronto. The Bata Shoe Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week except Thursday when the museum is open until 8 p.m.
If you are taking your Toronto vacation with your family and exploring some of the city’s cool attractions, you’ll want to know that Bata Shoe Museum Toronto free admission is always applicable for the kids. Although the exhibits are engaging and well worth a careful survey, you can make a trip to the Bata a short morning or afternoon affair. In other words, you don’t have to commit the whole day to visiting the museum to really enjoy yourself. Allow at least two or three hours to take it all in.
Bata Shoe Museum hours allow primarily for daytime visits, except when events are held in the evenings. One of the main benefits of membership at the Bata is that you can take part in the range of talks, workshops, and lectures that are regularly held. Many of these events are discounted if not free for members of the museum. A common misconception about this niche gallery is that it is just a building full of different kinds of shoes. Upon visiting, you will find out that the exploration of the various kinds of footwear from around the world is a jumping off point for a greater discussion of the cultural implications that the period shoes represent. There are shoes on display that date back millennia and representative styles from nearly every corner of the earth.
In a city where museums like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario predominate, the Bata Shoe Museum is a fun diversion and a visually stimulating experience to say the least. Even though there is no Bata Shoe Museum Toronto free admission, you will enjoy it enough to justify the minimal entrance fee.