Library Card Perks: Museum + Arts Pass

Do you like being a tourist in your city? If yes, this post is for you!

Did you know you can use your Toronto Public Library Card to get museum passes for free?

The Toronto Public Library has a program called MAP. MAP is the Museum + Arts Pass program that gives free admission to Toronto Museums, Cultural Attractions and Performing Arts.

You can only access this pass with a Toronto public library card. To get your TPL card, visit the nearest public library near you to get one for free(residents only). For non-residents, click here to read further.

You should note that the branches have different ways of issuing these passes, most do first come, first serve and some do draws. Find out how your nearest branch issues MAP.

Attractions under the MAP Program

AGO- Art Gallery of Ontario: With a collection of over 95,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is among the most distinguished art museums in North America. From the vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the African art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpiece The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible art experience with each visit. Five passes available per week

Bata Shoe Museum: With a growing international collection of 15,000 shoes and related artefacts, the Bata Shoe Museum showcases 4,500 years of footwear history in four distinctive rotating galleries. Five passes are available per week.

Black Creek Pioneer Village: Discover the buildings, artefacts, and people that tell the story of the Toronto region’s past. With 40 heritage buildings to explore, 50,000 artefacts to examine, 60 heritage breed animals to meet, and daily activities led by costumed educators, visit the Village to experience the region’s history as you never have before. Three passes are available per week.

Ontario Science Centre: An iconic cultural attraction, the Ontario Science Centre is home to fascinating interactive experiences about science and technology. It's a must-see for both residents and visitors to Toronto. Three passes are available per week.

Image Source: ROM Website

ROM - Royal Ontario Museum: Experience Canada's largest museum. From dinosaurs to mummies, Chinese architecture to Indigenous objects, and meteorites to precious jewels. Explore a world-class collection of art objects and natural history specimens from around the world and across the ages. Eight passes are available per week.

Gardiner Museum: The Gardiner Museum brings together people of all ages and communities through the shared values of creativity, wonder, and community that clay and ceramic traditions inspire. The collection is made up of approximately 5,000 objects from around the world, including pottery from the Ancient Americas, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, and contemporary Canadian ceramics. Three passes are available per week.

MOCA- Museum of Contemporary Art: MOCA Toronto features work by world-renowned Canadian and international artists exploring the themes of our time. Artists, relationships, and experimentation are at the centre of everything that MOCA does. Three passes are available per week.

Toronto Railway Museum: The Toronto Railway Museum brings people together by telling stories of Toronto’s railway heritage. The Museum is located in the heart of downtown Toronto and is typically open year-round. Three passes are available per week.

Toronto Zoo: Discover Canada’s premier zoo, open 365 days a year! Connect with wildlife in one of four indoor tropical pavilions, home to mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates from all over the world, along with flowering plants and trees. Three passes are available per week.

Image Source: Toronto Public Library Website

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada showcases the beauty and significance of our aquatic world and the animals within it. Immerse yourself in a world of 20,000 aquatic animals and discover your underwater adventure. Three passes are available per week and each pass admits up to 4 visitors.

Textile Museum of Canada: The Textile Museum of Canada aims to inspire understanding of the human experience through textiles. It is the only museum in Canada delivering programs and exhibitions dedicated solely to textile arts. Five passes are available per week.

Aga Khan Museum: Explore the arts of Muslim civilizations through exhibitions, workshops, and live arts performances. With a changing roster of programs, the Museum offers you something new with each visit. The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, was established by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 2014 to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage while often reflecting, through both its permanent and temporary exhibitions, how cultures connect. Five passes are available per week.

The MAP Program also gives passes for performing arts to see music, film, theatre and more for free but this is unfortunately on hold at the moment.

Which would you be visiting first? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers to us touring the 6ix on a budget!