hmcs haida national historic site

Unbelievable really. To walk, and touch and handle and actually feel a Corvette that actually saw action in the Atlantic theater against Hitler's U-boats. Almost overwhelming. Wonderful history for kids or grand dad. Part 2 awaits you at the Warplane Heritage Museum.

The working life on HMCS Haida has been preserved in time and is an excellent show of our naval past. There are narrow passages but it has been preserved to show what life on the ship was in actuality. The staff were great with in-depth descriptions for any questions. It is an excellent place to visit for any age. We are a little bias as our son is stationed there for 2 months until he goes to Mossejaw for advanced flight training...but we would gladly do it again when he is not there.

Good access to a well preserved Canadian Warship. Inside presentations very professional and guide very helpful. Good experience for young and old.

If you want to check out a piece of Canadian history then this attraction is a must see. This was an excellent way to spend a couple of hours. The ship is set up like it would have been when it was in service. The kids really enjoyed exploring and discovering different rooms on board.

The integrity of working life on HMCS Haida has been preserved in time and is an excellent representation of our naval heritage. As other posters have noted, the composition of the ship is metal and is slippery when wet. There are narrow passages but it has been preserved to show what life on the ship was in actuality. The staff were very helpful and gave in-depth descriptions for all our questions - we left feeling like we had learned a huge amount in a relatively short time. It's an excellent place to visit for all school ages as it is an eyes, ears and hands on learning facility. Even my teenage niece thought it was a cool place to visit! We went as a group of mixed ages and spent almost two hours - all the kids said they would gladly do it again.

This museum is a beautiful tribute to the tribal class ships of World War II. It is beautifully maintained and true to its era. It is a little difficult to navigate if you are not "sure-footed" and is best seen in dry weather as it is completely metal. It is very easy to slip back in time when visiting this regal ship.

HMCS Haida is well preserved. I just wish we had had the foresight to save more examples of our naval heritage.I don't know if our experience was unique ( I suspect not ) but it was memorable in several ways. We arrived a few days after Thanksgiving to discover the site was closed for the season but were told we could view the ship from the dock. I was disappointed but I think my wife and daughter were secretly pleased that they would not have to spend a couple hours clambering around a warship on a blustery autumn day. As I was pointing out to them some of the features I recognized, we were approached by a gentleman who added a few points to what I had been saying. After we had spent a few minutes listening to a very informed description of the ship a woman invited my wife and daughter to board the ship. More than an hour later they returned, amazed by what they had seen and heard. My wife and daughter have little interest in naval history and equipment but they were fascinated by the insights into naval life from a woman's point of view that their guide shared with them.I remained on the dock where every question I asked about the ship and its equipment was answered in detail. I felt I learned so much and i didn't even get to board the ship. I intend to visit again when I am next in Hamilton.

We took our grandchildren during a work day in October. Parking access was ample and there are washrooms available before you get on the ship. The washrooms look like portables but have flush toilets and enough room to move around.There are activities for children (scavenger hunt etc.) and prizes at the end to keep them interested. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Since it is a ship, quarters are tight with lots of narrow stairs, eyelets on the deck and step overs to get from section to section so mobility issues can be a problem. Since our grandchildren are under 4, we could only take them on the main deck.This exhibit was a great visit, not only fun for the kids but an interesting historical view of how our sailors work to protect our country.There is also a great park on the way back out of the attraction so the kids can get rid of some energy.

Really enjoyed exploring the destroyer. The staff and volunteers very helpful. Spent about an hour and half on it and still didn't see everything. Will come back next time in Hamilton.

We spent beautiful day on the destroyer, learning a lot about Canadian Navy history, HAIDA history, the destroyer structure, the sailor's live.Kids enjoyed exploring the vessel and finding different aspects of daily live on a ship and some aspects of warfare.A must see place.

Great place to spend a few hours, chat with the staff, squeeze through the tight spaces and wander around on a real war ship.

I went with my 9 year old son. You can't beat the price for such an amazing experience. Most of the ship is open, and being able to wander around freely exploring everything was great. My son was amazed at how large one of these ships is in person, he had only ever seen these things on TV. This is a priceless piece of history, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

The tribal class destroyer is an amazing piece of history that is incredibly accessible. I stumbled on this site while searching tripadvisor for fun things to do on our way to Niagara Falls. I only wish I would have allocated more time. My wife and I spent a hour and a half on could have used another 30 minutes at least. We got their late in the afternoon and closed the place down. The last stop on the self guided tour is the engine room, and you really want to leave yourself some time for that section. We definitely would stop again.

We enjoyed the Haida. We got into most places on her and read most of the info boards. We were met buy a volunteer who took us into several areas and told us more info and history, stories etc... It is a well kept ship and everyone working around were happy to be there. Thanks for a great visit. Highly recommend visiting this Ship.

My husband,granddaughter and myself toured the HAIDA.The HAIDA is an AMAZING WAR SHIP to tour. The CREW working on board gave us a lot of information and showed us how the many duties were performed. They made it fun for our 8 year old granddaughter to enjoy and understand about the HAIDA. I found this tour very sentimental because my uncle Earls name is on the MEMORIAL List of the CREW.