Huron County Museum

Make a Mess
2026-01-10 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-03 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Huron County Museum, 110 North Street, Goderich, Ontario, N7A2T8, Canada
Make a Mess returns to the Museum this winter! Drop in each Saturday afternoon for unstructured play for primary-aged children and their families. Create without instructions, colour without lines, and play games without rules! Unstructured play encourages creativity, mixed-age play and independence.
Included with regular admission to the museum or FREE when you show your Huron County Library card or Membership! Children 5 and under always free.
Make a Mess is a great opportunity to get out of the house during the cold winter months for indoor play in a fresh setting! Meet other parents, grandparents and guardians while kids play. Visit your favourite spots in the museum and enjoy our rotating Make a Mess activity stations located throughout the building. Activities change weekly and may include the chance to:

BUILD with cardboard, blocks, play dough, straw & connectors
CREATE with craft supplies and upcycled materials
PLAY and PROBLEM SOLVE with games, loose parts
IMAGINE with toys, play sets and the Victorian doll house
CHILL in the quiet corner with books, puzzles, colouring pages, board games, magnet poetry
DISCOVER with tactile stations like play sand

Free wifi and comfy seating for parents. No registration required. Please be aware that some stations may contain small parts.
Snacks from home can be consumed in designated areas. Allergy Aware: The Huron County Museum is allergy aware! Please help us to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone, by thinking of visitors with food allergies. Peanut and tree nut allergies can cause a more immediate threat to life than other food-related allergies. For the safety of all visitors, the Huron County Museum asks visitors to not consume nut or nut-based products inside the museum or gaol. Please note, however, that the Huron County Museum cannot guarantee that our sites are entirely nut-free, as we are open to the public and snacks offered during programs and special events are prepared at offsite facilities.

Holiday Hours - CLOSED
2026-01-04 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-01-01 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-31 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-29 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-26 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-25 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-24 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-22 08:00 - 17:00
The Huron County Museum holiday hours are as follows: Monday, Dec. 22: Closed Tuesday, Dec. 23: Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24-Friday, Dec. 26: Closed Saturday, Dec. 27: Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28: Open 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29: Closed Tuesday, Dec. 30: Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31-Thursday, Jan. 1: Closed Friday, Jan. 2-Saturday, Jan. 3: Open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Winter hours: Reminder that starting in January, the Museum will be closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Holiday Movies at the Museum
2026-01-03 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-30 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-27 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-23 14:00 - 16:00
Drop in over the Christmas holidays for family-friendly films in the museum theatre!
All films start at 2 p.m.:

Saturday, Dec. 20 – Home Alone
Tuesday, Dec. 23 – Elf
Saturday, Dec. 27 – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Tuesday, Dec. 30 – Smallfoot
Saturday, Jan. 3 – Kubo and the Two Strings

Included with regular admission (FREE with your Huron County Library card for museum members).
Please note that seating in the theatre is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Snacks are allowed in the museum theatre, but please do not take drinks or snacks into the gallery spaces. Pop, popcorn and candy sticks are for sale at the front desk. Please help us to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone by thinking of visitors with food allergies. Peanut and tree nut allergies can cause a more immediate threat to life than other food-related allergies. For the safety of all visitors, the Huron County Museum asks visitors to not consume nut or nut based products inside the museum or gaol. Please note, however, that the Huron County Museum cannot guarantee that our sites are entirely nut-free, as we are open to the public and snacks are prepared at offsite facilities.

Walking Scrabble: Board Reset & Monthly Winner
2025-12-23 10:00 - 16:30
Exercise your body and your mind this winter, and win prizes!
MUSEUM WALKERS: Don’t miss out on your walk just because of ice, snow, slush, rain or cold temperatures! Drop into the Museum for indoor walking in a unique setting. Enjoy a walk through Huron County’s history while you get your steps in! Three Museum laps = approximately 1km. Routes are available with stairs or without. Walkers are welcome during the museum’s open hours, and entrance is FREE with your Huron County library card or membership. Quieter times are on weekdays Tuesday-Friday.
WALKING SCRABBLE: Walking Scrabble can be enjoyed at any time during regular Museum hours. Pick up a Museum Walkers map at the front desk and choose your desired route. Each time you cross the front desk as part of your route and loops through the galleries, pick up a Scrabble letter from the front desk. Collect letters to play your best-scoring word on the Scrabble board. Put your name and score on the back of the board. Participation in scrabble for the chance to win prizes is optional for indoor walkers.
PRIZES: At the end of each month, the Scrabble board will be cleared and a high score prize winner will be selected for December, January, February and March! Only prize winners who have filled out the sheet on the back of the board will be contacted by staff.
Prizes this winter may include: Sweet treats, museum merch, gift certificates for local businesses, a free rental of the museum theatre for a movie night for your friends & families.
Ask at the front desk for information on walking routes. Please note that some loops may be temporarily impacted during exhibit changeovers.

Holiday Music with thatotherchoir
2025-12-21 14:00 - 16:00
Get into the spirit of the season by joining thatotherchoir on Sunday, Dec. 21, for a special afternoon of holiday music and carol sing-along at the Museum.
Admission: Free but donations to the Museum accepted.

Holiday Movies at the Museum
2025-12-20 14:00 - 16:00
Drop in over the Christmas holidays for family-friendly films in the museum theatre!
All films start at 2 p.m.:

Saturday, Dec. 20 – Home Alone
Monday, Dec. 22 – Elf
Saturday, Dec. 27 – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Tuesday, Dec. 30 – Smallfoot
Saturday, Jan. 3 – Kubo and the Two Strings

Included with regular admission (FREE with your Huron County Library card for museum members).
Please note that seating in the theatre is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Snacks are allowed in the museum theatre, but please do not take drinks or snacks into the gallery spaces. Pop, popcorn and candy sticks are for sale at the front desk. Please help us to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone by thinking of visitors with food allergies. Peanut and tree nut allergies can cause a more immediate threat to life than other food-related allergies. For the safety of all visitors, the Huron County Museum asks visitors to not consume nut or nut based products inside the museum or gaol. Please note, however, that the Huron County Museum cannot guarantee that our sites are entirely nut-free, as we are open to the public and snacks are prepared at offsite facilities.

Dads/Male Caregivers & Kids Night at the Museum
2025-12-18 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-11-27 18:00 - 19:00
Calling all dads/male caregivers and kids – we have partnered with Rural Response for Healthy Children to host a night just for you! This program features fun-filled activities, parent discussions, and social time. There will be tours of the Museum and Historic Gaol, artifact and exhibit activities, parent/child social time, healthy snacks, and games. This is a great opportunity to spend time together with your children.
This program is provided free of charge with funding from the Government of Canada. Please register a week before the program starts. Visit www.rrhc.on.ca to register online.

Thursday, Sept. 25 (at the Museum): Horses & Farm Animals! Learn all about the horse-pulled artifacts in the museum and the role they played in Huron County Farming. Please register by Sept. 24.
Thursday, Oct. 23 (at the Gaol): Halloween! Come in costume and tour around the Gaol in the dark! Please register by Oct. 22.
Thursday, Nov. 27 (at the Museum): Art Show! Learn about different styles of art in the museum and tour the new art show exhibit. Please register by Nov. 26.
Thursday, Dec. 18 (at the Museum): All About Airplanes: Learn about local air force training bases in Huron County and explore the military gallery exhibit. Please register by Dec. 17.

Death Cafe
2025-12-18 16:00 - 17:30
Presented in partnership with Huron Hospice, join us on the third Thursday of each month January-June, 2026 for coffee, tea, cookies and conversation about death and dying.
This free event is an open conversation about death and its impacts. The museum will share items from their collection related to death and dying at the beginning of each Cafe for discussion. Coffee and baked goods provided!
Runs the third Thursday of each month, except for March when the cafe will be on Thursday, March 26th.
Ages: , 18+
Registration: Please register with Huron Hospice by emailing sally.brodie@huronhospice.ca or calling 519-525-6331.

Death Cafe
2025-12-18 16:00 - 17:30
Presented in partnership with Huron Hospice, join us each month for coffee, tea, cookies and conversation about death and dying.
Runs the third Thursday of each month:

Sept. 18
Oct. 16
Nov. 20
Dec. 18

Ages: 18+
Registration: Please register by emailing sally.brodie@huronhospice.ca or calling 519-525-6331.

Artsy Afternoon
2025-12-13 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-12-06 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-11-29 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-11-22 13:30 - 16:00
This fall, creativity takes center stage at the Museum during the Huron County Art Show (Oct. 4 – Dec. 14)!
Drop in to the Museum on select Saturday afternoons from 1:30–4 PM for fun, hands-on crafts for young visitors. Each week features a different project—so there’s always something new to make and take home!
Crafts are included with regular admission– FREE with your Huron County Library card or museum membership. All supplies are included and available as supplies last, just bring your imagination. All crafts are drop-in while supplies last, no registration necessary.

Oct. 18 – Fuse beading
Oct. 25 – Mini pumpkin painting
Nov. 8 – Remembrance Day art
Nov. 15 – Mini easel paintings
Nov. 22 – Shaving cream bookmarks + marble painting
Nov. 29 – Fish art
Dec. 6 – Mosaics
Dec. 13 – Ornaments

Holiday Open House: Team Gingerbread Decorating
2025-12-07 15:30 - 16:15, 2025-12-07 14:30 - 15:15, 2025-12-07 13:30 - 14:15
Team Gingerbread Decorating at the Huron County Museum: it’s gonna be sweet!
Can you make Huron County’s best Gingerbread house?
Get into the holiday spirit with a creative family activity at our Holiday Open House! Gather your team of friends or family and design your very own gingerbread masterpiece. The sessions are facilitated by Gourmet Cookie Factory. Includes tips & feedback from the expert guest instructor.
Participating teams can choose to share a photo of their final creation to the museum’s social media for a public vote to decide Huron County’s best gingerbread house!
Teams will bring their creations home with them.
How it works:

Sign up as a team (up to 4 people)
Cost is $15 +HST per group for your team’s kit and instructions – all supplies included (Museum Members: $10 + HST)
Scroll down on the event page to reserve your spot. You only need one kit per team.
The gingerbread building and decorating will take between 30-45 minutes. Bring your creativity and holiday cheer for a sweet time that’s perfect for all ages. Spots are limited, so be sure to register early. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Allergy Aware: Please note that we cannot guarantee the gingerbread was made in a nut free facility. The Huron County Museum is allergy aware! Please help us to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone, by thinking of visitors with food allergies. Peanut and tree nut allergies can cause a more immediate threat to life than other food-related allergies. For the safety of all visitors, the Huron County Museum asks visitors to not consume nut or nut-based products inside the museum or gaol. Please note, however, that the Huron County Museum cannot guarantee that our sites are entirely nut-free, as we are open to the public and snacks offered during programs and special events are prepared at offsite facilities.

Holiday Open House
2025-12-07 13:00 - 16:00
FREE admission to the museum.
Join us to celebrate the holiday season with live music, refreshments and family activities and crafts!
Team Gingerbread Decorating – Huron County Museum : Can you make Huron County’s best Gingerbread house? (reservations required because of limited space)

Session 1: 1:30 PM
Session 2: 2:30 PM
Session 3: 3:30 PM

Letter to my Tribe: Filmmaker Q&A and Screening
2025-11-21 19:00 - 21:00
Join us for a screening of the film LETTER TO MY TRIBE, followed by a Q&A and discussion with filmmaker b.h. Yael.
“Letter to My Tribe started with a question: Why do more Jews and Israelis not speak out about Palestine? Over many years my mother, who represents a more messianic perspective, and I have had numerous arguments, some recorded, some not. These form the backbone of this video essay in which Israelis and Jews, journalists, activists and a rabbi are interviewed, and in which documentation of actions on the ground are woven with more personal family histories and journeys to Iraq and to Poland.”
Screenings at 2pm or 7pm. Runtime 97 minutes. Language: English, translated Hebrew and Arabic.
Coffee and light refreshments will be available while they last!
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: b.h. Yael is a Toronto based filmmaker and installation artist. Yael’s films have exhibited nationally and internationally, and have shown in various settings, from festivals to galleries to community and activist groups, as well as at various educational venues. She is a recipient of numerous arts grants and awards. Yael’s work deals with the many intersections of identity and family; it has focused on activist initiatives in Palestine/Israel, as well as apocalypse, geopolitical and environmental urgencies. A book about her work, Family States, released in 2021, edited by Mike Hoolboom and published by ConverSalon is available for download at www.bhyael.ca Her films are distributed by Vtape and the b.h. Yael collection streams online through Cinema Politica. Yael is Professor of Integrated Media at OCAD University, where she co-programs Art Creates Change, an arts and media lecture series.
This event is FREE to attend. If you would like to donate to the museum, you can do so using our donation box or at the front desk. Seating in the theatre is limited and not assigned.
