A Family Visit to the Rossignol Cultural Centre in Liverpool Nova Scotia
Disclosure: Our family received tickets to visit the Rossignol Cultural Centre in Liverpool, NS in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are our own.
We went in search of toilets, but walked away with so much more!
From having done some freelance journalism for a newspaper on the South Shore, I had heard of this infamous museum in Liverpool that was dedicated to outhouses. That’s all I knew, besides the fact that we had to go check it out so we could tell everyone about it.
We did some investigative journalism, and this is what we discovered.
About the Rossignol Cultural Centre
The Rossignol is a multi-faceted cultural centre, featuring a variety of Museums, Art Galleries, Libraries and Wildlife. It also houses the Sherman Hines Museum of Photography.
Sherman Hines is a famous Canadian photographer from Liverpool, NS. Everything in the museum is from Hines’ personal collection of artifacts, or are items that were donated to be used in his museum.
The museum is actually housed in Liverpool’s old high school.
At the age of 17, Hines was expelled from this very school, but later joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he received a diploma in photography. He traveled the world with his photography, where he amassed quite the collection of eclectic items.
Needing a place to store and display his treasures, Hines purchased his old high school for $1 and turned it into this incredible treasure trove. Incidentally, he also turned the principal’s office, where it is said he spent a lot of time, into his own personal office!
About the Collections
Every room has a different theme.
You can read about each room on the Rossignol Cultural Centre’s website.
These include displays dedicated to hunting, fishing, Mi’kmaq culture and game sports.
Can you find the 10,000 year old mammoth tusk?
The Apothecary. Yes, Sherman Hines found an old drug store in Halifax that was falling down and being demolished. He went in and bought the store and re-set it up in his museum!
Not to mention an entire dining room from a mansion in England, complete with the rounded wooden doors!
Our favourite room might have been the wildlife rooms, where there is an 18 foot giraffe!
And, don’t forget the outhouses, which is why we originally went!
Hines is the president of the Outhouse Preservation Society in Canada, so it’s only fitting there is a whole room full of outhouse collectibles!
And, if you go this year, the 2007 outhouse calendars are free and the dates line up perfectly for this year!
And, to top it off, there is a lot of Hines’ photography throughout the museum. Did you know he was the Trudeau family photographer, and there are some great pictures of young Prime Minister Justin Trudeau here!
Rossignol Cultural Centre and Kids
There is so much to do and see and touch inside that kids will be happy exploring the museum.
At the entrance, there is a basket of animal furs. If children can correctly identify two of them, they will get 2 free postcards featuring Sherman Hines’ photography!
Just make sure children don’t touch the animals and other things they shouldn’t. Use your common sense.
Stay at the Rossignol Cultural Centre in the Cultural Village
The cultural village features plains Indian tipis, Mongolian ger tent, Mi’kmaq wigwam, guides tent, log cabin, square log cottage, Acadian cottage,a replica of Maud Lewis house and a British block house.
These houses are available to stay in as a fundraiser for the museum! They are rustic, but what a great experience.
Contact the museum for details.
Hours, Admission, Conact and Location
The hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm in season.
Admissions: $20 Season Pass • $5 adult • $4 seniors $3 Youth • Children under 6 free (STC)
The website is not updated, but the Facebook page has someone answering it all the time, so for any information, please contact them through the website. The email address on the website does not work.
Facebook page for Rossignol Cultural Centre
Website for the Rossignol Cultural Centre that discusses the exhibits.
Our family had a wonderful visit to the Rossignol Cultural Centre in Liverpool. We spent about 1.5 hours wandering the exhibits. What made it so great was the museum guide who popped in and out telling us fantastical stories about some of the items!
This is a treasure trove of so many interesting things you won’t know where to look first! Please stop by to visit and support this fun, whimsical museum. You never know where your imagination might lead.
