Most cities have at least one museum that's worth popping into if you have an hour to spare. These aren't those museums.

Whether it's because of the building itself, a collection you won't find anywhere else or the chance to stand beneath towering dinosaur skeletons, these museums can easily become the main event of a trip. If you're looking for an excuse to visit somewhere new in Canada, start here.

ROYAL TYRRELL MUSEUM (DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA)

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You don't have to be a dinosaur fanatic to appreciate the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Set in Alberta's Badlands, it's home to one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils in the world, with dozens of mounted skeletons on display in its galleries. Beyond the museum, the area's hoodoos and dramatic landscape give you a sense of the terrain where many of those fossils were discovered.

MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY (VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA)

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Even people who don't usually seek out museums tend to leave impressed by UBC's Museum of Anthropology. The Arthur Erickson-designed building overlooks the water, while inside you'll find significant collections of Northwest Coast Indigenous art, including totem poles, canoes and works by Bill Reid. Give yourself time to wander instead of rushing through.

CANADIAN MUSEUM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (WINNIPEG, MANITOBA)

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights takes on difficult topics through interactive exhibits, personal stories and historical moments from Canada and around the world. Even the building was designed with purpose, leading visitors along a winding path to the Tower of Hope, where you'll find views across Winnipeg.

CANADIAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION AT PIER 21 (HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA)

Between 1928 and 1971, nearly a million immigrants arrived in Canada at Pier 21. Today, the museum looks back at that history via letters, photographs, oral histories and personal belongings, offering a closer look at the experiences of the people who came through its doors.

ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM (TORONTO, ONTARIO)

The ROM is the kind of museum where it's impossible to see everything in one visit. One gallery might have fossils, the next ancient Egyptian artifacts, followed by gemstones, textiles or contemporary exhibitions. It's easy to spend half a day here without realizing where the time went, especially since it's right in the middle of Toronto's museum district.

CANADIAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY (GATINEAU, QUEBEC)

Across the river from Parliament Hill, the Canadian Museum of History traces thousands of years of life in what's now Canada. The Grand Hall, lined with massive Indigenous totem poles, is one of the country's most memorable museum spaces, while temporary exhibitions mean there's usually something new even for repeat visitors.

Museums aren't always the reason people book a trip, but these ones could be. They're destinations in their own right, whether you're spending a weekend in Winnipeg or road-tripping through Alberta's Badlands.