Billet til Bata Shoe Museum

I dropped in on a Sunday at 12:00. There was a line up of 30 or more. Going in you still have to get information from the employee behind the counter. You give your postal code and where you’re coming from. There is 3 levels and a lower level. It’s free on Sundays. Regularly $16 for adults. It’s a rather small museum. I spent 45 minutes here. They have a small gift shop. They’re 5 minutes from St George station and across from the ROM. I only wished there was more shoes. But lots of interesting history about shoes.

+9

Innovative creative clean exhibitions Helpful polite employees Diverse installations; need more information regarding Indigenous and African influences

If you have an hour.. you can go have some fresh juice, enjoy the sunshine, go for a walk. You won’t miss anything by not visiting this museum. It’s just a bunch of shoes from all the eras.

It had a handwritten sign on the window that said “Closed. Sorry for the inconvenience.” This was our only day in Toronto, so this was very upsetting.

Very cool museum tracking the history of footwear from Roman’s to Anasazi Indians to the Tudor’s and popes Cowboy boot collection and other special exhibits French shoe designer Andre Perguia

+6

What an interesting museum of history from Roman to Indian to English and Japan They had a special exhibit of cowboy boots and a special exhibit on Andre Pergula Warm knowledgeable staff and free tours

+1

Quite a nice building and very friendly staff but needs to draw you in to the story and history of shoes more

The permanent exhibits are interesting but I will focus on the current special exhibits since there are many, many reviews on the permanent exhibits. The André Perugia exhibit was such an eye-opener since we had never heard of him. This exhibit brings to light how much he contributed via innovative designs and contributions to major brands. They pack a lot of history into a modest space. The Rough & Ready special exhibit captures the history and evolution of cowboy boots. Again, we learned so much about the origins and the subsequent evolution. Plus examples of many famous brands. The curators did a fabulous job on both special exhibits. Definitely worth a visit even just to see these two special exhibits.

I was drawn to visit partly by the story of the Bata family, the company, and their impact around the world. But it was all about the shoes. I have visited exhibitions about Cartier, Faberge , fashion houses, and the family story and struggle is entwined with the product. And the story is truly incredible. For example a book like A Suitable Boy based in India touches on the Bata legacy in India. Tom Stoppard, one of the Uk’s greatest writers and Oscar winner owed his existence to his father being a Bata employee. At the same time there is a darker legacy. And I wanted to know about the story of the Bata products. But I could find nothing at all about the extraordinary Bata family and business story. So disappointing. And would have been so much more interesting than cowboy boots. So while the history of shoes was quite interesting, the place needs a rethink and makeover.

It is not a big museum but has some interesting items on display. We paid for 2 senior tickets 24 dollars. There is very good exhibition about the history of the shoes from Otzi footwear to astronaut shoes. Especially for the younger generation must be interesting room with sneakers and cowboy boots. I liked also the room showing crime and shoes.

+46