Revisiting the Big Nickel with Friends in Sudbury, a Northern Ontario Town

Sudbury, Ontario

 The Big Nickel - Sudbury, Ontario

On the third day of our trip, we were up early ( too early for me!) had breakfast and were ready to board our tour bus by 8am.

.

Science North, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Heading back to Toronto, our tour bus made a couple of stops in Sudbury, one at Science North and the other at the Big Nickel.

Main Entrance of Science North, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Sudbury , nick named as Saw and Dust city, is a northern Ontario city with about 60,000 inhabitants, and is known for its timber resources and nickel mines.

The Big Nickel, Sudbury, Ontario

The Big Nickel is a 30 feet tall replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel coin, worth at 5 cents.

It is located on the grounds of Dynamic Earth, an interactive museum operated by Science North.


I visited the Big Nickel more than forty years ago but it seemed like yesterday. 

Dynamic Earth - an interactive science museum in Sudbury

When I visited the Big Nickel the first time, I was a teenager heading towards southern Ontario to start my freshman year at university.

This time, my second time visiting the same site, I am a retired person with many years of life experiences behind me.

The Pharaoh's Tomb carved pumpkin display in front of the Dynamic Earth Science Museum, Sudbury

Visiting the Big Nickel after the Thanksgiving weekend,  we found many of the area's attractions including the nickel mine tour were closed.

However, we did see the creative displays of craved pumpkins in front of the Dynamic Earth, a science museum. 

Using the Egyptian Pharaoh's Tomb as the theme, Dynamic Earth Science Museum created numerous pumpkins with ancient Egyptian symbols and pictures displaying them on the ground of the Big Nickel.

One of the enjoyable activities of travelling with friends was the opportunity to converse and catch up with each other. We were sitting right in front of Wil and A.

I was glad that I had an excellent chat with Wil who was very willing to share with me what was happening in their lives. 

This was what true friends are for – sharing the good and bad times in our lives with each other. Because of our engaging conversations, time flew by and in no time at all, we were back home in Toronto!

R.T.

The Big Nickel

Sudbury, Northern Ontario

Canada