Here are Ottawa’s top local attractions, other than national institutions and national museums. You may also want to discover more about the Rideau Canal. and Parliament Hill.
Aboriginal Experience
Middle Street on Victoria Island (Off Portage Bridge), Ottawa, K1Y 1P8
613-564-9494 fax: 613-722-4667 1-877-811-3233
Authentic programs featuring First nations song, dance, stories and crafts in a native village environment. Open mid-May to Thanksgiving. General admission $6 adults, $4 for children. Special packages include native dancing and native dining. (OC Transpo #8)
Beechwood Cemetery
280Beechwood Ave, Ottawa K1L 8E2
613-741-9530 fax: 613-741-8584
Graves for historic figures as Sir Robert Borden (Prime Minister from 1911 to 1920), Sir Sanford Fleming (inventor of time zones), John Booth (lumber & railway baron), Tommy Douglas (founder of the CCF/NDP). Self-guided walking tour, open year round. Free. Open year round, weekdays 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 4 pm, Sundays 9 am to 4 pm. (OC Transpo #7)
Byward Market
North of Rideau St, east of Sussex Drive
This historic area has many shops, cafes, boutiques and nightlife. A year-round farmers’ market on weekends is popular for fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and handicrafts. (OC Transpo routes 1-97)
Capital Infocentre
90 Wellington Street, across from Parliament Hill
613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867
This is the National Capital Commission’s information centre, which provides maps, brochures to visitors. Also has a scale model of downtown Ottawa, a multimedia exhibit upstairs (with a great view of the Parliament Buildings), and a souvenir shop.
Carleton University Art Gallery
St Patrick’s Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive
(613) 520-2120
By offering a diverse program of art exhibitions, events and publications, CUAG brings people together to explore and activate the ideas that shape contemporary society
Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame
358 Sussex Drive, across from National Gallery of Canada
613-241-7496
Ottawa’s oldest surviving church, built from 1839 until 1885, has a neo-gothic interior with over 200 statutes surrounding the main altar. Open daily from 7 am to 6 pm, Sundays 8 am to 6 pm. (OC Transpo #3, 306)
Canadian Tire Centre
1000 Palladium Dr, Kanata K2V 1A5
613-599-0100 fax: 613-599-0101
This 18,500 seat arena is home to the Ottawa Senators NHL hockey team. Facilities also include the WordPerfect Theatre, meeting rooms and 5 restaurants. Open year-round Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm. Admission: rates depend on event. (OC Transpo #401-405)
La Maison de Citoyen
Rue Montcalm, Hull
Home for the municipal and regional governments of Hull and the Outaouais. Also includes an art gallery, library, fitness centre, theatre and conference rooms. (OC Transpo #8)
Lansdowne Park
1015 Bank St, Ottawa K1S 3W7
613-580-2429 fax: 613-564-1619
This multipurpose facility includes a football stadium and ice arena, and is a frequent venue for concerts, sporting events, and trade shows. Open year round. Admission varies by event. (OC Transpo #2, 7)
Logan Hall, Geological Survey of Canada
Logan Hall. 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E9
(near Dow’s Lake)
613-995-4261
This museum features displays and videos to trace the history of the Geological Survey. The hall is named for the founder of the GSC, as is Canada’s tallest mountain, located in the Yukon (despite an ill-fated attempt to rename it for former Prime Minister Trudeau). The collection includes various rocks, minerals, meteorites and fossils from around Canada, and from other countries. Open weekdays 8 am to 4 pm, admission is free.
Log Farm
670 Cedarview Ave East, Nepean
613-825-4352
This restored farm, dating back to 1857, re-enacts farm life in the 1800s. Visitors can help out with chores done the old-fashioned way. The farm features seasonal events, special occasions, walking trails, and a petting zoo.
Nepean Point & Astrolabe Theatre Capital Modern
613-239-5000
At the point were a statue of Samuel de Champlain stands, this outdoor theatre host many festival performances over the summer months. The Astrolabe Theatre rests gently against the south escarpment of Nepean Point. From its perch visitors are provided with a spectacular view of the Parliamentary precinct, Major’s Hill Park, the Chateau Laurier, the Judicial Precinct, the Rideau Canal. The Astrolabe Theatre was completed in 1967 to provide a unique vantage point for the fireworks display and sound and light show that marked Canada’s Centennial, though it was announced in 2011 that it was to be demolished.
Ottawa International Hostel
75 Nicholas St
613-235-2595
This hostel is located in the former Carleton County Jail, which was in operation from 1862 to 1972, and was the site of Canada’s last public hanging in the 1960s. Guided tours offer a look at the gallows, prisoners’ cells, death row and the public stocks. Hostel guests can sleep in cells. Tours $3 per person.
Pinhey’s Point (Horaceville Ghost Town)
270 Pinhey Point Road (Dunrobin)
Take 417 to March Rd (Kanata), N to Dunrobin Rd, then right onto Riddell Drive (about 10 km)
613-832-4347
This park includes the manor of Hamnet Kirkes Pinhey, who came to Canada in 1820. And the “ghost town” of Horaceville, the settlement he founded. Tours of the manor house are offered Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Grounds are open to the public every day, and include picnic area, a boat dock, and a concession stand.
Ottawa City Hall
110 Laurier Ave W, Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1
(110 Laurier Ave @ Elgin St)
613-244-5300 fax: 613-580-2402
The city hall of the recently amalgamated city is in the former home of the Regional Municipality. Tours are available on 2 weeks notice (OC Transpo #1-97)
Rideau Canal – Ottawa Locks
Between Chateau Laurier & Parliament Hill
(office: 34A Beckwith St S, Smiths Falls N K7A 2A8)
613-28/3-5170 fax 613-283-0677 1-800-230-0016
Watch a 19th century canal in action, with hand-operated locks, and interpretive exhibits. Open Mid-may to Mid-June Mon-Thur 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Fri-Sun 8:30 am to 7:30 pm; Mid-June to Labour Day daily 8:30 am to 7:30 pm; Labour Day to mid-September daily 8:30 am to 4;30 pm; Mid-Sept-Mid-Oct Tues-Thur 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, Fri-Sun 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Admission Free. (OC Transpo 1-97). There are more locks beside Carleton University, just south of Dow’s Lake, and a further set by Mooney’s Bay off Hog’s Back
Rd. For more on the Rideau Canal.
Saint Patrick’s Basilica
281 Nepean Street, Ottawa, K1R 5G2
613-233-1125 fax: 234-8667
This church was founded in 1855 and serves the city’s English-speaking Catholics. The church is in the modern gothic design with sacred paintings and stained glass windows, a Cassavant pipe organ, and a marble alter. Special Celebration on March 17th, for St Patrick’s Day. Open year-round daily Mon-Sat 6 am to 5:30 pm, Sundays 6 am to 10 pm. Free admission. (OC Transpo #1,2,3,4,7,8,16-97)
St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
82 Kent St, Ottawa, K1P 5N9
613-232-9042 fax: 613-232-1379
This church is located across the street from the Supreme Court of Canada, and has provided Christian worship since 1828. Open year-round weekdays 9 am to 1 pm, with Sunday service 9:30 am and 11 am. Free admission. (OC Transpo #1-97)
Terry Fox Statue
Corner of Metcalfe and Wellington, in front of the Parliament Buildings
This statue, by John Hooper, celebrates the legendary runner who began the Marathon of Hope in Newfoundland in 1980, only to collapse just east of Thunder Bay that September. Though never completing his run and dying a year later, he raised $25 million for cancer research, and his fundraising legacy is continued with an annual run held across Canada and in cities around the world.