See the Splendor of Ottawa, Canada
If you have ever considered Canada as an appealing travel destination but don’t know where to begin, why not visit the nation’s capital city, Ottawa? Ranked as one of the world’s cleanest cities, Ottawa features many exciting attractions and activities that can be enjoyed no matter what season you visit.
Main Attractions
One of Ottawa’s most famous attractions is the Rideau Canal. Comprised of more than 120 miles of lakes and rivers, this beautiful canal runs right through the heart of the capital city. Summertime offers scenic boat cruises while winter transforms the canal into the world’s largest skating rink. Between January and the end of February, you can ice skate on the canal through downtown Ottawa for nearly five miles. There are plenty of kiosks located along the way where you can stop for hot cocoa and snacks.
Parliament Hill may be Canada’s government seat, but it’s much more than just business. This complex of Gothic revival buildings presents a great place to experience Canada’s history, arts and culture. You can tour the Parliament Buildings for free to view a wide range of art works and historic artifacts. If your visit to Ottawa is during the summer, you can watch the daily ceremonial Changing of the Guard here as well as free nightly concerts and shows that project vivid images onto the government buildings accompanied by music.
A must-do in Ottawa is a tour of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police training center where mounties and horses alike train for the world famous event, the Musical Ride. Opened year round, the center offers tours where you can see the stables, farrier station, tack room and luxurious carriages. If you want to see the RCMP riders and horses practicing in person, you should visit between November and April when they are not out on tour.
The Saunders Farm is Ottawa’s premier destination for family fun. Boasting North America’s largest collection of mazes, this exciting farm offers a wide range of activities and programs every summer such as puppet shows, a water park, fairy gardens, giant jumping pillows, day camps and arts and craft shows. September and October presents fall festivals where you can enjoy activities like haunted hayrides, a parade of monsters and ghouls, the Barn of Terror and zombie paintball.
Located nearby hotel accommodation, pubs and restaurants, the ByWard Market is the city’s most popular shopping district where you can hunt for a bargain on souvenirs, locally grown foods and handicrafts while watching street performers.
Arts and Culture
Ottawa boasts a lively arts and culture scene that includes art galleries, cultural museums and festivals. You can view an impressive collection of art works and artifacts at the National Gallery of Canada, which houses a 30-foot bronze spider sculpture.
Canada’s most visited museum, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, showcases 20,000 years of North American history through various exhibits of natural, archaeological, cultural and art objects.
For live performances, the city offers outstanding venues like the Ottawa Little Theater and the National Arts Center where you can enjoy a wide variety of productions ranging from theater to orchestra and dance.
Ottawa is home to the marvelous festival, Winterlude, which takes place every February at the Rideau Canal over the course of three weekends. This lively festival offers many attractions like North America’s biggest snow playground and competitions of dazzling ice sculptures.
Sports and Outdoors
Whether you’re into ice hockey, football or basketball, Ottawa has a team for you to watch. For outdoor recreation, the rivers and lakes along the Rideau Canal offers plenty of activities like fishing, paddle boating, canoeing, hiking, camping, cycling, golfing and more.
Climate
Ottawa features four distinct seasons where you will find winters to be cold and snowy while summers are humid and warm. Spring and fall offer pleasant temperatures and spectacular displays of foliage.
You can begin your exciting trip to Ottawa today by taking advantage of the great deals available online.
