25 Apr, 2012
The Ultimate Ottawa bucket list
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa
This post had been rolling around in my head for awhile but then when I saw this Globe and Mail article about a bucket list for kids I knew I had to finally finish it. I always thought it’d be kind of cool to create a collection of “must see must do” things in the Ottawa area – not just for adults, but for families and kids too! When as I started writing this life list I quickly realized that there was a lot to be said for Gatineau, the Ottawa Valley, and a bit beyond so it does extend past Ottawa proper. I’m sure there are things I’m missing, so please let me know in the comments and I will add them.
I think if someone has done everything on this list they will have experienced Ottawa to the fullest.
The Big Ottawa Bucket List
Note: links go to past posts or to resources elsewhere on the web.
- Parliament Hill: Take a guided tour of Centre Block
- .. and see the Books of Remembrance
- Parliament Hill: Venture up the Peace Tower and admire the view
- Parliament Hill: Listen to a noonday show of the Dominion Carillonneur
- Parliament Hill: Visit the cats! The cats are gone now. Boo.
- Parliament Hill: watch the changing of the guard
- Parliament Hill: See the Eternal Flame
- Parliament Hill: Visit the “whispering wall” – a curved wall with statues of Baldwin and Lafontaine towering over you. If you and a friend stand or sit at either end you can hear what the other person whispers.
- Pay your respects at the National War Memorial on Elgin Street (bonus points if you do it on Remembrance Day)
- Get wet: Spend the day at Calypso (Bonus points if you are brave enough to do the Aqualoop! Video here. Imagine being locked in a small cabin and have the floor fall out from underneath you.)
- Get wet: Spend the day at Mont Cascades water park (it’s classic!)
- Get wet: Soak up some sun at our city beaches; Britannia, Westboro, Petrie Island, Mooney’s Bay. Just be alert for the water quality warnings.
- Get wet: check out an urban secret… The Pond in the Village of Rockcliffe Park
- Find the hidden ruins at Westboro Beach
- Have a picnic at Hog’s Back Falls
- Participate or be a spectator at the Dragon Boat Festival
- Participate or be a spectator at Hope Volleyball Tournament
- Summerfest city: Jazz!
- Summerfest city: Blues!
- Summerfest city: Folk!
- Summerfest city: the Ottawa Fringe Festival!
- Summerfest city: WESTFEST (2019 was the final year of Westfest. Boo.)
- Summerfest city: the Lumiere Festival! (It is one of our favourites.)
- Summerfest city: Herbfest takes place at the Herb Garden near Almonte
- Catch a show at the National Arts Centre
- Cycle the city: Ride down the Ottawa River Bike path (like Mark does almost every snow-free day)
- Cycle the city: Ride your bike (or rollerblade!) down any of the scenic parkways during Alcatel-Lucent Sunday Bikedays
- Cycle the city: pedal over to the inukshuks at Deschenes Rapids (briefly mentioned here)
- Cycle the city:
rent a BIXI bike downtown - Cycle the city: while on the Quebec side of the river, walk the tracks … or just take a photo, because it’s technically illegal. ;)
- Dim the lights: play a round of Rock n’ Bowl at Merivale Lanes
- Dim the lights: watch the fireworks at Casino du Lac-Leamy
- Dim the lights: Enjoy the Bard by torchlight at an Ottawa park near you
- Be brave! Explore Lusk Caves near Lac Phillipe
- Be brave! Explore the Bonnechere Caves near Renfrew
- Be brave! Conquer the treetops at Lafleche Aerial Park [Er. Watch your step.]
- Be brave! Feed the beasts at Parc Omega
- Be brave! Go dogsledding at Montebello
- Be brave! At the Fortune Aerial Experience
- Be brave! Pet a snake at Ray’s Reptiles
- Be brave! Take a Haunted Walk
- Hike up to the old fire tower on Lusk Falls Trail. There’s a fantastic view of the Eardley Escarpment.
- Go frog hunting at Mer Bleu Bog
- Explore Lime Kiln Trail
- … and the rest of the Stony Swamp trails and feed the chickadees
- Here are two more kid-friendly hiking trails in Gatineau
- Explore the old Nepean Quarry in Barrhaven [note that it’s illegal to visit now.]
- Visit the Wild Bird Care Centre and leave a donation
- Go back in time at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg (bonus points if you buy some stone-milled flour and bake a loaf of bread with it, they mill it right there)
- … and catch Alight at Night at Upper Canada Village in the winter
- Pretend like it’s 1969 and motor over to the Port Elmsley drive-in just outside of Perth
- Get lost in a maze at Saunder’s Farm
- Admire the view from the Champlain Lookout in Gatineau
- Check out the old Carbide Willson ruins (the old mill!) in Gatineau Park. It’s gorgeous any time of year.
- Eat your way through Ottawa Magazine’s 101 (Ottawa!) tastes to try before you die. (Beau’s beer! Art-is-in bread! Tower o’rings from the Works! The Scone Witch! Chocolate from Camino! Giant peanut butter cups from Truffle Treasures! This list would be twice as long if I listed all the great foodie stuff around Ottawa.)
- Check out the scene on Somerset Street and have a bubble tea while you’re there
- Visit Dow’s Lake in bloom during the Spring
- … rent a paddle boat or canoe in the summer
- … skate in the winter
- … and take a photo of a loved one among the daffodils and tulips.
- Cheer on the home team! Check out a Sens game at Scotiabank Place.
- And the 67s too
- Catch a baseball game with the Ottawa Champions
- Visit the National Gallery of Canada (Sidebar: my fave piece of contemporary art is a sound sculpture called Forty-Part Motet. Don’t miss it!) I wrote about visiting the gallery with kids here.
- Give Maman a nice big hug!
- Visit the old Ottawa jail (bonus points if you actually sleep in one of the presumably haunted cells)
- Shop at Ottawa’s oldest shopping centre (surprise, it’s Westgate!)
- Have a pint at Ottawa’s oldest drinking establishment, the Laff (a.k.a. the Chateau Lafayette)
- … and a meal at Ottawa’s oldest restaurant, the Prescott (according to OpenFile anyway)
- Visit: the Canadian Museum of Nature
- Visit: the Canadian Museum of History a.k.a. The Civ
- … see an IMAX movie while you’re there
- … and walk down to the river and admire the view afterwards
- Visit: the Canada Science and Technology Museum (don’t miss the Crazy Kitchen!)
- Visit: the Canadian War Museum and spend a quiet moment in the Hall of Reflection
- Visit: the Canada Aviation and Space Museum
- Take in the view of Parliament Hill from Major’s Hill Park
- Check out Aboriginal Experiences on Victoria Island
- Have tea at Billing’s Estate, the location of Ottawa’s oldest wood-framed house
- Go underground! Check out the Diefenbunker and learn about our cold war history
- Participate in Doors Open Ottawa and poke around a building you haven’t been inside before
- Peek inside the Notre Dame Basilica, Ottawa’s largest and oldest standing church
- Tuck your napkin behind your collar and enjoy high tea at the Chateau Laurier (Just kidding about the napkin part. Don’t do it. Really.)
- Buy some fruit and veggies at one of Ottawa farmer’s markets: like Parkdale or Byward
- Span the provinces and walk across the Alexandria Bridge. It’s a great view.
- Wander around the Rideau Hall gardens (they are gorgeous)
- … and take a tour of the Governor General’s residence. It really is a cool slice of Canadian history.
- Check out the Mackenzie King Estate – especially the ruins
- Take a tour of the Supreme Court of Canada
- Cheer on a runner during Ottawa Race Weekend. Better yet, run!
- Meet the horses at the RCMP stables and watch the RCMP Musical Ride
- Visit the animals at the Canadian Agriculture Museum (a.k.a the Experimental Farm)
- Take a drive along the NCC Scenic Driveway/Prince of Wales. Stop and talk to the cows.
- Skate the Rideau Canal Skateway
- … and have a Beavertail!
- Winterlude!
- Skate on the Rink of Dreams
- Skate on the Lansdowne Park Skating Court
- Slide down an ice slide at Jacques Cartier Park
- Watch the balloons take off during the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival
- Spend Canada Day on Parliament Hill
- … watch the spectacular Canada Day fireworks
- Skip Canada Day because it’s too busy on the Hill and have a BBQ with friends
- Go tobogganing at the Arboretum
- … and check it out in the summer too!
- Go snowboarding at Carlington Hill
- Walk your dog at Bruce Pit
- Do some inner city bird watching at Mud Lake
- Take in a movie at the ByTowne
- … or at the Mayfair.
- Wander up and down Sparks Street and wonder aloud how awesome it could be if it lived up to its potential. Heh.
- Experience OC Transpo – ride the bus and the O-Train
- Take a double decker bus tour around town
- Visit the area’s rural fall fairs: such as the Carp Fair, Perth Fair, Metcalfe, Shawville. (SuperEx is a thing of the past for now)
- Do a boat tour on the canal and/or river
- Experience Canada Day on a boat – amazing way to see the fireworks
Choo choo choose the Wakefield train for a day trip[ed: it’s closed for now, boo!]- Sample a pasta dish in Little Italy [ed: personally I’d opt for a latte and a pastry]
Visit Storyland [ed: this came from @LaraWellman – their website is down, should it be on this list?]Storyland is closed!- Visit the Bytown Museum
- … by the Ottawa Lock along the Rideau Canal. (Did you know that the Rideau Canal is a World Heritage Site?)
- Pay your respects at the Terry Fox statue downtown
- Learn the story of the Sir Galahad statue
- Catch a show: at the GCTC, Ottawa’s oldest professional theatre company
- Catch a show: at the Shenkman Arts Centre
- Catch a show: at the Odyssey Theatre
- … especially Rag and Bone Puppet Theatre or Orleans Young Players
- Catch a performance at the annual Busker Festival
- Sample the goods at the Chicken and Rib Cook-off
- Visit the Currency Museum
- … and check out the really cool indoor garden right beside it (it’s called the “Garden Court”)
- Check out the graffiti wall at the corner of Slater and Bronson (it’s a great photo op)
- Watch the planes take off at the Ottawa Airport
- Take in a show or concert at the Canadian Tire Centre
- Do some research at Library and Archives Canada (start your genealogy!)
- Attend the National Peace and Police Officers Memorial service on Parliament Hill, the fourth Sunday in September
- Follow a boat up or down the Locks by the Chateau Laurier (Yes, by FOOT)
- Play drive-in bingo at the Fairgrounds in Carp one Wednesday evening in July. It’s been going on for nearly 60 years!
- Be one with the bears at CHEO’s Annual Teddy Bear Picnic
- Check out Mosaika on Parliament Hill
- Catch one of the noontime concerts under the bridge downtown
- Movies on the beach! (I can’t find any current info about it, but I posted about it here once upon a time. I hope they come back this summer)
- Have a picnic at one of Ottawa’s great parks: Andrew Hayden Park or
- … Vincent Massey Park
- Check out an outdoor flick at Centretown Movies at Dundonald Park
- Play in the fountains on Sparks Street [Hmm. I’m not endorsing this one! :) ]
- Visit the hidden courtyards (one behind City Hall and a few in the Market area)
- Look for the swans over the Vanier bridge
- Visit Bate Island – it’s a great place for a picnic
- Check out Watson’s Mill in Manotick
- Fortissimo on Parliament Hill (This links to last year’s event)
- Capital City Speedway for some good ol’ stock car racing or even a demolition derby. (Tip: wear earplugs.)
- Do some treasure hunting at the Great Glebe Garage Sale
- Visit some of the historic sites at Beechwood Cemetery (Did you know that it’s a designated National Historic site? It’s also our National Military Cemetery.)
- Tap into some maple syrup at Fulton’s sugarbush in the Spring
- Take a hike through the South March Highlands. Just 20 minutes from Parliment Hill, this old-growth forest was just recognized as one of the “Great Places in Canada“
- Eat an apple off the tree. You can do this at one of Ottawa apple orchards, like Cannamore Orchard.
- Check out Lansdowne Park. Stay for a movie, a sporting event, or a bite to eat or all of the above.
- Pay a visit to Pinhey’s Point Historic Site
- Try to escape from Jigsaw Escape Rooms!
- Experience a virtual reality arcade: Colony VR!
- Date night at House of Targ and the Mayfair Theatre
- Have a picnic (and grill!) at Andrew Hayden Park
- Take the water taxi from Ottawa to Gatineau
- Take in the views (and a hot dog) at Tavern on the Hill
- Go ice skating on Parliament Hill
- Hike to Eagle’s Nest Lookout
What’s missing from the ultimate Ottawa bucket list? Let me know and I’ll add it. :)
NEWSFLASH! Want to keep this list with you? Make it into a faux-app! On your iPhone, navigate to this post with your browser. Tap the icon of the box with the arrow in it, and select “Add to Home Screen.” Change the text to something memorable like “Ottawa bucket list.” This will create an easy link right to this post.
Also worth noting, if you use Evernote you can add clip this page and create an editable note, that way you can cross things off and add to it!
Tags: actitivies, fall, family, fun, kids, museum, Ottawa, parks, play, spring, summer, things to do, winter
