a peek inside the fishbowl

26 Sep, 2014

Ottawa giveaway alert: Sunday brunch at the Museum of Nature

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy|Fishbowl patrons|Giveaways and product reviews|Ottawa

We have a winner! Thank you for your entries and interest everyone! FYI, there are still some seats available for the Thanksgiving brunch at the Museum. You can find more information about that right here

I have two words for you: buffet brunch.

I really enjoying taking my family out to a good buffet brunch, don’t you? Sadly, we don’t seem to do it very often as I would like. I do love it though. It gives us a chance to reconnect over a good meal, AND it means that I’m not the one doing the cooking. Also, the buffet setting guarantees that everyone will find something they like to eat, and dare I say, even TRY NEW FOODS.

The Canadian Museum of Nature (a Fishbowl patron FYI), recently launched a series of special seasonal Sunday brunches that I’m really looking forward to checking out with the kids. And here’s something that’s good to know: brunch includes admission to the Museum, which means we can happily burn off our meal afterwards and learn cool stuff about the world around us. (Do check out Creatures of Light if you haven’t already seen it. It ends November 9!)

The 2014-2015 brunches are all linked to special occasions, with specific dates/themes as follows:

  • October 12 (Thanksgiving)
  • December 14 (Multicultural holiday)
  • February 15 (Valentine’s)
  • March 22 (Canadian “sugarbush”)
  • April 26 (Arctic country foods)
  • May 10 (Mother’s Day)
  • June 21 (Father’s Day)

The menus are being developed by Executive Chef William Carter of Gourmet Cuisine and include assorted meats, salads, cheeses, pastries, desserts, local harvests and, during the holidays, specialties from different cultures.

And here’s the good news, I have two adult brunch packages (a value of $80) to give to one lucky winner.

Interested? Please read the nitty gritty:

  • This giveaway is for two (2) adult brunch packages to the Thanksgiving edition on October 12. (Anticipate a cornucopia of foodstuffs, much of it seasonal and harvest-themed!)*
  • Please make sure you can attend before entering. It’s up to you if you want to bring the kids or leave them at home. :)
  • In order for your entry to qualify, please leave a comment below. That’s it! If you feeling keen, I’d love it if you told me what you and your family enjoy the most when you visit the Museum of Nature.
  • This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
  • If you can’t post your comment for whatever reason, you can email it to andrea at quietfish dot com. Please note, I cannot be responsible if your entry is lost or gets stuck in my Spam folder.

That’s it! (I like easy giveaways, don’t you?)

I will draw the winning name using Random.org at noon EST on October 3, 2014. I’ll contact the winner via email at that time and post the name here as well.

For more information about the Canadian Museum of Nature Sunday brunch series check out the website right here.

* Edited to add: Some of the highlights of the brunch buffet will be a Gourmet egg and crepe station, turkey carvery and all the fixings; not to mention a dessert station with the specialty being pumpkin cheesecake! A complimentary jar of seasonal jam will be given with each reservation. Kids can enjoy gourd decorating, too.

 

 


62 Responses to "Ottawa giveaway alert: Sunday brunch at the Museum of Nature"

1 | Joanne MacDonell

September 26th, 2014 at 3:36 pm

Avatar

1st impressions, the beautiful mosaic tiled floor.

2 | Amy

September 26th, 2014 at 3:54 pm

Avatar

I took the kid to their brunch last year and it was great

3 | LauraD

September 26th, 2014 at 4:01 pm

Avatar

That sounds wonderful. I have been there twice before (once for a wedding and once to explore the exhibits) It’s a beautiful building too

4 | Kif - Katherine - Urban Girl

September 26th, 2014 at 5:46 pm

Avatar

I love all the new ideas that the museum is coming up with! Brilliant way to get the foodies! Thanks for the schedule – will mark my calendar.

5 | Cat

September 26th, 2014 at 7:21 pm

Avatar

I always loved the geological trip back in time but I dont think they have it anymore…The dinosaurs still rock though :o)

6 | jen_nifer

September 26th, 2014 at 7:32 pm

Avatar

Brunch! I wish we did brunch more often, but we often end up making brunchy things at home.

And it’s been a while since I got to point out dinosaur dung.

7 | alisonsmedley

September 26th, 2014 at 7:51 pm

Avatar

I love checking out the freshwater fish tank, would love to cheCo out brunch as well though. :)

8 | Nikki

September 26th, 2014 at 7:52 pm

Avatar

Wow! This sounds wonderful!!!

9 | Beverley

September 26th, 2014 at 9:12 pm

Avatar

Love the recent bioluminescence exhibit!

10 | Nicola

September 26th, 2014 at 9:28 pm

Avatar

My kiddo loves the play zone in the corner of the birds exhibit, where he can pretend to be a jeep-driving veterinarian.

11 | maryatparenthood

September 27th, 2014 at 7:05 am

Avatar

My kiddos like to sit on the mosaic moose at the entrance. Our fav part these days is the Trading Post but you can only do that on Saturdays during the year. Recently we got to help dig for real dinosaur bones – they opened a package from the field that had been in storage and handed out tools. It was pretty cool…

12 | Kerry Gogush Cule

September 27th, 2014 at 8:18 am

Avatar

Would love to attend this. Sounds fun!

13 | Brenda A

September 27th, 2014 at 8:49 am

Avatar

This is a fantastic idea. The opportunity to feature foods that some may not otherwise get the chance to try is great! We have hosted a similar event at the school my girls go to and it was very successful!

14 | JanetD.

September 27th, 2014 at 11:45 am

Avatar

October 12th is our wedding anniversary and this would be such an amazing way
to celebrate our special day!
Always enjoy our visits to the Museum of Nature as it has something for all ages and it’s so exciting & educational. The life sized dinosaurs are my family’s favourite.

15 | Sonya

September 27th, 2014 at 12:56 pm

Avatar

This sounds amazing! We may have to go even if we don’t win :)

16 | KL

September 27th, 2014 at 5:19 pm

Avatar

Brunch sounds amazing. I would love to Bioluminescence before it moves on. We love checking out the birds and chatting about which ones we saw over the year.

17 | Caroline

September 27th, 2014 at 5:41 pm

Avatar

The birds are the best! I could spend hours looking at them all – big and small!

18 | Meghan

September 27th, 2014 at 6:06 pm

Avatar

The mamoths outside!

19 | Zoom

September 28th, 2014 at 9:24 am

Avatar

I love the taxidermy birds best of all.

20 | Wynne

September 28th, 2014 at 10:07 pm

Avatar

Sounds Yummy! I might finally get my husband to go with us since there is food involved!

21 | Bill Wilson

September 28th, 2014 at 10:52 pm

Avatar

We love the dinos

22 | Andrea Faubert

September 28th, 2014 at 11:13 pm

Avatar

Nothing I love more than brunch. As a busy university student I run by the motto “Brunch on Sundays, business on mondays”!

23 | Sarah Lamoureux

September 28th, 2014 at 11:24 pm

Avatar

We love the dinosaurs but was that a giant jelly fish I drove by today in the atrium of the museum? My boys and I must see the Ceatures of Light exhibit soon!

24 | Rebecca

September 29th, 2014 at 6:37 am

Avatar

The kids just went to the jelly fish exhibit and loved it!

brunch there looks great!

25 | Rubby N.

September 29th, 2014 at 8:40 am

Avatar

My kids love going to the Nature Club, so that can bring in their items and trade with the museum.

26 | Lisa

September 29th, 2014 at 2:08 pm

Avatar

Birds, Nature Club, everything. It’s our favorite museum and one of our favorite rainy day escapes.

27 | Laura at the Museum of Nature

September 29th, 2014 at 2:12 pm

Avatar

Love all the great comments. Thank you everyone.

Some of the highlights of the brunch buffet will be a Gourmet egg and crepe station, turkey carvery and all the fixings; not to mention a dessert station with the specialty being pumpkin cheesecake!

A complimentary jar of seasonal jam will be given with each reservation.

Kids can enjoy gourd decorating, too.

28 | Carolyn

September 29th, 2014 at 2:30 pm

Avatar

We love the beautiful atrium and can’t wait to see which next huge animal will be placed inside. The dinosaurs are always a must but we like our bugs too. We thought it was awesome that the Amazing Race Canada highlighted the Museum by having the contestants climb and zip across the atrium!

29 | LouiseL.

September 29th, 2014 at 8:10 pm

Avatar

The brunch menu sounds amazing including the pumpkin cheesecake …yummy! Haven’t been to the Museum of Nature recently so this would be extra special for us. Thank you for offering such a fun and generous giveaway.

30 | Shawna

September 29th, 2014 at 11:16 pm

Avatar

I’ve always loved this museum!

31 | Sarah

September 30th, 2014 at 8:11 am

Avatar

My son loves the submarine (especially when the goosefish appears on the screen!) and the veterinarian’s jeep.

32 | Tanya

September 30th, 2014 at 8:19 am

Avatar

That sounds so lovely. It’s such a fabulous building.

33 | Joy M.

September 30th, 2014 at 8:32 am

Avatar

Thanks for the chance – sounds wonderful!!

34 | Karen

September 30th, 2014 at 10:12 am

Avatar

I had never heard about brunches at the museum!

Our favourite part of the museum is the dinosaur section. Oh! My daughter just told me to say she also likes the water pump where you learn to save water.

35 | melissa fowers

September 30th, 2014 at 10:23 am

Avatar

Would love to take my Husband and kids to the brunch. My son who is 5 really wants to check out the Dinosaur section.

36 | Rob

October 1st, 2014 at 2:35 pm

Avatar

Count me in for snacks!

37 | Jacquie Poitras

October 1st, 2014 at 5:08 pm

Avatar

I love the giant inflated whale and the staircases.

38 | Kelly Hutchings

October 1st, 2014 at 9:16 pm

Avatar

This is an awesome idea, I hope you pull my name cuz I need a ‘break’… I do daycare, need I say more??

39 | Tanya

October 2nd, 2014 at 2:44 pm

Avatar

Brunch sounds so delicious.
The Haunted Walk did a one of their tours there on Halloween a few years ago and it was awesome!

40 | Judy

October 2nd, 2014 at 7:33 pm

Avatar

our best visit was last month for our son’s sixth birthday. They were amazing and I would completely recommend them for birthdays!

41 | Judy Charbonneau

October 2nd, 2014 at 7:51 pm

Avatar

I haven’t visited the museum for quite some time, but loved the insects and the dioramas(?) of the Canadian animals.

42 | Robert Friedman

October 2nd, 2014 at 8:41 pm

Avatar

I used to bring to kids to see the dinosaurs. They dubbed the museum, “The Dinosaur Museum”.

43 | Andrea Bedard

October 2nd, 2014 at 9:51 pm

Avatar

We call it “the castle”. Beautiful museum. Although the dinosaurs are a big draw, we love the birds section.

44 | Pouneh shakeri

October 2nd, 2014 at 11:45 pm

Avatar

My boys love the beautiful castle. Every trip means checking every single exhibition out! Never dined there though but always heard rave comments … :)

45 | Kimberly Patriquin

October 2nd, 2014 at 11:47 pm

Avatar

Fora 19 month old boy how can you eat dinosaurs?! Personally, I love the architecture.

46 | Karen Cowen

October 3rd, 2014 at 8:00 am

Avatar

Love the building/architecture. An Ottawa gem.

47 | Karen Wattie

October 3rd, 2014 at 8:29 am

Avatar

This sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

48 | Melissa Pomeroy

October 3rd, 2014 at 8:31 am

Avatar

Melissa Pomeroy. Love the little dinosaur movie

49 | Susan Demaray

October 3rd, 2014 at 9:08 am

Avatar

Oh! That sounds like fun. I haven’t been to the Museum in a few years, but I always love the dinosaurs.

50 | Lou Lou

October 3rd, 2014 at 9:27 am

Avatar

Would love to discover the Nature Brunch. The Museum of Nature is at the top of my list of places to visit in Ottawa!

51 | charmaine smith

October 3rd, 2014 at 9:28 am

Avatar

I would love to bring my American husband and parents to enjoy a unique experience such as this!! Very excited!

52 | Emilie

October 3rd, 2014 at 9:29 am

Avatar

It sounds amazing! We love the Museum of Nature because my son who has Autism is REALLY into dinosaurs.

53 | melissa

October 3rd, 2014 at 9:44 am

Avatar

Love the Sunday brunch idea, would be fun with 5 week old in carrier!

54 | Greg Power

October 3rd, 2014 at 9:49 am

Avatar

We enjoy the variety of special exhibits.

55 | Susan

October 3rd, 2014 at 9:54 am

Avatar

Thanksgiving brunch would be great! Thanks.

56 | Kasia

October 3rd, 2014 at 10:04 am

Avatar

WOW! Brunch at the Museum! That would be a lovely intro for me to museum/Ottawa as I just moved to Ottawa a 3 months ago and have not had the chance to go! Oooohhh! Pick me! Pick me!

57 | Frank

October 3rd, 2014 at 10:06 am

Avatar

Great opportunity! Thanks for the contest.

58 | Nancy

October 3rd, 2014 at 10:23 am

Avatar

Brunch at our favourite museum sounds fantastic!

59 | sam

October 3rd, 2014 at 10:43 am

Avatar

This would be amazing! I would love to go with my mom since its her birthday week. When we visit the museum, we take all four of my siblings and our favourite section is the one with the tank full of fish. We stay there and watch them.

60 | Jane

October 3rd, 2014 at 11:50 am

Avatar

This would be yummy! Thanks!

61 | andrea tomkins

October 3rd, 2014 at 12:05 pm

Avatar

Comments are officially closed to new entries. Stay tuned for the winner!

62 | andrea tomkins

October 3rd, 2014 at 1:01 pm

Avatar

The winner is commenter 41, Judy Charbonneau, who wrote “I haven’t visited the museum for quite some time, but loved the insects and the dioramas(?) of the Canadian animals.”

Congratulations Judy! Check your inbox for some further info for me.

Thanks everyone for your entries. FYI, you can still reserve seats for the special Thanksgiving brunch. You can find information about that on the Canadian Museum of Nature website.

comment form:

Archives

Me and my pet projects

Ottawa Bucket list

Subscribe via email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


  • green: come by the whole shebang is detached, I apprise, people you command not feel! The entirety is bright, thank you. Everything works, say thank you y
  • together: buy the whole shooting match is detached, I advise, people you command not cry over repentance! The whole kit is bright, as a result of you. The who
  • politics: come by the whole shebang is unflappable, I advise, people you command not be remorseful over! The entirety is sunny, as a result of you. The whole
  • Renee: I just saw one yesterday on a small patch of grassy land near the Mann Ave 417 exit near Lees Station, Ottawa, ON. I had no idea they came in black!
  • Tisha: I just created 2 bee baths on Sunday, and when I went outside yesterday to check the water levels, the exact same scenario greeted me! One single mar
  • Jennifer Jilks: I don't have a bucket list. I sorta live day to day!
  • Aj: Each peach, Everybody puts two feet in, king counter will say the following rhyme as they count around the circle: "Each peach pear plum out goes

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


Connect with me at these places too!

Still calling it Twitter