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Kit for Ottawa hosts and visitors in 2017

Free and Low-cost Activities and Sites of Interest

This kit is online at: https://canada150cafe.wordpress.com

This virtual kit contains some ideas for free and low-cost outings in and around Ottawa. Perfect for showing visitors around the hidden

gems of the city, as well as ideas for family outings, the kit and its contents came from volunteers in a public library drop-in program

toward Canada’s 150th anniversary.

We’ve put together some local sites of interest, walking and biking trails of note, and spaces to be together during the year

of celebration. While the kit is far from exhaustive, we hope the items pique your interest – we’ll be adding more throughout

the year as more ideas, activities and resources come our way. Enjoy! We can’t of course vouch for the information on these

sites but have done our best to find good sources. Items marked with asterisk we think may be good for family outings.

A. Special Events for the 150th

1 City of Ottawa signature 2017 events http://www.ottawa2017.ca/events/signature-events/

2 Ottawa Welcomes the World http://www.ottawa2017.ca/ottawa-welcomes-the-world-updated/

3 Confederation Pavilions (use the arrows to locate the Pavilions project)

http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/our-projects/canada-150

4 Inspiration Village in the Byward Market http://www.ottawa2017.ca/events/signature-events/inspiration-village/

5 Cinema Canada 150 free screenings of Canadian movies on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights at the ByTowne Cinema, January 1 to June 26:

http://www.bytowne.ca/cinema-canada-150

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B. Famous places and sites of interest

1 Parliament Buildings (will be closed for renovations in 2018 for a number of years)

http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/Visitors/index-e.html

2 Rideau Hall (Governor General’s Residence) http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/official-residences/rideau-hall

3 National Museums check re admission fees: some are free on Thursday evenings) (The Science and Technology Museum reopens Nov. 2017)

http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-heritage-and-culture/museums-and-historic-sites/national-museums

4 National Gallery: free for children under 11 and for everyone on Thursdays 5-8 pm, also on occasional days in 2017 (check for specific dates)

http://www.gallery.ca/en/visit/admission.php

5 The Bytown Museum holds stories about the city of Ottawa and its built environment.

https://www.ottawatourism.ca/member/bytown-museum/

6 The Experimental Farm http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/offices-and-locations/central-experimental-farm/?id=1170701489551

7 Byward Market http://byward-market.com/en/home/

8 *Ottawa’s Public Libraries (these offer many free events for children and adults)

https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/program

9 Farmers Markets https://ottawastart.com/a-big-list-of-ottawa-farmers-markets/

10 Beechwood Cemetery, Canada’s national cemetery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechwood_Cemetery

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Some hidden gems a) Arboretum b) Ornamental Gardens c) Fletcher Wildlife Garden d) Brewer Pond e) Mer Bleue

http://friendsofthefarm.ca/plan-your-visit/attractions/ http://friendsofthefarm.ca/plan-your-visit/attractions/ http://friendsofthefarm.ca/plan-your-visit/attractions http://rvca.ca/brewerpark/index.html http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/greenbelt/mer-bleue

12 The Greenbelt http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/greenbelt

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Chaudiere Falls (viewing ready Autumn 2017) The falls are historic and beautiful but there is currently some contention about nearby development so we’ve added a background reference for those interested:

http://www.ottawa2017.ca/magnificence-of-chaudiere-falls http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/a-users-guide-to-the-the-islands-the-falls-zibi-and-the-windmill-development

14 The Log Farm hosts a Farmers Market Saturdays and Sundays during the summer and for a fee (consult the website) the farm itself may be visited

https://thelogfarm.com/farmers-market/

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C. Walks

1 Trans Canada Trail (The Great Trail) passes through Ottawa For more information on the Trail :

https://thegreattrail.ca/explore-the-map/https://thegreattrail.ca/stories/the-great-trail-a-national-icon/

2 Mud Lake in Britannia Conservation Area (scroll down) http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/water-and-environment/air-land-and-water/greenspace

3 Walkways along Ottawa River and Rideau River and Canal http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths-and-parkways/multi-use-pathways-in-the-capital

4 Mackenzie King Estate http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/gatineau-park/mackenzie-king-estate

5 Poets Pathway http://www.poetspathway.ca/ http://www.poetspathway.ca/map.html

6 Rockcliffe Park http://ottawacitizen.com/travel/daytripping-through-rockcliffe-park

D. Biking trails

1 Cycling in the national capital region http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/cycling

2 Sunday biking http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths-and-parkways/nokia-sunday-bike-days

3 Sustainability Tour (see also below, under driving)

http://obec-evbo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/sustainability-tour_3-page-preview_e.pdf

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E. *Parks, skateparks, playgrounds, beaches, picnics, waterparks

Parks: 1 Gatineau Park http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/gatineau-park

2 Jacques Cartier Park http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths-and-parkways/jacques-cartier-park

3 List of major Ottawa parks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ottawa_parks

Skateparks:

City of Ottawa skateboarding parks http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/recreation-and-parks/parks-sports-fields-and-outdoor-recreation#skateboarding-parks

Children’s playgrounds:

1 Brewer Park (for children of all abilities)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewer_Park

2 Five other playgrounds https://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/ottawa-playgrounds-you-need-to-visit/

Beaches: Five family friendly beaches (check whether a beach is currently open for swimming)

https://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/family-friendly-beaches-in-ottawa/

Waterparks:

Four family friendly waterparks https://www.todaysparent.com/family/4-family-friendly-water-parks-in-ottawa/

Picnics:

Ten places to picnic in Ottawa http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/yelp-canada/ottawa-picnic-spots_b_7244966.html

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F. Scenic and interesting drives

1 National Capital Commission Parkways http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths-and-parkways/scenic-parkways-in-canadas-capital-region

2 Sustainability tour (tour of sites demonstrating various sustainability approaches)

http://obec-evbo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/sustainability-tour_tourbook_medium-res_final_e.pdf

3 Scenic small towns around Ottawa: Merrickville, Ashton, Lakefield, Old Chelsea, …

G. Movies, dance, music, plays, art galleries

Movies

Centretown Movies (Dundonald Park) Free (pay what you can) Friday and Saturday nights July and August: schedule not yet posted for 2017

https://centretownmovies.wordpress.com/about/

Dance

Summer Dance Series Wednesdays June 14 August 16 at lunchtime in the Byward Market

http://byward-market.com/en/events/(scroll down)

Music

Doors Open for Music, Southminster Church, Wednesday concerts 12 noon, 60 minutes, until June 28, freewill offering ($5 to $10 to $20 is suggested)

http://www.southminsterunitedchurch.com/wednesday-noon-concerts

Art galleries

1 National Gallery see information above at B. 4. Famous Places and Sites of Interest

2 City of Ottawa galleries http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/arts-heritage-and-culture/galleries-and-exhibition-spaces

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H. Online sites with information about the city of Ottawa

1 Apt 613 — an award winning blog dedicated to uncovering the best of Ottawa’s arts and culture

http://apt613.ca

2 Spacing.ca/ottawa — “the joys, obstacles and politics of Canada’s big cities”

http://spacing.ca/ottawa/

I. *Ideas for self-organized projects marking Canada’s 150th:

Canada 150 Cafe https://canada150cafe.wordpress.com/ideas/

J. Maps of the area and bus service

1 Ottawa Tourism has links to many useful Ottawa maps

https://www.ottawatourism.ca/trip-starter/maps/

2 Gatineau Park https://ncc-ccn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=0ed63fcffcaa48689c29ec7f68f16313

3 Bus service in Ottawa (free on Wednesdays to people over 65)

http://www.octranspo.com/about-octranspo

K. More

As we were completing this kit we found a not well advertised page on the ottawatourism.ca website (under “story ideas”) for “free or nearly free Ottawa.” We commend it to you for some excellent suggestions beyond those made above (including using the OC Transpo day pass)

https://www.ottawatourism.ca/media/story-ideas/free-or-nearly-free-ottawa/