by 9 people |
I'm always looking for new and fun things to do in our home town of Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) with my three young boys. I thought this would be a great place to share some of my ideas for having fun with your family in and around the national capital.
40 ideas for (practically) free family fun in Ottawa
Sadly, my Squidoo lens has been neglected lately. But, I've recently updated my blog with a great list of 40 family-friendly and mostly free ideas for fun in Ottawa. Did you know at least five local museums have free admission on certain days or times? Or that the city of Ottawa offers free swim lessons? Check it out!!
Hot ideas for cool fall days
The leaves are scarlet and gold, the air is crisp and cool, and the days grow shorter. Autumn is a gorgeous season in Ottawa, and there are lots of places to explore.
- Pick some apples at Kilmarnock Orchard
- There are hundreds of places for apple picking near Ottawa, but Kilmarnock Orchard can't be beat for it's gorgeous location on the beautiful Island of Kilmarnock overlooking the historic Rideau River and Rideau Canal system. For extra joy, twin your apple-picking fun with an excursion to nearby Merrickville, the prettiest little town in Eastern Ontario. Read about our Kilmarnock adventure on my blog!
- Visit Saunders Farm
- Although they have a waterpark for summer fun, and a Christmas tree farm for December, Saunders Farm truly shines in the fall. During the harvest month of October, Haunting Season transforms Saunders Farm into Canada's most eerie-sistible Farm attraction. Spook-tacular haunted hayrides, parades, puppets, live shows, 11 mazes and strolling characters combine to create awesome thrills for all. Here's our Saunders Farm adventure from Thanksgiving weekend in 2008.
- Hike around Mud Lake
- Mud Lake is a little-known treasure in Ottawa's west end. We easily hiked its perimeter one lovely morning in early autumn. Expect to see turtles, frogs, fish and lots of birds. Here's the story of our first (but definitely not last!) hike around Mud Lake.
- Tour Parc Omega
- If you're looking for a wonderful wildlife adventure and have a whole day to spare, head northeast into Quebec for a fun adventure at Parc Omega. Parc Omega is a kind of African Lion Safari with native Canadian animals like wapiti and wolves and bears instead of lions and baboons. You drive a 10 km loop through gorgeous forests and plains amidst the (mostly) free-roaming animals. You can read more about our Parc Omega adventure from the fall of 2008 a>.
Five ideas for (practically) free family fun
You don't have to dip into the kids' college fund every time you take the family out for the day. Ottawa is full of gorgeous parks, walking trails, and other lovely spaces you can hang out for free, or for very little.
- Take a hike. There's a lovely conservation area off Prince of Wales just of Woodroffe at Winding Way. Or you can check out Mer Bleu conservation area. Or Petrie Island. There are hundreds of lovely little spots like this all around Ottawa.
- Ride the O-Train. Your teenager might not be enthralled, but my preschoolers are always thrilled by a ride on the big red O-Train. The loop from South Keys to Bayview and back is just a little over half an hour.
- Tour the Parliament Buildings. When were you last a tourist in your own town? Visitors are welcome to tour the buildings, view Parliament in action, and enjoy public programs and colourful spectacles, such as the ceremonial Changing the Guard ceremony. Be sure to leave lots of time to wander the grounds, and maybe visit the cat sanctuary on the bluffs behind the Parliamentary Library.
- Visit the library. Ottawa has an amazing public library system, and many of the suburban libraries have excellent children's programs and a huge selection of kid books. My personal favourite is the Ruth E Dickenson branch in Barrhaven - the entire basement is devoted to kid's stuff, including kid-sized cozy chairs and sofas for reading and cuddling.
- Explore the Canal. You don't have to skate to enjoy Ottawa's beloved Rideau Canal skateway. When the canal freezes (usually in January) take a stroll and enjoy the ice sculptures, the hot chocolate, and of course, the Beaver Tails!
Museums - A little something for everyone
Ottawa is full of great museums, and they are wonderful places to bring kids of any age. I often think there are more local families than tourists in Ottawa's museums, with good reason!
- Agriculture Museum / Experimental Farm
- Visit the dairy barns, see baby piglets, pet the clydsedale horses, ride a tractor and play on the play structure. I highly recommend buying the annual family pass to this museum, which also gives you entry to the Science and Technology Museum and the Aviation Museum. We go at least six times each year to the Farm alone. Each season is a new reason to visit.
- Science and Technology Museum
- A great hands-on museum, with actual life-sized locomotives to climb through, a snowmobile simulator, and the famous Crazy Kitchen.
Don't miss the annual pass shared with the Science and Tech museum, the Farm and the Aviation museum! - Children's Museum
- The Children's Museum is part of the National Museum of Civilization. A little bit pricey, but beautifully put together. Lots of interactive stations. On the day we visited, my four year old built and painted a wooden bird house.
- Museum of Nature
- We call this the "Bug Museum". It's not quite as hands-on as some of the other museums in town, but its location in a huge old 'castle' more than makes up for it. They are half-way through a massive renovation, and if you haven't been to see the new dinosaur exhibit, you should make plans to go soon!
Postcards from the Mothership
From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.
Here's the feed from my other obsession, my blog Postcards from the Mothership. I often chronicle things I do and places I visit in and around Ottawa with my family on the blog.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byBooks about family fun in Ottawa
Ottawa With Kids: The Complete Family Travel Guide To Attractions, Sites And Events In Ottawa
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 12/19/2009) 
The Lobster Kids' Guide to Exploring Ottawa-Hull (Kids' City Explorer Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009)
Ottawa: A Kid's Eye View
Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009)
Frommer's Ottawa with Kids
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
Comments are always welcome!
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- tereasa tereasa Jul 12, 2009 @ 2:40 pm
- awesome stuff!!!
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- Darcy Whyte Darcy Whyte May 26, 2009 @ 10:03 am
- Hey!
Here's something to do if you have kids. It isn't really all that specific to Ottawa except that I give workshops and I live in Ottawa.
Rubber Powered Model Planes: Here's a link to paste in your browser so you can see what it's about:
http://www.rubber-power.com/How-to-fly-a-rubber-band-powered-airplane.htm
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- alteredkat alteredkat Feb 22, 2009 @ 8:52 am
- Great ideas...lensrolling this to my "Obama visits Ottawa" lens. 5*
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- Tiddledeewinks Tiddledeewinks Mar 8, 2008 @ 4:35 pm
- Nice ideas! Even though I don't plan a trip to Canada from Maine, you have some wonderful ideas for family outings in your area.
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- DeliciousSteals DeliciousSteals Sep 13, 2007 @ 8:15 am
- LOVE YOUR LENS - Will be back for sure. We're in Carelton Place and you have some great ideas for me and my 2 boys. We're off to the orchard today after reading your lens! Thanks
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by DaniGirl
I'm a working Canadian mom to three young boys. I've been blogging for three years now, and I was going to start a new blog about fun things to do wi... (more)
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