(by 7 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.
- 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.
- 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
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!
Out and about in Ottawa
Here's a few pix of us out enjoying some of the activities I suggest in this lens.
At the Super Ex
Hiking near Hogsback Falls
Applepicking at Kilmarnock Orchard
Essential parental links
I'm open to suggestions if you think there's a link I need to add here!
- The Extraordinary Baby Shoppe
- Inexpensive ovulation predictors and pregnancy tests, nursing gear, cloth diapers and more in a mom-run local business.
- Wee Welcome
- A great resource for new moms, including a list of user-rated baby friendly places in Ottawa.
- Parent Resource Centre of Ottawa
- Information, programs and workshops for parents and caregivers.
- Ottawa Family Fun
- A great blog of ideas for family fun in Ottawa.
- City of Ottawa - Seasonal activities
- From skating to swimming, there's something to do in every season in Ottawa.
- ZigZag Boutique
- This is a great online consignment shop run out of Barrhaven. Free pickup in the Ottawa area, and a great selection of kids' clothes, maternity clothes, and accessories. The quality of the items I've purchased through them are as good as store-bought.
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 12/02/2008) 
The Lobster Kids' Guide to Exploring Ottawa-Hull (Kids' City Explorer Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Ottawa: A Kid's Eye View
Amazon Price: (as of 12/02/2008)
Frommer's Ottawa with Kids
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 12/02/2008)
Comments are always welcome!
anndouglas wrote...
It's great to see you here @ Squidoo! Love what you've got here so far!
Posted August 18, 2006
.jpg)
