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Ottawa's Famous Attractions
The city of Ottawa has so much to offer. With Canada Day coming up, we thought we would highlight a few of Ottawa’s most famous attractions to help celebrate our nation’s capital! From the gothic-style architecture to the stunning waterways, Ottawa is a beautiful place to visit or call home! This special town certainly has some famous attractions and these are the top 10 in our opinion. If you have lived here for years, you may feel like there isn’t a lot to see and do in this city, especially with COVID-19 resting on all of our shoulders. But there really is so much to see here!
The following attractions are all safe to visit outdoors, so grab your camera, take some photos and pack a lunch! Whether you are new to the Ottawa area, or just want to feel like a tourist in your own town, you are going to love checking out Ottawa’s famous attractions!
Parliament Hill
It comes as no surprise that the #1 attraction in Ottawa is Parliament Hill. There are so many beautiful angles of this building and you can see it in the distance wherever you are in the city. Parliament Hill is special because of its political aspect, but also because of its historical value and grand architecture. Many events take place here such as the Canada Day festivities or Parliament Hill Yoga. Due to the pandemic, many of these events have been put on hold. However, you can still safely visit the grounds and enjoy the spectacle of the beautiful buildings. The fan favourite is, of course, the 91-metre-high Peace Tower. When exploring Parliament Hill, be sure to go around back to see the amazing vistas of Gatineau, the Ottawa River and the Alexandra Bridge.
Lansdowne Park
Lansdowne Park is always full of life at any time of the year. From the robust farmers market in the summer to the quaint Christmas market in the winter. The grand Aberdeen Pavillion, and the abundance of shops and restaurants. Lansdowne Park certainly has a lot to offer. There is also a large skating sink in the winter and TD Place football stadium which is home to the local RedBlacks. You can safely visit Lansdowne Park to check out the farmers market on Sundays or go for a stroll along the Rideau Canal and the rest of the beautiful grounds at Lansdowne Park. This is definitely one of Ottawa’s most famous attractions!
Alexandra Bridge / Nepean Point
The iconic bridge stretches across the Ontario-Quebec border 29 metres above the Ottawa River. Formerly constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, it served as a significantly important interprovincial bridge to carry CPR trains. It also had a track for local electric trolley service between Ottawa and Hull, as well as a lane for carriage traffic. Today, the bridge acts as a border passageway and attracts a surprising amount of tourists per year to marvel at its greatness from multiple vista points. Nepean Point is a fantastic spot to enjoy the bridge from as well as the aptly named Alexandra Bridge Lookout.
Rideau Canal
This UNESCO world heritage site has so much to offer! The unique waterway system connects Canada’s capital city to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River in Kingston. It is a whopping 202 kilometres long and was formerly built to protect Canada from an American invasion. Today, the canal is primarily used for recreation for boaters coming to and from Montreal or Kingston. In the winter, the frozen Rideau Canal is transformed into the world’s largest skating rink. Take a safe stroll along this beautiful waterway or launch your canoe or kayak to enjoy some water views. A few great vista points of the canal are The Corktown Footbridge, the Plaza Bridge, Laurier Avenue Bridge, Dow’s Lake Peninsula and the Flora Footbridge.
Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall is the official residence of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor-General of Canada. This stately building features an astonishing 175 rooms across 9,500 square metres. There are 27 outbuildings around the beautiful grounds. The grounds are open to the public daily from 10am-4pm so you can stroll at your leisure. There are impeccable gardens and landscaping which are absolutely exquisite! Download this free guide so you can take a self-tour around the grounds. You will learn from the numerous interpretive panels showcasing art and cultural pieces. There is also a skating rink on the property in the winter months.
Rideau Falls
Rideau Falls are two 11-metre tall waterfalls located in the east end of Ottawa in New Edinborough. The water that spills into the Ottawa River is fed by the Rideau River. These falls are divided by an island in the center of them with the Diefenbaker Building just to the south side of the island. A fun thing you can do is grab a drink and something to eat at Tavern on the Falls. This adorable restaurant is entirely outdoors and is situated alongside beautiful falls and the Ottawa River. It is especially great at sunset! You can also take a boat cruise with Ottawa Boat Cruises to get an interesting vantage point from beneath the falls as well!
Arboretum
The Dominion Arboretum features a magnificent variety of trees and shrubs. It covers about 35 hectares of natural, rolling land. Many of the trees are labelled with plaques so you can learn the scientific names. Some of the first plantings date all the way back to 1889. The northeast corner of the Arboretum has some truly amazing magnolias, rhododendrons, wisteria and more. There is a lookout on the southeast side of the park that offers views of the Rideau Canal and Carleton University. The northeast end overlooks Dow’s Lake and the surrounding city. Want to get out on the water to get a new vantage point? Rent a canoe, kayak or pedal boat at the Dow’s Lake Pavillion! Looking for a picturesque place to enjoy nature in the middle of the city? Look no further than the Arboretum!
Mer Bleue Bog
If you enjoy nature like the Arboretum, you are also going to love Mer Bleue Bog! The Mer Bleue Bog is one of the most researched bogs in the entire world. Because of this, a research station is situated in the centre of the bog. It measures the amount of carbon dioxide and methane that is released by the wetland. In addition, the bog provides an amazing opportunity to see a northern boreal landscape located only a few minutes east of downtown Ottawa. This bog is over 7,500 years old and it provides a habitat for many species of plants, birds and other wildlife. It also supports plant and wildlife populations that are rare to the Ottawa area but typical of northern boreal bogs. Bring some birdseed and feed the chickadees in the wintertime, they love to eat right out of your hand!
Sparks Street
Sparks Street features a vibrant 5-block outdoor retail mall. The street was once one of the main streets in Ottawa, but was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1967. It is the earliest outdoor walking mall in all of Canada! Take a walk along Sparks Street and you will find an abundance of shops and restaurants. There are lots of awesome outdoor patios where you can grab a bite to eat or a drink. A few noteworthy restaurants along Sparks Street include The Rabbit Hole, Bier Markt, 3 Brewers, D’Arcy McGee’s and Brixton’s British Pub. After that, you can enjoy the beautiful architecture, sculptures and flower beds along the way!
Byward Market
The Byward Market is a retail and entertainment district in the heart of downtown Ottawa. Located just east of the government and business district, the Byward Market includes an abundance of shops and restaurants, pubs, bars as well as the famous open-air market which is found along George St, York St, ByWard Market Square, and William Street. The market is one of Canada’s oldest and largest public markets and features local goods from farmers and artisans. If you want to make sure the products you are looking at are indeed locally produced, look for the Savour Ottawa logo. It identifies food grown or raised in or near Ottawa. A few noteworthy restaurants to stop at include Fairouz Cafe, The Brig Pub, Dominion Tavern, The Chateau Lafayette House, Blue Cactus and El Furniture Warehouse.
In conclusion, we hope you enjoy our list of Ottawa’s famous attractions! Have you been to all of them? Do you plan on checking them out? We love that Ottawa has so many famous attractions that are outdoors, therefore, you can safely visit them even during a pandemic!
Whether you are visiting the city for the first time, or if you are one of the locals, Ottawa’s famous attractions are sure to delight you! Above all, the Susan & Moe Team hopes that you have a safe and fun summer. Be sure to check back on our blog for fun things to do!
Want more great Ottawa fun? In addition to this post, you may want to check out Ottawa’s best beaches, our safe & fun summer bucket list, 10 awesome campsites near Ottawa, Ottawa’s best patios, and 10 day trips from Ottawa!
