Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is located on the South bank of Ottawa River in the Eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Founded in 1826, it is renowned as one of the top tourist destinations due to its many splendid cultural attractions by way of galleries and museums, most notably, Canada Agriculture and Food Museum and Canadian Museum of Nature. Ottawa also ranks high on many counts such as standard of life, learning, health, and economic freedom.
The best time to visit Ottawa is between March and May, the time when the weather is warm and the flowers start to bloom. Take a look at popular places of tourist interest in Ottawa.
ByWard Market
The ByWard Market is a famous tourist attraction for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Established in 1826, it is also one of the oldest and biggest markets. It has 109 restaurants, including 24-hour ones. ByWard Market is also famous for ‘Chateau Lafayette’, the oldest pub, which was established in 1849 along with other nightlife and entertainment venues. A couple of other major attractions are National Gallery of Canada and ‘Notre Dame Basilica’, Ottawa’s largest church. Books and news shops, boutiques & emporiums, and health and beauty salon services are also available here.
Calypso Water Park
Calypso Water Park is Canada’s biggest and best water park. It remains open throughout the week, including during holidays. Check the official website for timings, ticket information and various customised packages. The list of attractions here is simply endless. Just some of the major highlights are more than 35 waterslides, 100 water games, Canada’s largest wave pool, Summit Tower, and North America’s highest waterslide tower.
Canadian Museum of Nature
It is especially recommended for nature buffs. The museum is one of the first public buildings to inculcate designs based on animals and plants. Also known as the Victoria Memorial Museum, it has certain permanent galleries such as ‘Animalium’ which displays live insects, arachnids and slugs; ‘Bird Gallery’ featuring 450 Canadian bird mounts; and ‘Stone Wall Gallery’ with varying shows of art and photography about natural science and more. With the exception of holidays, it remains open throughout the week from 9 am to 5 pm.
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
The museum is in charge of preserving and protecting Canada’s scientific and technical heritage. The museum’s fascinating summer camps makes it especially popular among kids in the age group of 4 to 15 years. These energetic camps educate children while they take care of the museum’s farm animals and gardens, cook food, make crafts, and play games. Fund-raising events are held every year at the Museum such as Sheep Shearing Festival in May, an Ice Cream festival in August, a Barnyard Halloween, and Baskets with Panache. The Museum remains open 7 days a week.