Places to Go: About Ottawa, Ontario

A few reasons to visit Ottawa

• Parliament buildings
• The Rideau Canal
• Tour The Museums

• Enjoy World Class Restaurants

Source:http://www.caccn.ca/en/images/Parliament-Hill-at-night-5552.jpg

Ottawa is the capital of Canada and one of the centers for things like art, culture, politics, and history. It is a lovely, huge city full of life of all different sorts from all different walks of life. As such, it's only natural that the very first (or last!) place to stop on your journey through Ontario should be Ottawa. In fact, once you get here, it may be hard for you to leave again. Check off these places and things to do on your tourist map of Ottawa today.

About Ottawa

Ottawa lies in the southeast portion of the province, about 200km from Montreal and close to the American-Canadian border (Vermont in this case). The name comes from the Algonquin word 'atawe' which means 'To Trade' and replaced the original name of 'Bytown' in the 18450s when Ottawa became a center for trade. Soon after that (1857), Ottawa became the capital of the young country of Canada.

There are many beautiful historic sites to see in this city, including:

• Parliament Hill with the lovely Parliament building. This isn't the original though; the original burned down in the Great Fire of 1900

• Parliament Library, the only building in Parliament center to survive said fire

• Byward Market, a huge market which was established as the heart of Bytown in 1826 and has exploded ever since to a huge

center for fashion, music, art, shopping, and of course, tourist sights! 

• Rideau Canal, the historic canal built in the 1820s and has since become a UNESCO site. You can go skating there in the winter!

• Heaps of museums in Ottawa including National History Museums and culture museums

Ottawa hit it off well in the 1820s as humble Bytown and has continued to thrive and grow into today where it has hosted many international events, sporting events, music and arts festivals and plenty of other events. It's definitely worth visiting!

What to Do in Ottawa

There are countless things to do in this city! There are over two dozen museums, fifty art galleries, night clubs, fine dining, heritage sites, awesome architecture, and festivals at many points year round. Some notable events include:

• Canada Day. Celebrate the day of Canada's birth with the most awe-inspiring fireworks in the country and a wide range of things to do throughout the city

• A beautiful display of Christmas Lights in December

• Winterlude, Canada's largest winter festival

• The Canadian Tulip Festival

• Fringe Festival

• See a hockey game at the Senator's Dome

And many, many more events. And even if you manage to miss a huge event in Ottawa, you can still take part in things like craft fairs, farmer's markets, music, plays, art tours, heritage tours and a range of recreational activities like hiking, skiing, snowboarding, horseback riding, kayaking and fishing. Of course, there is always the option of walking along the streets and seeing beautiful architecture and all of the cultural sites that Ottawa has to offer.