Ottawa with a young child

[SimonJT]

In August I’m going to Ottawa with my son (will be 5) to attend the Bingham Cup and we’re probably going to be there for a week or possibly ten days, I haven’t 100% made my mind up.

Does anyone have any tips on the following.

Decent places to stay (preferably an apartment/suit with more than one bedroom). Travel isn’t an issue, so I don’t mine not being really central as I’ll either hire a car or use taxi’s, public transport etc.

Things for a five year old to do, whether it’s centrally in Ottawa or a bit further out.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has any tips.

We’ve got friends there so have visited a couple of times, first time DS was 6. It’s not the most well known spot to visit but actually it’s great! I can’t recommend accommodation because we stay with our friends but it’s not a big city with a good bus service. I would recommend a hiring a car for a bit so you can get out and about to the surrounding countryside. Ottawa is effectively bilingual and it’s a great chance to practice french and experience the Quebec viewpoint and culture across the river.

Things to do:
Parliament Hill - the focal point of Ottawa. Stunning architecture. Free tours of the parliament, guides very good with kids. But there is building work and not sure if it’s still open?
Canadian Natural History museum. A short stroll from downtown. Loads of dinosaur fossils etc. And almost empty compared to London’s!
Canadian museum of history - has a special children’s bit and lots of stuff about the First Nations. Amazing Totem Poles and fascinating. Changing of the Guard happens most days. Just outside town is Rideau Hall and park which is nice and nearby is the RCMP stables if you like horses. A musical ride is well worth seeing if there’s one on - Think dressage with Mounties!

On both the Ottawa and Rideau river there are plenty of beaches with patrolled swimming areas, playgrounds etc. We particularly like Mooneys Bay near Hogs Back Falls on the Rideau River. You can walk alongside the Rideau canal or hire kayaks.

There is some great countryside around Ottawa. Across the river in Quebec are the Gatinaue Hills. Woods, lakes, walks etc. Meech Lake particularly spectacular. There’s a great outdoor water park with slides and pools etc in the woods. And south west on the way out towards Toronto is a huge area of lakes. We liked the town of Perth for a picnic and Wheelers maple farm where they still make maple syrup the tradition way and have amazing pancakes!

Further away Montreal is only 2hr by train and well worth a visit

If you want any more info, tips etc let me know

The Children’s Museum is good. It’s inside the Museum of History which has free admission daily between 4-5 pm.
The changing of the guard is fun to watch. It’s full of pomp and there’s a band and pipers. Make sure you arrive at least 15 minutes early to get a spot with a view.
The Aviation and Space Museum has interactive activities, demonstrations and tours.
The Nature Museum always has a great selection of special exhibits. And they have dinosaurs too! There’s a room with life-sized dinos that you can actually touch. When we visited in 2019 they had an incredible flying reptile exhibit that featured amazing interactive displays.
TheCanada Agriculture and Food Museumis a working farm where kids can pet the animals. There are some interactive exhibits and horse-drawn carriage rides.
Petrie Island Beach is a great family-friendly beach. The island is in the Ottawa River near the junction of HWY 174 and HWY 57. The swimming is very kid-friendly. Westboro Beach might be a bit on the small side, but it’s proximity to downtown makes it really popular. It’s very close to Kitchissippi Lookout and has lifeguards during the summer as well as a cafe and changing areas.
The vibe at Zak’s Cantina is super fun. It serves great food and there’s a literal taco bus parked inside the restaurant. You can even sit in the driver’s seat if you want!