THE OTTAWA FAMILY ACTIVITY LIST

A simple guide to enjoying the National Capital region

We live, work, and play in our Ottawa community. As a local family raising children in Ottawa, we’ve spent years exploring the city and the surrounding regions, including Gatineau Park, Kingston, Brockville, and Eastern Ontario.

This page is a curated guide to things to do in Ottawa and nearby areas, built from real experiences over time. From outdoor walks and family-friendly activities to museums, local attractions, and day trips, every place listed here is something we’ve genuinely enjoyed and would confidently recommend to others looking to explore the region.

From our families to yours, we hope you find worthwhile experiences that make living in and visiting Ottawa and the National Capital region even better.

Ottawa + Eastern Ontario

🌿 Nature, Walking, Scenic

• Fletcher Wildlife Garden → https://ofnc.ca/programs/fletcher-wildlife-garden
• Dominion Arboretum → https://friendsofthefarm.ca
• Pink Lake Trail (Gatineau Park) → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/pink-lake
• Champlain Lookout (Gatineau Park) → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/champlain-lookout
• Mackenzie King Estate Ruins → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/mackenzie-king-estate
• Andrew Haydon Park waterfront walk → https://ottawa.ca
• Mud Lake Conservation Area → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/mud-lake
• Mer Bleue Bog boardwalk → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/mer-bleue
• Hog’s Back Falls → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/hogs-back-falls
• Princess Louise Falls → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca
• Carbide Willson Ruins (Meech Lake) → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/carbide-willson-ruins
• Ottawa River Pathway (Westboro → Britannia) → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/ottawa-river-pathway
• Rideau Canal Eastern Pathway → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal
• Parc des Chutes (Maniwaki) → https://www.ville.maniwaki.qc.ca

🚴 Active & Outdoor

• Rideau Canal Skateway (winter skating) → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway
• Camp Fortune downhill skiing → https://campfortune.com
• Gatineau Park cross-country skiing → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca
• Gatineau Park snowshoeing trails → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca
• Fat biking in Gatineau Park → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/snow-biking-in-gatineau-park
• Cycling Ottawa multi-use pathways → https://ottawa.ca
• Cycling Thousand Islands Parkway → https://www.stlawrenceparks.com
• Kayaking Dow’s Lake → https://dowslake.com
• Paddleboarding Ottawa River → https://www.ottawasup.ca/
• Luskville Falls hike → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/luskville-falls
• Frontenac Provincial Park hiking → https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/frontenac
• Calabogie Peaks hiking trails → https://calabogie.com
• Whitewater rafting Ottawa River (Beachburg) → https://www.ottawariverrafting.com

🏛️ Museums, History, Intellectual

• Canada Aviation and Space Museum → https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation
• Canadian Museum of Nature → https://nature.ca
• Canada Science and Technology Museum → https://ingeniumcanada.org/scitech
• Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau) → https://historymuseum.ca
• Canadian War Museum → https://warmuseum.ca
• Bytown Museum (Rideau Canal history) → https://bytownmuseum.com
• National Gallery of Canada (Maman sculpture) → https://gallery.ca
• Ottawa Art Gallery → https://oaggao.ca
• Royal Canadian Mint tour → https://www.mint.ca
• Parliament Hill guided tour → https://visit.parl.ca
• Supreme Court of Canada tour → https://www.scc-csc.ca
• Indigenous Walks (guided tours) → https://indigenouswalks.com
• Diefenbunker Cold War Museum → https://diefenbunker.ca

Kingston / Region:

• Kingston Penitentiary Tour → https://www.kingstonpentour.com
• Kingston Pen Museum → https://www.penitentiarymuseum.ca
• Fort Henry historical site → https://www.forthenry.com
• Bellevue House (John A. Macdonald home) → https://parks.canada.ca
• Marine Museum of the Great Lakes (Kingston) → https://marmuseum.ca
• Brockville Railway Tunnel experience → https://brockvillerailwaytunnel.com
• Fulford Place historic mansion (Brockville) → https://fulfordplace.com
• Lost Villages Museum (Long Sault) → https://lostvillagesmuseum.ca
• Glengarry Pioneer Museum → https://glengarrypioneermuseum.ca
• Cornwall Community Museum → https://cornwall.ca
• Upper Canada Village (Morrisburg) → https://www.uppercanadavillage.com

🎭 Entertainment, Creative, Indoor

• Cineplex movie theatres (Ottawa) → https://cineplex.com
• Canadian Museum of History IMAX Theatre → https://cineplex.com
• Level One Game Pub (board games) → https://levelonegamepub.com
• House of TARG (arcade + pinball) → https://houseoftarg.com
• Bowling alleys (Ottawa) → https://ottawa.ca
• Pool halls (Ottawa) → https://ottawa.ca
• Pottery workshops (Ottawa studios) → https://ottawa.ca
• Pasta-making classes (C’est Bon Ottawa) → https://cestbonottawa.ca
• VR Adventures Zone Ottawa → https://vradventures.zone
• Haunted Walk of Ottawa → https://hauntedwalk.com
• Escape rooms (Ottawa) → https://ottawa.ca
• National Arts Centre performances → https://nac-cna.ca
• Kingston Grand Theatre → https://kingstongrand.ca
• Isabel Bader Centre performances → https://performingarts.queensu.ca
• Gananoque Playhouse theatre → https://gananoqueplayhouse.com
• Brockville Arts Centre → https://brockvilleartscentre.com
• Absolute Comedy Club Ottawa → https://absolutecomedy.ca

🧒 Family-Friendly / Wholesome

• Calypso Waterpark → https://www.calypso-waterpark.com
• Saunders Farm seasonal events → https://saundersfarm.com
• Parc Omega wildlife park → https://parcomega.ca
• Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo → https://littlerays.org
• Canada Agriculture and Food Museum (Experimental Farm) → https://ingeniumcanada.org/agriculture
• Valleyview Little Animal Farm → https://valleyviewanimalfarm.com
• Winterlude festival (Ottawa) → https://ottawatourism.ca
• Christmas Lights Across Canada → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca
• Apple picking (Orleans / Carp farms) → https://ottawa.ca
• Pumpkin patches & corn mazes (regional farms) → https://ottawa.ca
• Aquatarium (Brockville) → https://aquatarium.ca

🌊 Beaches & Swimming

• Kemptville Beach (Rideau River) → https://northgrenville.ca
• Lac Philippe beach (Gatineau Park) → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/lac-philippe
• Lac La Pêche beach (Gatineau Park) → https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/lac-la-peche
• Mooney’s Bay Beach → https://ottawa.ca
• Britannia Beach → https://ottawa.ca
• Long Sault Parkway beaches → https://www.stlawrenceparks.com

🚤 Tours, Boats, Unique

• Thousand Islands Boat Cruise (Gananoque) → https://www.1000islandscruises.ca
• Thousand Islands Boat Cruise (Kingston) → https://www.1000islandscruises.ca
• 1000 Islands Helicopter Tour → https://www.1000islandshelicoptertours.com
• Rideau Canal boat cruise → https://ottawatourism.ca
• St. Lawrence Seaway locks (Iroquois) → https://www.greatlakes-seaway.com
• St. Lawrence Seaway locks (Eisenhower) → https://www.greatlakes-seaway.com
• St. Lawrence River fishing charters → https://tourismkingston.com

🌄 Waterfront & Scenic (Kingston → Cornwall)

• Kingston Waterfront Pathway → https://www.cityofkingston.ca
• Kingston Confederation Basin & City Park → https://www.cityofkingston.ca
• Gananoque Riverwalk → https://gananoque.ca
• Thousand Islands Parkway scenic drive → https://www.stlawrenceparks.com
• Brockville waterfront (Centeen Park) → https://brockville.com
• Cornwall Waterfront Trail → https://cornwalltourism.com
• Long Sault Parkway island drive → https://www.stlawrenceparks.com

🚗 Day Trips & Towns

• Montreal Old Port & Old Montreal → https://www.mtl.org
• Quebec City Old Town → https://www.quebec-cite.com
• Kingston downtown (Princess Street core) → https://www.visitkingston.ca
• Gananoque marina district → https://gananoque.ca
• Brockville historic downtown → https://brockvilletourism.com
• Cornwall waterfront district → https://cornwalltourism.com
• Wakefield village & covered bridge → https://tourismeoutaouais.com
• Chelsea village (Gatineau Park access) → https://chelsea.ca
• Perth heritage downtown → https://perth.ca
• Merrickville canal village → https://merrickville-wolford.ca
• Almonte historic mill town → https://mississippimills.ca
• Montebello village & Fairmont grounds → https://fairmont.com
• Prince Edward County wineries → https://visitthecounty.com
• Mont-Tremblant village → https://tremblant.ca

🧘 Relaxed, Scenic, Social

• ByWard Market + Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography → https://www.gallery.ca
• ByWard Market + Major’s Hill Park + Nepean Point → https://ottawa.ca
• Westboro cafés + Ottawa River sunset views → https://ottawatourism.ca
• Château Laurier afternoon tea → https://www.fairmont.com/laurier-ottawa

Don’t let it slip away