Category: Ottawa’s hidden treasures

It was a rainy Saturday morning, and we were on the way to the library. “I think the new door is finally ready,” I told the boys.

“Wow!” replied Simon. “This is the BEST day of my LIFE!”

(I don’t know where they get their tendencies to hyperbolize. Ahem.)

The new door is a construction project that’s been underway at the Barrhaven branch (more formally, the Ruth E Dickenson branch) of the Ottawa Public Library since some time last summer. Before, you had to go up to the second floor and across the length of the community centre, go in through the main door and then go down to the children’s library. The new door gives parking-lot access directly to the children’s library.

They’ve done a lovely job not only of adding in a new door, but of making the library a cozy place for kids to visit. There is a small area with chairs and tables bathed in the light from a wall of picture windows, a stack of board games and some toddler toys, brightly-coloured throw rugs and computer stations. What more do you need to keep kids happy on a rainy Saturday morning? When I praised the librarian for the great job they did, she turned all the praise to our city councillor Jan Harder, saying without her the changes never would have been made. Thanks Jan Harder! We love the new library!

Have you seen what’s new at the library lately? It’s not just about the books anymore! I don’t know how it is in every city, but here’s some of the cool stuff the Ottawa Public Library has going on.

• Looking for a great free program for the kiddies? The Ottawa public library offers some excellent baby-time and toddler-time programs. (Simon, Lucas and I used to haunt the 4 – 6 year old story time at our branch last fall, before I went back to work. Stories, crafts, circle-time — it was really great, and completely free.)
• Want to get out on the town? You can “borrow” a pass to the Museum of Civilization, the Science and Technology museum, the Nature museum, and other Ottawa attractions. Or, if you’re feeling the need to just get out and walk, you can borrow a pedometer!
• They’ve compiled a great list of Web sites for all aspects of life in Ottawa.
• The online card catalogue and request-a-book features are favourites of mine (they’ll call you when the book is available), or you can download audiobooks and ebooks directly to your devices (and they’ve overcome the recent problem of not being able to download to iPods)
• They even have a dedicated section with “e-books for e-kids.”
• I used to love pulling out the little drawers and just flipping randomly through the cards in the old card catalogues (am I dating myself if I admit they were still using them when I started university? Hard to imagine now!) but I get almost the same sense of serendipitous discovery clicking around in the virtual reference library.
• Interested in genealogy? It’s amazing what’s available! (Scroll down for the research databases and Web links.)
• Two local branches are even setting up Wii video game consoles in an effort to draw more teens into the library!

The library has always been a part of my life — I remember haunting the bookmobile with my mom when I was a kid, and I’m pretty sure I read every single title in the astronomy section of our local branch when I was a young teen. I’m so happy to be living in a community that cares enough about its library to offer such amazing services and resources. Thank you, Ottawa, for this wonderful gift that I promise I will continue to share with my family for many years to come! (And I promise I’ll take care of those library fines really soon, too. Could you maybe work on a self-returning library book, or one that at least crawls out from under the bed or behind the curtains a few days before it’s due?)

Today’s post is the third in a series of suggestions for fall family fun in and around Ottawa. On Thanksgiving Monday, friends of ours who also have three boys invited us out to join them at Saunders Farm in Munster, about 20 minutes west of Barrhaven. I’d never been, and had been waffling between bringing the boys to Parc Oméga or Saunder’s Farm. I knew both were pricey and the opportunity to go to Parc Oméga presented itself first, but in the end we decided to splurge on both in this, the year of no daycare fees.

How have we gone so long without visiting this gem? It was so worth the price of admission, which ran us $60 for a family of four, plus one free baby. We chose the daytime Halloween adventure, but apparently they spook it up quite a bit at night. We bypassed the Barn of Terror (recommended for 10 years and older) but the boys loved the Discovery Barn, the Barnyard Treehouse — Tristan wants nothing more in life than a treehouse right now — and the other play structures including a huge pirate ship.

By the time our friends led us to queue up for the Harvest Hayride, Lucas had fallen asleep in the backpack carrier. I should have clued in that it wasn’t a regular old hayride through the forest by the kids who’d been on it in previous years, some of whom buried their heads in their mother’s lap for the whole thing. Apparently it’s nowhere near as spooky as the night-time haunted hayride, but it was plenty spooky for my boys! (Even poor Lucas was scared awake by one of the sound effects.) The look of concern-bordering-on-fear on their faces in the centre picture above is genuine!

After lunch (Plan B diet? What plan B diet? Pass the fries!) we tackled a few of the dozen or so mazes. Some are labyrinths – no wrong turns or dead ends, just a continuous path – and some are mazes. The boys LOVED them! They chose to keep running the mazes rather than enjoy the Star Wars-based live show going on that afternoon. Next time I need a way to run them ragged for an afternoon, I know where to take them.

There was a letter to the editor in the paper this weekend complaining about the price of Saunders Farm, but I’d happily pay $60 — more or less what we’d pay for a movie and snacks — for a day out in the fresh air. The kids had a great time and the weather was perfect. This is a wonderful new addition to my collection of Ottawa’s hidden treasures!

(The full set of Autumn Family Fun photos is on Flickr, if you’d like to see more.)

I’ve posted several times before about Hog’s Back Falls, truly one of Ottawa’s hidden treasures. It’s one of my very favourite places in the city, especially in the fall. The paths are broad and easily accessible by stroller, but there are paths and steps to be scaled and stone walls to scamper across: plenty of adventure for a six-year-old who fancies himself “Tristiana Jones”.

This year, the boys were finally old enough to enjoy feeding the chickadees and nuthatches without being frightened by the light pickyness of their claws.

We brought peanuts to feed the chipmunks but we didn’t see a single one, and the red and black squirrels were too shy to take the peanuts from our fingers. They didn’t go to waste, though!

Beloved assures me he wasn’t thinking of tossing the baby into the falls, despite the look on his face!

I’ve been reading a little bit of the history of Hog’s Back. Most of us know that they mark the spot where the Rideau River diverges from the Rideau Canal. But did you know that rather than the 41 foot drop that exists today, in the time before the Canal they were simply rapids that were navigable by canoe? Also, the dam that was built to divert water from the Rideau River to the Canal at Hog’s Back actually collapsed twice during construction. You can read more about the history of Hog’s Back on the Rideau Canal World Heritage site. Or, you can just go for a lovely amble and enjoy the smell of the leaves, the dappled sunshine and the sound of water splashing over rock. Does it get any better?

It’s been a beautiful autumn so far, and we’ve been out and about enjoying it. If you’re looking to get out and admire the fall colours, this trio of posts might give you some ideas for family outings both expensive (but worth it!) and free, all part of my ongoing exploration of Ottawa’s Hidden Treasures.

The first weekend in October, we piled into the van with Granny and headed northeast into Quebec for a visit to Parc Omega. I’d been hearing about it for years and had been meaning to check it out. We figured a crisp fall day with the leaves turning scarlet and gold would make for a lovely drive. It was lovely, but rather long – by the time we picked up Granny and cut across the city, it took us the best part of two hours to get there.

Parc Omega is a kind of African Lion Safari with native Canadian animals like wapiti and wolves and bears instead of lions and baboons. It’s the same concept, though. You drive a 10 km loop through gorgeous forests and plains amidst the (mostly) free-roaming animals. Instead of baboons crawling on your car, you can feed carrots (and, in our case, soda crackers) to these friendly girls. I think they’re wapiti. Or maybe red deer.

At the furthest point on the trail, you can hop out of your car for a stretch and a wander along some easy hiking trails. We didn’t go far, but we did make it up to this lovely gazebo overlooking a little meadow full of white-tailed deer.

And then we stopped to see if deer like soda crackers, too. (They do, but they’re less fond of noisy little boys full-to-bursting with kinetic energy after nearly three hours in the car.)

The day was getting late and the sun low in the sky as we made our way through the second half of the park when we heard an alarming cry that sounded for all the world to me like the angry Tusken Raider brandishing his staff over Luke Skywalker. Turns out fall is rutting season, and this guy was on the prowl for a Saturday night date. We named him Ralph and had a lot of fun at his amorous expense. (If you have particularly observant kids and don’t want to answer a lot of “birds and bees” type questions, you might want to avoid the park around rutting season. But nothing says ‘Canadian adventure’ quite like watching frisky wapiti on the make!)

We had to peer patiently into the forest to catch a glimpse of these lazy arctic wolves snoozing in the late-afternoon sun.

But there was no mistaking the plethora of big black bears hanging around, including this guy who looked for all the world like he was waiting for the shift change so some other bear might take a turn posing for the tourists.

We also spied coyotes, more wolves, bison, wild boars, ibexes, a handful of birds we couldn’t identify and about a million chipmunks… a pretty cool cross-section of animals. In all, we spent about six hours in the car that day, enough to drive out to my brother’s place west of Toronto, but all three boys were surprisingly patient and well-behaved. To make the drive home a little more interesting, we took the ferry back across to Cumberland, adding another $8 to an already rather expensive outing, but the boys were tickled by the ferry ride.

In all, we spent $75 on admissions for three adults and two kids (Lucas was free) plus a quarter-tank of gas. An expensive day out, but worth doing once a year or so. Next time, we’ll leave much earlier in the day to give us a little bit more wander time to explore the park!

Coming up next: my favourite wander, much closer to home and free!

This year, I’m guessing that even though we picked more apples than ever before (see previous years here and here) we might actually eat all the apples we picked!

(It’s funny to look back to the old post from 2005 and see a Simon who’s barely out of babyhood on our first apple-picking expedition. Blog really is an online baby book!)

I’ve always loved drive-in movies, but sadly, the closest one to Ottawa is about a 45 minute drive. When the movie doesn’t start until my, erm, I mean, the kids’ bedtime, that’s a long drive home after the movie in the dark. So when I heard that a local radio station was sponsoring a free (free!) “movies on the beach” night I thought it would make for a fun family outing. And when I heard that the final movie of the summer would be the boys’ favourite, Pixar’s Cars, I knew it would be a great way to end a memorable summer of family adventures. Turned out to be a clear, dry and warm night — absolutely perfect movie-on-the-beach weather.

They set up a big inflatable screen on Westboro beach and the first 200 families got a free beach blanket.

Unexpectedly and to my delight, we ran into Andrea and her daughters there.

I wasn’t sure if her girls and my noisy (and slightly younger) boys would find any common ground, but once a frisbee made an appearance, friendships quickly formed.

(I loved watching them run around together. It was just the kind of evening I remembered as a kid, running around freely and playing tag and hide-and-go seek in the gloaming with kids I didn’t really know but were my best friend for that night. The glee on their faces as they chased each other over the sand and through the crowd was better than any movie could have generated.)

When the movie started, they even had those old-style trailers advertising the snack bar. (I have fond teenage memories of my friends doing a Brad-and-Janet, acting out the weiner and bun dance Rocky Horror Picture Show style in front of the drive-in screen.)

We didn’t make it through the entire movie. By 10pm, around two hours past the boys’ bedtime, Simon asked to go home and Tristan offered no resistance to the idea. Truth be told, I’d had about enough by then, too. Since we’ve all seen Cars about 300 times, it all worked out for the best.

Props and thanks to Bob FM 93.9 and the Ottawa Citizen for sponsoring a great family outing. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Now that summer is almost upon us, I’m compiling ideas for cheap family outings in and around Ottawa. We’re so lucky to live in a city with walking trails, waterways, parks and other inexpensive or free things to do with kids, but there are also plenty of things to do on a rainy day. Some of these things are full-day adventures, but most will occupy at least a couple of hours. I started with a list of 15 things, then aimed for 25, and finally ended up with FORTY!!

Capital ideas

Diesel dogs (street vendor hot dogs) under Maman the Spider makes for a memorable if not nutritionally sound lunch

Watch the ceremonial parade and changing of the guard on Parliament Hill every morning at 10:00

Take a tour of the Parliament Buildings and check out the view from the Peace Tower

Explore the grounds of Parliament Hill, from the statue of Sir Gallahad to the colony of feral cats

Peruse history in the collections at Library and Archives Canada

See the horses at the RCMP stables and musical ride centre

Visit the Bank of Canada’s Currency Museum

Tour the gardens at Rideau Hall

Admission to the National Gallery is free on Thursday nights

The Canadian Museum of Nature also free on Thursday nights.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization, including the absolutely stellar Children’s Museum, is free on Thursday nights after 4 pm.

Borrow a free museum pass through the Ottawa Public Library’s Museum privilege program

See a bit of local history at the always free-of-charge Nepean Museum

Admission to the Experimental Farm animal barns is free in the winter months.

Watson’s Mill in Manotick is free every day, with milling demonstrations through the summer months. (They’re closed through a lot of the winter months – check for times before you go!)

Naturally lovely

In the west end, walk the boardwalk along the Rideau River wetlands in the Chapman Mills conservation area

In the east end, walk the boardwalk through the Mer Bleu bog, an “internationally significant wetland”

There are some wonderful hiking trails in the Greenbelt. The Jack Pine Trail is about a 40 minute loop, plenty easy for little legs.

For an easy walk with a stroller, wander the paved bike path from Hogs Back Falls to Vincent Massey park. Take the high trail on the way back and visit the oft-missed stone patio overlooking the river, and bring some birdseed to hand-feed the chickadees and nuthatches

Feed the ducks and geese on the Rideau River near Billings Bridge

Take a wander around Rockcliffe Park and enjoy the gorgeous stone gazebo and the lookout onto the Ottawa River

Visit Rideau Falls and the gorgeous parkland around old city hall

On Sundays in the summer, Colonel By Drive is closed to traffic and open for bikes, blades and strollers

Retail therapy

Chapters has a great kids section, and most of them have a train table or other toys to play with while mom and dad browse

Ross’ Independent Grocer in Barrhaven has a free playzone where you can drop the kids while you shop

Drop off the kids at Ikea’s ball pit and play centre for a free hour while you browse

Take me out to the park

There’s a terrific splash pad and playground off Longfields in Barrhaven. We pack a picnic and could spend the whole day there.

The playground at Brewer Park has always been awesome, but it’s just been retrofitted to be especially accessible for those with disabilities

There are dozens of wading pools of various shapes and sizes tucked away in parks throughout the city. You can get a list of them here

Did you know the city offers free swimming lessons?

Take a Sunday morning browse at the Ottawa Farmers Market at Landsdowne Park, then stay a while and play at the lovely little park on Fifth just before the Driveway.

Plan a day of sun at the beach at Britannia Beach. Buy yourself some fries for lunch, but don’t feed the seagulls (they’re a leading cause of beach-closing e-coli.)

Visit the recently-improved Petrie Island beach and nearby trails

There’s a great list of urban parks and a bit of a history lesson on the NCC site

Consider a playground tour. New is interesting, especially to kids!

For a few dollars more (not quite free, but mostly around $10 for the family)

On a rainy day, consider an indoor pool – or maybe even ride the surf at the Kanata wave pool

Doesn’t every preschool boy love trains? A round-trip on the O-Train is only an hour or so.

Get out of town

Tour the Hershey Factory in Smiths Falls (it’s open until December 2008) and get your free sample

Spend a day at Lac Phillip and spelunk the Lusk Caves

Enjoy an afternoon getaway to the Mackenzie King estate at Kingsmere
(you’ll have to pay a per-vehicle fee less than $10 if you drive)

Hike the Eardley Escarpment in Gatineau Park, especially lovely in the fall (you’ll have to pay a per-vehicle fee less than $10 if you drive)

Edited to add: this post is quite a few years old, but still very popular. Sadly, some of these things like the Hershey Factory have disappeared. If you’re looking for other ideas, check out these blog posts about family fun in and around Ottawa. 🙂