If you’re one of the poor souls beginning your university years underage and ultimately hating your birth date, then don’t fret. There are still some things for your not-yet-19-year-old self in Ottawa.
For starters, the National Art Gallery is a popular spot and can be a suitable alternative to daytime drinking. It houses a fair amount of Canadian artists’ work, impressive art collections and exhibits a massive black spider at its entrance. You can easily fill a few hours of the day feeling mature and intelligent, and admission is only $7 if you’re under 20 and remember to bring your student ID.
Secondly, a visit around Parliament Hill is highly recommended. One of many beautiful parks in the area is Confederation Park, located just off of Elgin Street. There you will discover a glorious fountain, a totem pole and some Native statues. This park is a wonderful way to commemorate 100 years of Confederation and a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
A stroll along the Rideau Canal is also not a bad idea, especially at night. It’s a delight on summer evenings; around Carleton or closer to downtown Ottawa, you can gaze at the sunset and watch the water glisten with a group of friends. Even in the winter, the canal is a place to bundle up and enjoy each others company. And when the canal freezes over, grab some skates and some mates and head to the canal for a nighttime game of ice hockey. Remember, you can always be the puck-fetcher if skating isn’t your forté.
Like most students, there will come a time when you feel yourself getting stressed out with the workload at university. When this time comes, you should treat yourself to a scrumptious dinner. To be guaranteed this scrumptious dinner, you should go to The Works burger bar in the Glebe neighbourhood. With over 50 choices of burger toppings ranging from a Kraft Dinner covered burger to avocado, feta and salsa, there is something to satisfy every students hungry taste buds. It’s a popular spot and once you’ve devoured your first burger there, you’ll crave them for the rest of the year.
It’s also worth checking out local concerts. Although most are held in clubs and bars, there is the occasional gig in a hall or centre of some kind. Depending on the music, this is a different, and usually uplifting, way to spend the night. A website that takes into account whether a show is all ages or not is punkottawa.com, and no, it doesn’t just list punk music.
Another option is to head down to Byward Market, a lively spot in the heart of Ottawa. It’s full of pubs, clubs and cute restaurants, and it’s somewhere you’ll be spending a lot of time once you finally hit the big one-nine…but who says you can’t hit up a restaurant and enjoy a coke on the rocks? It’s a really fun place to be regardless of beverages!
All of these places are really worth checking out but if we’re being totally honest, you will almost certainly end up across the border in Quebec enjoying some of the nightlife Hull has to offer. With a drinking age of 18, cheap drinks, and top 40-club music, you will definitely have a blast the first few times you venture across the bridge. You’ll discover half of any club in Hull is underage Ontarian students like yourself, so it’s also a way to meet new people. Enjoy!
