Ottawa’s reputation for being boring is simply unfounded when you consider all of the incredible outdoor activities in the city and its surrounding areas. With spring in full swing, it’s time to usher in the season of warmer weather. Dive into this guide to kickstart your spring with a burst of outdoor excitement!
Sugar Shacks
Visiting one of the many sugar shacks in the Ottawa region is a great way to welcome the spring season. Perhaps the most well-known is the Vanier Sugar Shack. Vanier’s shack is located only a few kilometres from the downtown core, making this sugar shack easily accessible.
The shack aims to keep the tradition of old-fashioned maple syrup production alive. Its workers boil the sap from surrounding trees, producing an estimated 500 litres of syrup yearly. Attendees can get their sugar fix by munching on classic pancake breakfasts paired perfectly with their crafted syrups.
Canadian Tulip Festival
Every year, the fields beside Dow’s Lake burst into a mesmerizing display of multicoloured tulips. These iconic flowers have become Ottawa’s spring symbol, attracting an estimated 500,000 visitors in 2023. The Tulip Festival runs from May 10 to 20 this year, and as always, the lake’s shores will be lined with local vendors ready to provide food and freshly squeezed lemonade!
Kayaking at Dow’s Lake
The Dow’s Lake Pavillion has kayaks available for rent throughout the warmer months of the year. Taking advantage of these water sports rentals is a must, particularly for Carleton students who benefit from the campus’s proximity to the lake.
In the winter, the canal and its surrounding bodies of water are renowned as skating destinations. However, once the ice melts, it becomes a beloved spot for kayaking and paddleboarding enthusiasts in spring and summer.
Fletcher Wildlife Garden
Sticking with the theme of locations near Dow’s Lake, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden is a magnificent place for nature lovers to visit. There are plenty of beautiful specimens of plant life in this garden area such as wildflowers, ferns, shrubbery and violets. The real treat however are all the animals you could see. Per their official website, plenty of bugs, reptiles, birds, and even bats and beavers make up the collection of critters one could encounter while visiting this place.
Outdoor Mobile Escape Games
This is a bit of a unique one, but it’s a great way for those who haven’t seen much of Ottawa to really get a feel for the city and its attractions. Virtual escape games are tours guided by your phone that involve solving a bunch of puzzles to reach the game’s conclusion. There are several of these available to download from websites such as Adventure City Games and apps such as Questo. During your scavenger hunts, your memory and understanding of important sites will be tested with puzzles and short quizzes. Because these games cover so much of the city, you could wind up visiting one of the locations listed here during your gameplay!
Hog’s Back Falls
Ottawa’s Hog’s Back Falls are a very popular place to visit in the spring. Located a short walk away from Carleton University, you could spend hours just mesmerized by the violent yet calming nature of the rushing water. In May, the surrounding park opens for visitors who want to get a close-up view of the roaring falls or enjoy the surrounding hiking trails. Something is fascinating about Hog’s Back Falls, as it sticks out superimposed over a neighbourhood of cars, buses and bridges.
From the Tulip Festival to virtual escape rooms, Ottawa has something for everyone to discover and enjoy. Spring breathes new life into the city and its surroundings, so get outside and embrace it!
