10 Things to Do in Ottawa with Kids

Canadian Museum of History offers the little ones their own share of fun with this dedicated children’s museum on site. The well-varied interactive exhibits at Canadian Children’s Museum includes a marketplace where kids can learn about simple trade, an International Village that features arts and cultures from around the globe, a cooking lab, a shipping port where they can help unload cargo, and many others. You can reach the museum in Gatineau on a 5-minute drive across the Ottawa River from Downtown Ottawa. 

Besides admiring the awesome collection of historical planes on display at Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s hangar-like gallery (some of which allow you to climb into their cockpits for simple thrills), your kids can learn about space and aviation through special programs held regularly. Some programs feature real pilots or engineers who’ll talk to kids about flight and some of Canada’s famous flying icons or share cool stories about space exploration and Canada’s role in the assembly of the International Space Station. 

If you and your kids are already into coin collecting, then a visit to Royal Canadian Mint might be a dream trip. Besides past and present coins in circulation, they feature masterfully crafted special edition coins. For budding collectors, these range from Disney princesses to superhero characters. You can opt for tours, which start and end at the mint boutique. As part of the tour, you can get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to touch and take a selfie with an actual gold brick. 

If the architecture of this building on McLeod Street doesn’t thrill the little ones, its collection of natural history exhibits inside should. Take them on an exciting walk through Canadian Museum of Nature’s paleontological gallery, where life-size dinosaur figures are set in a swamp-like setting. Various dioramas are designed in detail, featuring hundreds of bird and insect specimens. Most kids will love live encounters with fluttering and colourful butterflies in the museum’s butterfly garden. Its onsite 3D movie theatre screens high-definition nature movies. 

You can find plenty of hands-on exhibits at the Canada Science and Technology Museum that will keep the kids busy. The museum’s amazing collection of exhibits include a steam locomotive gallery, with display trains that you can you can hop on. You and your kids can channel your inner DJs at a motion-activated sound gallery, or head to Zooom which lets the little ones freely build, conduct various experiments, and solve a range of puzzles. Its video game exhibit lets you play classic arcade games such as Space Invaders and Donkey Kong. 

Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm is a centuries-old working farm that’s right in the heart of the city. It’s home to Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, where you and your kids can have a fun day out learning about Canada’s agricultural heritage. The kids will love seeing and petting the many different farm animal breeds, including lambs and dairy cows that supply milk. From the barn to the kitchen, scheduled demos include butter churning, which you and your kids can try for yourselves. 

This farm offers family fun in a lush countryside half an hour’s drive out of Downtown Ottawa. Saunders Farm opens in the summer as an agricultural family destination. It’s where you can enjoy a picnic and let the kids play on a splash pad or ride horse-drawn wagons. It has beautifully manicured maze gardens, and there are various stalls where you can get your farm-fresh nibbles. Visit around Halloween, the farm turns into one of Ottawa’s main spots for “fright fest” family outings.

If you’re looking for indoor rollercoaster rides in Ottawa, Funhaven is your best bet. It’s a unique amusement park that’s filled with all sorts of indoor games and entertainment, fit for the whole family. They also feature a world-class laser tag arena where you can team up with or against mum and dad or play for tokens and prizes at the arcade games. Some features, like the wall climbing and a jungle gym fitted with ball cannons, will please even the most hyperactive of kids. 

Home to Canada’s largest wave pool, Calypso Theme Waterpark is a great place for families to cool off in the summer. Calypso spans 100 acres and is filled with over 35 slides, each catering to different ages and thrill levels. There are 2 rivers to laze about and drift away on after each slide race. In between, you can choose from various water games throughout the park or hit the wave pool for a beach-like experience. Toddlers aren’t left out as they’ll enjoy their own safe kiddie sections. 

In the summer, Ottawa’s canal system is a favourite recreational spot where you can go on boat cruises and take in the beauty of the city from a different angle. You can find plenty of its historical hand-operated locks and blockhouses still in operation. However, in the winter, roughly from January to late February or early March, the water naturally freezes. It’s when a section of Rideau Canal transforms into the Rideau Canal Skateway, the world’s largest (and free) outdoor skating rink.