Ottawa Adventures
• A WorldWeb.com Travel Guide for Ottawa Region, Ontario.
Ottawa and its surrounding communities are set in the beautiful lakelands and along the riversides of southern Ontario. A buzzing urban environment, laid-back rural areas and intense natural beauty make an ideal destination for those seeking activities and adventures. Adrenaline junkies have the opportunity to experience thrilling sports, relaxed vacationers can explore the area at a slower pace and families can take advantage of a wealth of indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities.
EXCITING ADVENTURES
Adventure is close at hand for all types of thrill seekers, whether seeking the rush of high speeds, the thrill of falling from thousands of metres above the earth, or the cool sensation of navigating a treacherous waterway.
Have a need for speed? Try auto racing at the Pinto Valley Ranch, a half hour west of Kanata. Alternatively, take a vertical plunge. Bungee jumping is a popular sport in the Ottawa region, practiced both indoors and outdoors. The Great Canadian Bungee Jump is the highest jump in North America, sending participants hurtling towards a blue lagoon.
In the sky, an intense free-falling experience can be enjoyed by skydiving with Gatineau Ottawa Skydive, the only parachute centre in the region. First-time jumpers are put at ease with detailed instructions before their tandem jump. While free falling is not suited to everyone, most people will enjoy soaring over southern Ontario on a thrilling airplane tour with the Rockcliffe Flying Club or gently floating over the landscape in a hot-air balloon with Windborne Ballooning.
Ontario's greatest thrills are found on the criss-crossing waterways. Three large rivers—Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau—connect hundreds of lakes and thousands of islands, making the region a dream for water-sport enthusiasts. Canoeing, kayaking and rafting can all be enjoyed by people of various skill levels.
A rafting trip may sound daunting to novices but is a safe and enjoyable experience that can be as simple as a float trip or as exhilarating as a wild ride on white-capped rapids. The Ottawa Outing Club offers challenging adventures that combine various water sports and HorizonX offers extreme white-water rafting and kayaking adventures. A longer experience can be had with Trailhead, which offers fully outfitted two-week-long adventures as well as short guided tours.
RELAXED VACATIONS
Ottawa is Canada's capital city and its surrounding communities are among the country's oldest settlements, providing endless opportunities for exploration. Sightseeing and interpretive guide services offer tours in a variety of languages. See the city's major sites by road on a motorcoach tour, or the rugged wilderness of the rural areas on a bicycle tour or boat tour. Guided walking tours are a more personal way of exploring smaller communities. The Carleton Place Heritage Walking Tour peeks into Carlton's past from a domestic perspective, touring log cabins, old houses, stately homes and historic buildings.
Low-key sporting opportunities abound in all seasons. The spring thaw uncovers multi-use trails and tangled rivers woven throughout the natural landscape. Trails are generally well groomed and suited to walking, hiking and cycling in summer and even into early autumn. A break from the heat can be found by enjoying a water sport on one of the many lakes and rivers; boats can be rented for a relaxing float or a lazy fishing trip. Nickel's Charters in Gloucester offers custom trips appealing to sports fishermen who want to catch lake trout and salmon on eastern Lake Ontario.
Golfing, an enjoyable and active way of appreciating the picturesque landscape, is popular in southern Ontario, with most communities home to at least one course. Guests can practice their swing in Almonte, Carp, Casselman, Gloucester, Hawkesbury, Nepean, Ottawa and Rockland. Both the Irish Hills Golf and Country Club in Carp and the Hawkesbury Curling and Golf Club in Hawkesbury are semi-private golf courses with driving ranges in charming lakeland and riverside villages.
The stillness of a frosty winter day is captured early morning while skating on a frozen lake or on Ottawa's Rideau Canal, and a jaunt across the landscape on cross-country skis is ideal for naturalists who crave a secluded moment with the marvels of a fresh snow fall and elusive wildlife.
For those who prefer to spend cooler days indoors, relaxation and exercise are easily found. Yoga studios have become popular in recent years, making this activity accessible to everyone. The Fitness Fusion Studio is a holistic studio well suited to beginners, offering classes in a variety of styles for people of all fitness levels. Find pure relaxation at a spa offering aesthetic and therapeutic treatments. Domaine Bourget Spa in Bourget is a traditional spa providing facials, manicures, pedicures and hot-stone massages. Melt into a Moor mud bath, the signature experience at Golden Moor Spa in Cassleman. The mud is sourced from a local bog and is reputed to boast medicinal properties.
FAMILY FUN
There is enough adventure in Ottawa and its surrounding area to satisfy the insatiable appetite of any active child. Children can burn off energy in a fun and safe environment while visiting a farm or orchard. In Kanata, families pick their own apples, strawberries and raspberries at the Dekok Family Berry Farm. A longer outdoors experience is had at the Willowbank Riding School in Plantagenet where guides can take families on half-day or full-day trail rides.
An aboriginal history and cultural tour in the city provides an educational and interactive look at Canada's First Nations cultures. Aboriginal heritage and many other aspects of the region's rich culture are also celebrated at colourful festivals each season.
Indoors, there are many family-oriented recreational opportunities, including bowling alleys, mini-golf courses and amusement parks. The Orleans Bowling Centre offers a cosmic bowling experience, and the Midway Family Fun Park is an indoor and outdoor recreation complex complete with a climbing wall, arcade, bumper cars and go-karts.
EXCITING ADVENTURES
Adventure is close at hand for all types of thrill seekers, whether seeking the rush of high speeds, the thrill of falling from thousands of metres above the earth, or the cool sensation of navigating a treacherous waterway.
Have a need for speed? Try auto racing at the Pinto Valley Ranch, a half hour west of Kanata. Alternatively, take a vertical plunge. Bungee jumping is a popular sport in the Ottawa region, practiced both indoors and outdoors. The Great Canadian Bungee Jump is the highest jump in North America, sending participants hurtling towards a blue lagoon.
In the sky, an intense free-falling experience can be enjoyed by skydiving with Gatineau Ottawa Skydive, the only parachute centre in the region. First-time jumpers are put at ease with detailed instructions before their tandem jump. While free falling is not suited to everyone, most people will enjoy soaring over southern Ontario on a thrilling airplane tour with the Rockcliffe Flying Club or gently floating over the landscape in a hot-air balloon with Windborne Ballooning.
Ontario's greatest thrills are found on the criss-crossing waterways. Three large rivers—Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau—connect hundreds of lakes and thousands of islands, making the region a dream for water-sport enthusiasts. Canoeing, kayaking and rafting can all be enjoyed by people of various skill levels.
A rafting trip may sound daunting to novices but is a safe and enjoyable experience that can be as simple as a float trip or as exhilarating as a wild ride on white-capped rapids. The Ottawa Outing Club offers challenging adventures that combine various water sports and HorizonX offers extreme white-water rafting and kayaking adventures. A longer experience can be had with Trailhead, which offers fully outfitted two-week-long adventures as well as short guided tours.
RELAXED VACATIONS
Ottawa is Canada's capital city and its surrounding communities are among the country's oldest settlements, providing endless opportunities for exploration. Sightseeing and interpretive guide services offer tours in a variety of languages. See the city's major sites by road on a motorcoach tour, or the rugged wilderness of the rural areas on a bicycle tour or boat tour. Guided walking tours are a more personal way of exploring smaller communities. The Carleton Place Heritage Walking Tour peeks into Carlton's past from a domestic perspective, touring log cabins, old houses, stately homes and historic buildings.
Low-key sporting opportunities abound in all seasons. The spring thaw uncovers multi-use trails and tangled rivers woven throughout the natural landscape. Trails are generally well groomed and suited to walking, hiking and cycling in summer and even into early autumn. A break from the heat can be found by enjoying a water sport on one of the many lakes and rivers; boats can be rented for a relaxing float or a lazy fishing trip. Nickel's Charters in Gloucester offers custom trips appealing to sports fishermen who want to catch lake trout and salmon on eastern Lake Ontario.
Golfing, an enjoyable and active way of appreciating the picturesque landscape, is popular in southern Ontario, with most communities home to at least one course. Guests can practice their swing in Almonte, Carp, Casselman, Gloucester, Hawkesbury, Nepean, Ottawa and Rockland. Both the Irish Hills Golf and Country Club in Carp and the Hawkesbury Curling and Golf Club in Hawkesbury are semi-private golf courses with driving ranges in charming lakeland and riverside villages.
The stillness of a frosty winter day is captured early morning while skating on a frozen lake or on Ottawa's Rideau Canal, and a jaunt across the landscape on cross-country skis is ideal for naturalists who crave a secluded moment with the marvels of a fresh snow fall and elusive wildlife.
For those who prefer to spend cooler days indoors, relaxation and exercise are easily found. Yoga studios have become popular in recent years, making this activity accessible to everyone. The Fitness Fusion Studio is a holistic studio well suited to beginners, offering classes in a variety of styles for people of all fitness levels. Find pure relaxation at a spa offering aesthetic and therapeutic treatments. Domaine Bourget Spa in Bourget is a traditional spa providing facials, manicures, pedicures and hot-stone massages. Melt into a Moor mud bath, the signature experience at Golden Moor Spa in Cassleman. The mud is sourced from a local bog and is reputed to boast medicinal properties.
FAMILY FUN
There is enough adventure in Ottawa and its surrounding area to satisfy the insatiable appetite of any active child. Children can burn off energy in a fun and safe environment while visiting a farm or orchard. In Kanata, families pick their own apples, strawberries and raspberries at the Dekok Family Berry Farm. A longer outdoors experience is had at the Willowbank Riding School in Plantagenet where guides can take families on half-day or full-day trail rides.
An aboriginal history and cultural tour in the city provides an educational and interactive look at Canada's First Nations cultures. Aboriginal heritage and many other aspects of the region's rich culture are also celebrated at colourful festivals each season.
Indoors, there are many family-oriented recreational opportunities, including bowling alleys, mini-golf courses and amusement parks. The Orleans Bowling Centre offers a cosmic bowling experience, and the Midway Family Fun Park is an indoor and outdoor recreation complex complete with a climbing wall, arcade, bumper cars and go-karts.
Air Transportation
Boutique Hotel/B&B
