Travel Feature: Visit the nation’s capital for colours of spring
Posted Apr 10, 2017 11:51 am.
Last Updated Apr 10, 2017 11:52 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
On the country’s 150th birthday, Ottawa will be the place to be for Canada Day fireworks.
If you don’t want to deal with those crowds, plan a visit in May when the city is awash in spring colour.
It might just be greening up in Calgary next month, but in Ottawa, travel writer Jody Robbins said a spectacle will be in full bloom, for the Canadian Tulip Festival.
“Since World War 2, Ottawa has been getting thousands of tulips as a gift from the Dutch Royal Family and now I would reckon there are over one million tulips throughout the city and they’re everywhere!”
The parliament buildings are always a big draw, but she said you should also check out the food scene, with the visit to ByWard Market.
“This is the city’s most historic neighbourhood,” said Robbins. “There’s a lot of specialty food shops and restaurants here. A lot of people don’t realize Ottawa has 1100 farms within the city limits.”
For water lovers, Ottawa is flush with options.
“You can rent a bike and explore alongside the Rideau Canal. You can ride from Parliament Hill to the national museums to Dows Lake to see the tulips, but you can also do rafting trips on the Ottawa River. Those are quite popular and Calypso, Canada’s largest themed water park, is just outside the city.”
Check out Jody’s website for more ideas http://www.jodyrobbins.com/ or pick up a copy of her book 25 Places in Canada Every Family Should Visit https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/25-places-in-canada-every/9781771512015-item.html?ikwid=25+places&ikwsec=Books&ikwidx=0
