The Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill will run daily (weather permitting) at 10am between July 1st and August 20th 2025 and is always a great hit with kids in the summer. While downtown, take a visit of Parliament Hill.
Explore the main Parliament Building through and 360 multimedia show. Tickets are FREE of charge but must be booked in advance on the Parliament’s Official Website. The experience lasts about 45 minutes.
On a hot and humid day, cool off at either one of the 2 waterparks in the Ottawa area Calypso and Mont Cascades.
Pirate Adventures: Aboard a pirate ship at Mooney’s Bay for an unforgettable adventure with sword fights, water cannons, costumes, face paintings and much more…It is strongly recommended to make reservation ahead of time.
Visit a zoo or a petting zoo: there are several zoos in the Ottawa area that kids we love.
Valley View Little Animal Farm is located in Nepean, Ontario. It has a little animal barn with rabbits, chicks and goats that young children will love. It also has puppets shows, a play area and train rides.
Omega Park is a park located North of Montebello. The 12 km long drive-through trail allows visitors to see bears, wolves and mooses.
Take a drive to Wakefield, Quebec to the Eco-Odyssée where you can either rent a paddle boat and navigate a 6 km long water maze or go on the walking maze to discover different animal species and plants. If you are lucky, you might even be able to catch a glimpse of a beaver while on the water maze.
Take a boat cruise on the Rideau canal or the Ottawa river. There are many different companies that offer different packages at different costs :
If you’re feeling adventurous, why not try a treetop aerial park!
Arabaska Laflèche Park is located in Val-des-Monts, Quebec and offers a kids course but also a GPS rally and an underground trek in a cave.
Camp Fortune aerial park is located in Chelsea, Quebec and offer a kids course but also a free fall air bag jump. It is strongly recommended to make reservation ahead of time for both parks.
Spend the day at Saunders Farmwhere you can cool off in the splashpad, burn energy on the jumping pillow and play structures, watch a puppet show or take a hayride tour.
2 thoughts on “Summer activities for kids in the Ottawa area”
Would be nice to see some more Free stuff and places that people can get to by bus
This is a great resource, thank you so much!
I heard that the boat cruise on the canal is closed for 2015, the NCC did not renew the license for Paul’s boat lines. Too bad since I went on the cruise several year ago and enjoyed it! Can always rent a boat at Dow’s lake however.
Would be nice to see some more Free stuff and places that people can get to by bus
This is a great resource, thank you so much!
I heard that the boat cruise on the canal is closed for 2015, the NCC did not renew the license for Paul’s boat lines. Too bad since I went on the cruise several year ago and enjoyed it! Can always rent a boat at Dow’s lake however.