This review is for Behind the Screams, Haunted Carnival. I loved, loved, loved this! As someone who…read morelives for October, Halloween and Haunted Houses, finding a live action haunted house I could go to on my birthday trip made me beyond happy! When I showed up for my time slot, the lady at the front counter told me all about the carnival and 1D studios. They make horror movies and put on other haunted houses at Halloween. She told me all about the attractions. They had games, food, adult beverages and all in addition to the walk-thru haunted carnival. Movie set level spooky decor was everywhere; there was a ton of spooky stuff to look at everywhere you set your gaze. The food was even being served in a very scary diner, fully decorated. They also had one of their movie productions running, a comedy-horror short titled "Have a Good Day." Really enjoyed watching that, and the spooky living room setting where it was being played was both cozy and creepy. The haunted carnival itself amazing! I asked if the actors touch you and was told, "No, that's after 10 PM." I said, "Really?" She said yes that it gets VERY intense after that time. Your ticket in allows you to come back again, even for the extreme experience after 10, but I was scared enough with the regular haunt. There was one part, no two, that really messed with me. The effects and props are incredible. I am not going to give anything away, but there was one point where I thought I might be losing my mind a little. The actors were all amazing and super into their roles. I don't scare super easy, but there were some moments that honestly scared me. The actor playing the ringmaster, Andi Christ, was phenomenal. He did scare me. The clowns were terrifying too. When you do finish the walk-thru, there is a mini circus act with an acrobat putting on a show on one of those hanging rings. She had the coolest shoes. Great way to finish the attraction, and she was so talented. The room was awesome. Chairs with blood splatters and bloody handprints. Places to take photos, like a guillotine and put your head on the beheaded bloody woman. The hostess in this room was great too. So friendly and gave everyone more info about Halloween and the studio. I think one of the best parts was when I left and went outside. Some of the actors were taking a break, including one of the clowns that had really frightened me. I thanked them all for putting on such a great spooky attraction, and they stayed in character and kept being scary. It was just such a great last little touch. There were two roads out of the parking lot. The clown even went to the edge of the studio's lawn and waved me down toward that exit...where he would be waiting. Even in my car, I couldn't do it. I shook my head at him and drove out the other way! I just hope he didn't get offended, but clowns are a huge fear for me...and he was just that creepy! So I hope he realized it was a compliment. I am going to Ottawa in October and will definitely see what 1D is putting on for Halloween! Thank you for making it a perfect birthday trip and spooktacular Summerween!

I've been to Centrepointe Theatre it must be over 30 times now. I've seen lots of shows there,…read moremostly musicals, but not exclusively. The main theatre is a medium-sized theatre, seating just under 1000 people. They do have a smaller theatre there too which seats just under 200 people. I've only been to the main theatre though, not the smaller one. Seats are comfortable and you're not crammed in too much. There's a coat check, and a small bar that serves wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. There are vending machines, and there appears to be a cafe, but it never seems to be open when I'm there for a show. It's connected to the Nepean Centrepointe Library. Washrooms are ok, clean but not that modern, and not too many stalls. The lineups are insane during intermission. Parking is free.

I think Nepean is very lucky to have a theatre like this in the neighbourhood! Attached to what…read moreused to be Nepean City Hall and the Centrepointe Library, it's also a beautiful place to take a walk outside and check out the fountain. There's lots of parking (and it's free!), but the theatre can get very busy and books various events on one night, so be sure to get there at least half an hour prior to your event to find parking. On the night we attended there was also a large dance recital going on so the parking lot was packed. As mentioned, Noah K and I were here with some friends to see Jayme White, a local mentalist/illusionist preform. The theatre was downstairs and sat about 200 people, which I thought was a great size, because it feels intimate no matter where you are sitting. The one thing I was not particularly impressed with was the staff I came into contact with. The two women we encountered (ushers?), were holding programs, but both told us we could pick up programs downstairs despite having a ton of them. They also weren't very friendly and were a bit off-putting. That being said, it wouldn't detract me from going here again as I hardly had to interact with them. I think this would be a great place to see a musical act as it would be super intimate. I'll absolutely be checking out their schedule more often!

I've been here so many times and have done all of their rooms more than once. We still go here when…read morethey open new rooms. We love this location so much. Everyone is just so friendly. They're entertaining. The staff is attentive and helpful. We go there every year around mine and my fianaces birthday. We bring out of towers here. Newbies and experts. We have an annual tradition to come here with my fiancé's daughter to do a different room each christmas. I've had work events and team building exercises here with my team and had them evaluate us on our team cohesiveness and provided tools to help us work better together. Lastly, my favorite experience here is when I got engaged here in one of the room with all my friends. They let my fiance come early to get them to hide the ring and when he proposed they played his song for me over the speakers. This is my all time favorite place to go and I've made so many people addicted to escape rooms bringing them here. I wish they had loyalty points for frequent visitors. Lol!

A fun and challenging escape room, conveniently located in Hintonburg, where there are a number of…read morecool restaurants and breweries to visit as well. We hung out at Tooth and Nail around the corner before we did our room (The Recruit). The room was well set up, with three different areas to work through, and hints were available if needed. There was only two of us, which made the number of tasks more difficult, but we still had fun. If I had other feedback to give, it's that there was too much "acting" at the beginning--I would rather not be called on to play a role in an escape room. I would also add there are many stairs up to this location. I was surprised how many places in Ottawa are inaccessible to many because of stairs.

Great arcade, bar, music and perogies. Service is great. The perogies are always delicious. The…read morestaff is friendly. I enjoy the live music and the people who come, the regulars.

I think there was a Yelp event here years ago that I couldn't make it out to because I ended up…read moreworking late, but House of Targ has been on my list to try ever since! I'm not in this area often, especially during the pandemic, so when I saw that they were offering frozen pierogis through Burrow Shop's online grocery delivery service, I had to buy them. I got the traditional pierogis made with flour, sour cream, eggs, potato, cheddar cheese, and salt. It was a 12-pack of frozen pierogis sealed in plastic in a little cardboard box with the instructions at the bottom, which included boiling and panfrying. I was lazy and starving at that point and looking for something fast, so I decided to brush six of them with olive oil and stick them in the air fryer. I should've taken them out sooner because the potato started leaking out the ends, but they were still great. Of course, if I had followed the instructions, I'm sure they'd be even better (I saved the other half to try it making it the way they said). Simple and comforting, not lacking flavour, but not too tame, and not too salty. The six were a great snack for just myself - I can see how people could easily take down plates of these!

I had a great time today petting various farm animals as well as dogs and even some guinea pigs…read more The staff were all super friendly, and it was a fun day spent doing something outside. They do have free range chickens and ducks running around as well. It's only $10 a person and it's worth it for a fun outing. If you do go please respect the rules of not chasing the chickens and ducks, you might very well give them a heart attack. And no one wants to see that. But I'd definitely recommend it especially if you've got kids. They've even got information plaques about all the animals around the place so it's fun and educational.

Great place for kids and adults alike to relax on a lazy afternoon. Has a wide variety of animals…read more Only $5 per adult. Children under 2 are free.

I am presently in the Cosmic Adventures on Ogilvie. We are regulars here. I was charged admission…read moreagain. I am in a wheel chair. I never set a foot on the play structure. You are charging disable people for a service they will never use. In the last year I gave your business a 1000 dollars in admission fees. Not to include the food. Now my grand kids came back to me saying they can't buy anything with paper money. Simply ridiculous. Don't think I'm coming back!

I love this place. It's been a total lifesaver for those crazy days with my one year old. I usually…read morecome here on days where my kid is driving me crazy, is getting into everything at home, and when I need a break. This place really tires her out. It can cost a pretty penny per visit, so we ended up getting an annual pass which was $99, and included entrance for our child, and two adults. The pass literally pays for itself after the first couple of visits. Birthday parties are also 50% off with an annual pass. Adults DO have to pay to get in, kinda sucks, but kinda understand why. Babies 11 months and under are free. There is a kiddie zone for kids 4 and under. I did notice that some of the older kids sneak into this zone, which sucks, because they normally play rougher than the babies/younger kids. There is also a dance room/area for kids to dance and go crazy, an arcade area near the food court, and smaller rides for the younger kids like a carousel and cars (the kind that you would find at the mall that costs 2 bucks). Parking is a nightmare. It's always full, and people never look where they are driving. Last time I was here, I saw a, most likely VERY tired mom, back up into another car. It is just mayhem here. On really busy days, they usually have an employee directing traffic. Ahemmm...it's like a kiddie Costco! Again, great place for kids to burn off energy, and for babies to get their stimulation.

I visited the Log Farm for the first time today for the outdoor Christmas Farmers' Market and it…read morewas very busy, but not overwhelmingly so. This is the first out of two dates for the market, the next one being next Saturday, November 27th, from 10am to 2pm. As a mama with a stroller, it was difficult to maintain the 2 metres of social distancing, especially when lining up for specific vendors, but we tried to keep as much distance from people as possible, masks were mandatory, and everyone was very respectful. Try not to handle any of the goods unless you're going to buy them - the vendors are more than happy to give you your items. There are also squares for payment via credit or credit (tap and insert available, but tap is preferable to avoid less touching, though there's also hand sanitizer at all vendor stations). The layout is a big circle, so traffic just moves in one direction, counterclockwise. If you missed something or wanted to go back, rather than going backwards, you just keep going around the circle until you're back to where you started. I thought it would be a good idea to take one loop around to see what there was first before buying, and then come back for the stuff I wanted, but I did end up missing out on some things because they sold out so quickly. My friend and I went at around 12:45pm and left when it was starting to close around 2, and it was still busy, with people buying whatever was leftover. Note that you can pre-purchase or reserve from some vendors online or via e-mail so that it doesn't sell out on you (thanks, Nat's Bread!). Speaking of bread, I thought that's all I was coming for, but nope, BIG NOPE. A lot of awesome local food and a super sore shoulder later, I left with a giant haul. There were tons of gifts and specialty food as well, and even a little shop with crafts and coffee truck for hot beverages, but I ended up doing some groceries. I'm really excited to try everything I bought, from savoury pies, sausages, and beef ribs, to fresh bread, ice cream sandwiches, chipotle maple syrup, organic apple sauce, red potatoes, and nacho chips! I could've bought more, but my reusable bag (that they give you for free at the entrance) and my stroller could only hold so much. It was a little muddy and rocky with the stroller, but nothing we couldn't handle, and it wasn't too chilly, either. Try heading all the way in with your car because there was plenty of parking in the lot, but tons of people parked on the side of the road when it wasn't necessary. And it's a shorter distance to carry everything you bought from the market to the car ;)

We brought our 16 month old to the farm for a fall morning outdoors. It was a bit of a shame to…read moreneed to pay the same price for him as us, but all in all it was good value for a family day out. Our son loved the wagon ride, the corn maze, pumpkin patch, and feeding the animals. He played on the hay bale for about an hour! I'm not sure that The Log Farm will be stimulating enough for him in a year or so, but it was perfect for his age. Not too overwhelming and enough to fill a morning and feel like we'd gotten our money's worth. Highly recommend to parents of young and energetic toddlers. I would suggest bringing a wagon if possible, it's a bit easier to haul than a stroller as most of the farm is unpaved.

Most of my favourite theatre experiences in Ottawa have been at the GCTC; my favourite being their…read moreplay adaptation of Alistair MacLeod's "No Great Mischief." I enjoy their ability to choose the best mix of professional and provocative plays. They take risks with their choices like an amateur theatre, but usually produce quality work like a professional theatre. Their old location relied solely on a cozy theatre with terrible seats, but they have recently moved to new digs in Westboro. The new theatre features a large theatre, small theatre, art gallery, cafe, bar, apartments and a lobby available for functions. Although it's not as nearly as small as it used to be, the new large theatre still maintains a close space with the audience and play. Prices are $32 for matinées, $42 for evening shows and $30 for students. However, at the first Sunday of each performance, admission price is pay what you can. So get out to the GCTC on Oct. 26th to take advantage of this deal for their new show "Zadie's Shoes."

I'm such a theatre nerd that I have to adore anyplace that gives me good - and often great -…read moretheatre at reasonable prices. For all that I'm thankful for Ottawa's National Arts Centre, it's nice to know there's a place in stodgy Ottawa where gay rap opera (yep, and it was amazing) can thrive. Or simply that another big theatre can thrive at all. I've seen more than a few shows here, and I'm consistently impressed with the enthusiasm, talent, skill, and venue itself. I check the schedule every new season to see what's coming up. Once we just eenie-meenie-miny-mo'd and went to the play my finger landed on. Wins every time.