We had our small wedding at the Orange Art Gallery and the venue was perfect.  The art on the walls…read moreadded a very nice dimension and the character of the building and terrace were enchanting.  The bar was flexible in meeting our desire of showcasing Canadian craft beer, wine and liquor and the bartenders were, as several guests commented, extremely nice and friendly yet professional and mixing a mean drink. Art on the walls also provided spectacular and unexpected backdrop for some of our best wedding photos.    We recommend Orange Art Gallery for small to medium weddings and other functions.

We were in Ottawa to attend a small wedding and this gallery was the venue. It was very charming…read moreand we enjoyed viewing the art as we mingled with other guests over champagne. If you are in the neighbourhood it is an interesting spot.

I organized an axe throwing night for me and my friends. I was really impressed with their customer…read moreservice on the phone to book my event. They were very patient with me as I wasn't sure how many people would commit to the evening I selected. When I got there I was greeted with such friendly people that made our evening wonderful ! We had someone show us how to throw axes and organized games and a final tournament for us who was super friendly, and the bar service was also excellent. I recommend this place. It was my second time there. And I can't wait to go again !!

Held a family reunion at LumberJaxe in April 2023 (for 25 people, which included my 87 year old…read morefather... he loved it!). The event was a huge success and I received rave reviews from the family. This was all due to LumberJaxe and their incredible staff which were very knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and so much fun. After receiving safety instruction and practice time, the staff organized a tournament for us which was a huge success, and a lot of fun. I would strongly recommend LumberJaxe whether it is for a small or large group. Would make an awesome team-building event. Thank you LumberJaxe! Karen

Dow's Lake is a man-made lake on the Rideau Canal. It's the site of many fun activities and there…read moreare several restaurants there with beautiful views of the water. You can rent canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats/paddle boats in the summer. In May there's the Tulip Festival which is technically in Commissioner's Park, but this park surrounds Dow's Lake. In the winter when the lake freezes over, you can skate on it, and it's connected to the Rideau Canal, so you can skate for a pretty good distance. There are 3 restaurants at Dow's Lake. Over the years they have changed, but currently the restaurants are Lago, Umbrella Bar, and Mexi's (aka Mexicali Rosa's). There's a paid parking lot nearby ($3.50 per 30 minutes up to a maximum of $14), or street parking ($0.25 per 6 minutes) a bit further away, or free parking on residential streets in neighbouring Little Italy (3 hour limit as per by-laws).

Dow's Lake Pavilion is a short distance away from the airport and Ottawa's downtown core. I like…read morethat you can escape from your daily routine to this picturesque area without doing a road trip. There are canoes and pedal boats that you can rent. You are required to sign a waiver, wear a life jacket, and put down a $20 deposit. You can use cash, and debit and credit cards, except for American Express. Sadly, Amex doesn't seem to be as widely accepted as it used to be. There are lockers where you can store your belongings when you are on the water. I recommend coming with what you truly need. I parked in the lot across from the Pavilion. Parking is $3.50 for 30 minutes, to a maximum of $14. I paid by credit card, which was great. I didn't risk parking on the street, but I know that I can now. It's cheaper that way, but you do have to be cognizant of the time. You can also dine here after a fun time out on the water. We ate at Mexi's. You have the option of dining in the restaurant or sitting out on the patio. I missed the tulip festival. Perhaps I'll plan my vacation and take them in next time. (254)

I'm surprised no one has rated this place yet! My husband…read moreand I bought a Groupon for Salsa classes for beginners and it was great so we even registered for Level 2 classes. Nadege and Soul are funny and professional. The pace of the classes were pretty good for total beginners like us. Scheduling classes were very easy. The classroom was bright and clean. We really enjoyed the classes! Thanks so much Nadege and Soul!

From the owner: Studio X Ottawa Inc. is YOUR "one stop" eclectic dance, fitness and space rental Centre!…read more Studio X Ottawa is a unique hub of experienced local dance and fitness professionals comprise of the Studio's team as well as independent instructors who rent the space to teach various classes. We offer Latin Dance classes (like Salsa, Bachata) And Fitness classes: Zumba, Zumba Sentao, Zumba Toning, Strong by Zumba, Piyo Live, Pound Fitness, etc. Our renters teach a variety of dance and fitness classes. We also rent the studios/rooms to teach or for practices, rehearsals, parties (baby shower, bridal shower, sweet sixteen, etc.), meetings, photoshoots, exhibitions, social gathering, etc. as well as Corporate events. Finally, Studio X Ottawa's team can be hired for shows and party animation.

I've eaten here three times now, and maybe it's the oil they use to cook their food or something…read moreelse but every time I've stopped by the observatory for food I've been sick right after. I usually get their chicken strips with fries, and it NEVER sits well with me. Sure, they taste good, but after twenty minutes I'm running to the washroom to toss it back up. A friend of mine has had their wrap and quesadillas and even she agrees that there's just something about the food that doesn't sit right in one's stomach. Overall, it's a really nice restaurant space - the fireplace is a nice, cozy touch. The food, however, leaves a bit to be desired. Prices are decent though, and they accept student meal plan, which is why I'm not giving them 1 star out of five.

The Observatory is run by the Algonquin Students' Association. I've been here once before for an…read moreevent where they had Perez Hilton come in, talk on stage, and sign autographs. A bunch of wooden chairs were set up facing the stage, and Perez gossiped about celebrities for an hour or so, told us how he got to be a famous blogger, answered some questions, signed t-shirts, and dropped as many F-bombs as he possibly could. The bouncers were a little too serious for the nature of the event and the guest of honour. You'd think that they'd lighten up a little considering it was Perez Hilton talking and not a concert or anything, but at least they made sure to keep everything safe and fight-free. Food and alcohol are offered at the Observatory. They are fully licensed and offer Starbucks coffee and a decent selection of sandwiches, salads, pizza, pub-fare, and breakfast, all for affordable prices. For those of you that are Algonquin College students, you can use your meal plan here. They also have couches, TVs, and pool tables if you want to hang out and/or study. It's also available for private rentals when it's not being used for other events. To contact the Observatory directly, here is their information via the website: Paul Norman, The Observatory Manager (613) 727-4723 ext. 5327 or by e-mail at normanp1@algonquincollege.com

Ottawa is so lucky to have this facility. Located in the Riverside area near Billings Bridge it's…read moregot an unreal amount of stuff happening at all times of the year. Under their umbrella, there's a ton of fitness centres and wellness programs (like the Nepean Tennis Club!) under their "lifefit" heading. I had my first experience here in a summer camp when I was young, and then at a volleyball camp as a teen. As an adult, I appreciate all the clubs and sport leagues available. They also do training courses like CPR and First Aid, and have specialty classes like Fine Art which is cool. Their facility is a big one, and there's a ton to learn and see, so take your time and soak it all in. I'm a big advocate of checking out their website to see what might be of interest to your fine self. You can get an individual or family membership, and there's a lot of options, so if you get confused, maybe go in for a chat. The FieldHouse Bar and Grill is also a part of the centre and serves up breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks and drinks. There's also a sports shop that sells fitness gear like clothing, tennis rackets and they offer restringing which is helpful. They also have banquet and special event services as well as a massage and physiotherapy clinic! If you're looking to get active or make some new friends, this is an awesome place to check out. Also great for kids - they have a massive summer program!

I've never used the sports facilities here, but I really enjoy this location for conferences and…read moremeetings. They have multiple rooms that can be used for a number of different events. The lobby is nice and welcoming and the signage is very helpful to get the guests to where they need to be in the building. The food the catering staff creates is top quality and their event staff must be on point as I've never attended an event where anything went wrong from the venue's perspective. They recently added a temporary extension off the front. I'm not sure what this building houses. It includes an enclosed walkway from the main building to the new temporary building. That walkway is a bit awkwardly placed and makes cab drop-offs and pick-ups somewhat difficult. It's not possible to see the full driveway and getting passed the temporary walkway is a bit of a squeeze in order to get to the cab drop-off/pick-up. But with all new things come a few bumps, so I'm sure they'll figure this out quickly.

Walked by and decided to pop in to check it out. The space is gorgeous and they're open for indoor…read moredining, they have a patio and they also do take away. There looks to be sanitizer at multiple locations in the building. The tables are extremely well distanced. I ended up ordering a flat top cheeseburger as I wasn't super hungry but wanted to try out their food. They said come back in 20 and I did a walk around the neighbourhood and returned to a bag of food. The staff are extremely friendly. Inside the bag was a box that had the cheeseburger and home made chips. The cheeseburger was really good, on par with a lot of the new gourmet burger joints in town. I'd say the cheeseburger was a 4 and everything is a 5. I'm going to give it a 4.5 and round up. I'm definitely going to come back to try some of the other food and I can see this place getting a full 5 stars in the future - 5 star cheeseburgers are extremely hard to come by :P

Service was fantastic. Showed nice great staff. Only bad side was the owner was a total snob,…read morepushed us aside to smooch her preferred visitors. Mean human.