Great beach with a lifeguard on duty. I believe I saw a first aid tent near the lifeguard…read morewatchtower too! The water is quite shallow for a good stretch of the beach which makes the water slightly warm to swim in. A refreshing beach to go to that is definitely worth the drive from Ottawa. Also, I heard the sunset is beautiful at this location since it faces west. There is also tons of free parking along the main street leading up to the beach.

Gorgeous views of Ottawa and Quebec (across the river). The walk to Nepean Point is an ideal stop…read moreon a walk through Parliament Hill, visit to the National Gallery of Canada, etc.). Bring your camera: it's one of the best spots in town to take pics (especially panoramic ones) and the statue of the point is kind of cool too. I probably should know "who" it is and his significance in Canadian history...

Cool park to sit and relax and get a great view of the Ottawa River and Gatineau. Nice views of…read moreParliament, too. It's just next to the National Gallery, and a few blocks from ByWard Market. No playground, just a big, grass-covered hill. It's a great spot to watch fireworks from!! Also, you'll spot lots of wedding parties taking photos here on the weekends.

What a large and beautiful park in the middle of Gatineau. My husband and I got some takeout at…read moreKantin Bistro on Eddy and went to Parc Fontaine to eat our food on one of the picnic tables to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we were having in November. We had so many picnic tables to choose from! They have ping pong tables at this park. And a funnel ball setup. Lots of open green space. Some swings and play structures and even a swimming pool. What a great park to have in the city. Definitely a great place to enjoy your lunch outdoors when the weather is nice.

This is a nice little area with an overlook of the falls. I wouldn't say it's an absolute must see…read morebut a nice option if you're in the area. The memorial near the falls is really nice as well. Ignore your GPS at present as it isn't taking construction into account..it was sending us into the French Embassy parking lot! There is a ton of street parking nearby and it's just a short walk to the falls.

It is a really beautiful park there is not much to do or see but is is a heaven for photographers…read moreand ones who put on white noise before sleeping. Beware of drug dealers if any one looking weird approaches you stay away find assistance and make sure to not mess with the Canadian seagull birds they fight back not

LeBreton Flats is an area to the left of Parliament Hill when you are looking north. There is a…read morehuge park that has been used for Canada Day celebration for the last two years. I walked over to the park and saw it briefly. It was beautifully green and cheerful, even though it was a gloomy day with a severe thunderstorm warning. Sure enough, I got caught in a huge downpour, so visiting this park in more depth wasn't meant to be. The celebrations were temporarily postponed. I ended up heading to my car, as I had a baseball game to attend and hoped that it would also be postponed. It was for an hour. LeBreton Flats is also home to the Canadian War Museum. This build has a glass roof and houses many artifacts showcasing the country's military history. I saw signs for the Bluesfest. It's held at this park in a couple of days. I can see this place being perfect for outdoor concerts. I hope to return to get a better feel for the park when thunderstorms and heavy rain aren't literally putting a damper on things. It's nice that Canada Day events have moved to a more open space, although I do miss the celebrations in front of Parliament Hill. (221)

What a lovely spot for the family to spend time here.. I love the idea of having a restaurant along…read moreside of entertainment for the kids. Wish there were more of these in Ottawa area. We had kids ranging from 13-1.5 , all 9 of them had a blast.. food was ok nothing special, but we really enjoyed the relaxed vibes and kids were going around from one play space to another freely while having a great time

New mini-golf on the east side of Gatineau Park (as of May 2009). Bottom line - most definitely…read morethe best mini-golf in the Ottawa area however does not offer a lot of re-playability for mini-golfers who want to be consistently challenged. What I liked: + As a new course, everything is ... new. The carpets, brick, walkways between holes. Unlike many older mini-putt courses, wood isn't used here so the course will better stand the test of time. + Lots of water rushing around the course in man-made creeks, stones, a pretty mini-golf course + There are flagsticks you can take out of the holes! + Huge patio area + Lots of undulations and tiering in the greens, many holes had "rough" - longer artificial grass + Most holes have at least one moderately challenging putt + Good washrooms at the golf course clubhouse + Detailed website What I didn't like - The course doesn't take long enough to play... interestingly there is no "par" designation for each hole however I'd say most holes' par would be 2... its probably about a par 42. That makes it a fun course to play once, but as someone who seeks challenging mini-golf, not one I come to play again and again. - They could have a little post after each hole where you could rest your card to mark your score. - Close to highway though not a lot of noise from the cars

Amazing park in the heart of Ottawa. The foliage was wonderful to see during our two visits in…read moreNovember (the second covering Remembrance Day) and there is so much history combined in this small square of nature.

Confederation Park is a park smack dab in the middle of downtown Ottawa. It's across the street…read morefrom City Hall and just down the stairs from the Mackenzie King Bridge. It has a lot of trees which make it very pretty in the autumn as the leaves change colours. It has a big water fountain, which is quite lovely when it's on. There are also several statues and memorials scattered throughout the park. The Winterlude ice sculptures used to be all at Confederation Park, which I thought was the perfect place for them, but they have since been moved to be all over the city (less centralized). Confederation Park is also a popular site for protests and demonstrations. I have never considered it a park to sit around in, but I suppose you could. I've always just walked through it from one place to another. The paths are well paved. Last time I was there, I saw a pop-up restaurant/food vendor that opened up in a sea container in the park.

There is a big difference between the Sugar Shacks in Ontario, and Les Cabanes à Sucre à Quebec! In…read moreOntario, we are generally quite happy to find many trees tapped for their sap, and a hearty breakfast of pancakes with syrup. We can order bacon and/or sausages on the side, or other things for your typical sweet breakfast such as toast or PB&J. However, in Quebec, they do the "Cabane à sucre" breakfast experience in grand style: your breakfast will include French Canadian Pea soup (sometimes with ham), crispy thick cut bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, coffee, juice, water, and... did I miss anything??! You'll pay a bit more, but you also get quite a bit more. Afterwards at L'Ange-Guardien, you can take a walk around the grounds, enjoy a "tire-sur-neige" maple lollypop, and if you wish you can toboggan down the hills. This was our second visit to L'Ange-Guardien, and although we were a smaller group this time, we went later in the day... and there was a long lineup, even though we had made a reservation. It's close enough to Ottawa to get there within an hour, but far enough to have that Sunday drive that you so crave. I love this time of year! Deep in the heart of spring, you can tell summer is coming... but for now there is still snow patches on the ground. Une tire sur neige? Yes please!!

Tow rope or walk to the top is less than 5mins, 7(?) slide paths, for all levels of daredevil, warm…read moreup spots outdoors, plus a cafeteria inside where you're own picnic stuff is welcome. And beer. And poutine. And maple taffy and sleigh rides. And helmet rentals. My only complaint is that these details are not easy to find online, before your trip.