Things to see and do around Ottawa

[KrisYYC]

Hey all,

I'm going to be in Ottawa from Sunday Feb. 17th to Thursday Feb. 21st.

I'll be there visiting my good friend. I've visited before but only had a couple days each time and we just ended up chillin so we're wondering what are some of the cool things to do in the area? We're not really into clubs or anything like that. More into museums and cultural things. I'm sure there's some excellent museums being the Capitol and all.

We'll have 4 full days to tour around.

Thanks,

Kris

[Boris2k7]

Check out the Museum of Civilization and the National Art Gallery, for sure (I only went to the Museum of Civilization because of the Architecture, but the National Art Gallery also had an exhibit I was interested in). Oh, and go to Byward Market at night rather than during the day, it's busier.

Admittedly, I spent most of my time in Ott-Gatt just walking around taking pictures of all the different places... so...

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Byward Market is great for just hanging out and tooling around. A lot of great courtyards are hidden in little nooks and crannies in the Market too.

As for culture and what not, go to the Shanghai Restaurant in Chinatown for great food and awful karaoke.

If you're going to be skating on the canal, go to Dows Lake and get some beaver tails. Also nearby is Little Italy, which boasts many great little Italian restaurants and cafes. Some of the best coffees you could ask for. Also, DiRienzo's on Beech is reknowned for their deli sandwiches. Go there and you'll see what I mean.

I'm not if Winterlude is going to be over by then, but if it isn't you should check out the activities and ice sculptures in Confederation Park.

In terms of museums, there are many. Near the downtown core, there is the Museum of Nature, The War Museum, The National Gallery, and the Museum of Civilization in Hull. If you feel like trekking out some ways for museums, there is the Aviation Museum in Rockliffe and the Museum of Science and Tech just off of St. Laurent Boulevard. And I'm not sure if it's still around, but the Eco-Musee in Hull just off of Montcalm is interesting...

[FFX-ME]

Ottawa has the highest density in museums so you wont be missing those but besides museums there is winterlude carnaval right now so go see some ice sculptures, skate on the canal lots of fun stuff. See the parliament buildings, going up the peace tower is free. Go see a sens game or 67s. Realy museums the market, chinatown little italy and hockey is all we have but now we also have the worlds argest skationg rink and winterlube

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

and winterlube

[m0nkyman]

^^ I seem to remember celebrating that in my twenties...

[eemy]

Originally Posted by KrisYYC

Hey all,

I'm going to be in Ottawa from Sunday Feb. 17th to Thursday Feb. 21st.

I'll be there visiting my good friend. I've visited before but only had a couple days each time and we just ended up chillin so we're wondering what are some of the cool things to do in the area? We're not really into clubs or anything like that. More into museums and cultural things. I'm sure there's some excellent museums being the Capitol and all.

We'll have 4 full days to tour around.

Thanks,

Kris

If it's open, you'll have to skate along the canal from Dow's Lake to downtown.

My favourite museums to visit when I lived there were the Aviation Museum and the Museum of Civilization. Apparently the War Museum has improved a lot since it moved to its new digs. The Art Gallery is pretty cool as well and you can check out Notre Dame right across the street. Definitely skip the Mint.

[KrisYYC]

Thanks guys!

Jeremy: Why skip the mint? Boring?

Also, anybody been to the Diefenbunker?

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Also, anybody been to the Diefenbunker?

I have been to Dief The Chief's bunker. It's sorta fun, but not really exciting. Also, it depends on how interested you really are and the calibre of the tour guides also helps.

You can either have an interesting and insightful time, or you can be bored to tears. It can easily go both ways...

[eemy]

Originally Posted by KrisYYC

Jeremy: Why skip the mint? Boring?

I definitely thought it was. Maybe it would be more interesting if they were actually running the mint while I visited. Instead, it was basically just looking at an empty factory.

[KrisYYC]

Oh ok thanks.

I hope the weather is decent while I'm there!

[Kitchissippi]

The conditions for cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park are awesome at the moment. If you want a really peaceful morning or afternoon ski, try this little gem of a circuit up in the northern part of the park where few people go:



This is an easy trail but there is a steep section (marked "!"), so if you want to climb it instead of tumbling down, go counter clockwise. The drive up to Ste-Cécile-de-Masham is really pretty and worth it. The yurt at Taylor Lake and the cabin at Renaud have wood stoves that you can use to heat your lunch or snack (pack a sandwich in foil and place it on the stove for a nice toasted meal). Snowshoeing around Lac Philippe is also cool, and up to the Lusk caves (bring crampons if you want to go into the cave).

[harls]

Yep, I went snowshoeing this weekend with the family - conditions were amazing.

Too many people where I was (near the Gatineau Pk visitor's center in Old Chelsea). Take Kitchisippi's advice and try the less used trails!








Nice place to warm up!

[J.OT13]

Was looking for a place to post, but didn't want to create a new thread, so revived an old one. Turns out some OBJ articles are still accessible to all.

Entrepreneurial pair hopes to bring back the glory days of the roller disco

OBJ, November 22, 2022
Rob Thomas

From smashing household items to roller-skating to the disco beat, local entrepreneurs Josefa Mampihaona and Michee Jean have the answer for Ottawans looking for unique activities.

In 2019, the pair launched Smash Rooms Ottawa, which promises stress relief through breaking household items. The Smash Rooms’ crew provides the rooms, the items and the cleanup. Mampihaona jokes that the “timing was perfect” for a stress-relief business, just before the pandemic, saying Smash Rooms has done well between recent lockdowns.

Now, Mampihaona and Jean’s latest entertainment venture is a nod to nostalgia rather than latent anxiety. The pair is set to open 4 Wheelies, a 20,000-square-foot roller-skating rink at the former Ottawa Citizen building on Baxter Road.

“We want to bring back that culture that was big in Ottawa 40 years ago, that joy that people had,” Mampihaona explains. “This is a culture that is huge in the United States, where it has already seen a big comeback.”

In fact, Mampihaona recently returned from Los Angeles, where he met with Moonlight Rollerway owner Dominic Cangelosi. Moonlight Rollerway has been in business since 1965. Cangelosi started playing organ there in the late 1960s and became the owner in 1985.

“He showed me the ropes and their community,” Mampihaona says. “What the community wants, what has worked and what hasn’t worked.”

Mampihaona says 4 Wheelies hopes to offer something for everyone, from a night out that harkens back to roller disco, to a family day on wheels. The new facility will include a bar, arcade and party rooms, as well as a pro-shop and lessons. 4 Wheelies was scheduled to open in December, but Mampihaona says construction delays have pushed that to February 2023. Meanwhile, he continues to meet with the roller-skate community in Ottawa and farther afield.

Alyx Gardner runs the Rideau Rollers online and pop-up store, Ottawa’s only dedicated roller-skate retailer after the closure of Neon Skates early in the pandemic.

Gardner, who launched Rideau Rollers last year and has the long-term goal of opening a brick-and-mortar retail store, initially reached out to the pair to discuss potential partnerships.

“It came as a pleasant surprise,” Gardner says of the 4 Wheelies rink, noting that Mampihaona and Jean are new to the roller-skate community. “There has been a grassroots push from within the community, especially for more public or arena spaces to skate.”

Roller-derby athlete Gloria Guns says interest in roller-skating grew dramatically during the pandemic and says demand for indoor venues is high.

“We just don’t have a lot of spaces, especially in the wintertime, where they can do that. And I think the roller rink is going to be important because, from what I can tell, it’s going to be a very beginner-friendly space,” Guns says.

She adds that she will continue to encourage the City of Ottawa to provide indoor spaces as well. “It’s great that this one roller rink is opening up, but I think that we need more spaces beyond just that,” she says.

Ottawa has no permanent roller rink. Instead, activities and lessons are offered at some city arenas, outside the hockey and skating seasons. The Ottawa Quad Rollerskating Club meets weekly at Carleton University and hosts events at the Horticulture Building. More advanced “park skaters” also use The Yard indoor skate and bike park.

https://obj.ca/entrepreneurial-pair-...-roller-disco/

[harls]

Roller disco? lol.

Also, thanks for resurrecting a 14 year old thread! I remember that day I went to Gatineau Park, my kid was not as tall as me at the time..

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by harls

Roller disco? lol.

Also, thanks for resurrecting a 14 year old thread! I remember that day I went to Gatineau Park, my kid was not as tall as me at the time..

Glad it triggered a bit of nostalgia for ya!

[J.OT13]

Ottawa gets its first roller rink since the ’80s with 4 Wheelies

By Dominique Gené on June 26, 2023
apt613.ca

At the entrance to 1101 Baxter Road, two words greet you: Ottawa Citizen. But If you’re sporting bell-bottoms or a pair of knee-high socks paired with colourful shorts, the latest news isn’t what you are seeking. The deserted building that was once buzzing with reporters has been brought to life, thanks to 4 Wheelies, Ottawa’s first roller skating rink since the 1980s.

Two days before its grand opening on June 24, the rink opened its door to media and influencers for a first look. Roller skaters of different ages glided across the rink, while some flaunted their eclectic looks and sparkles in one of two photo booths onsite for the occasion.

4 Wheelies offers private rooms for special celebrations, arcade games, and skating classes. A restaurant is set to open at the facility soon.

Skating onto a rink, filled with nostalgia for a time you could only fathom through Pinterest boards, might just be what you need this summer.

4 Wheelies is open Tuesday to Thursday from 4pm to 11 pm, Friday from 4pm to 2 am, Saturday from 12pm to 2pm, and Sunday 12 pm to 11pm. Visit www.4wheelies.com for more info.

[originalmuffins]

Happy to see this one come back. Won't be too far from an LRT station too.

[OTSkyline]

Been cool seeing that LRT station taking shape (probably the last to start construction) and the new pedestrian overpass.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Been cool seeing that LRT station taking shape (probably the last to start construction) and the new pedestrian overpass.

Dominion was just recently delivered to the station builder. Don't think Westboro has been delivered yet. So Queensview is maybe third to last.