Archive | Winter RSS feed for this section

Chris Robinson Travel Show features Ottawa Dec. 24

21 Dec

If you’re in the Toronto area, tune in to NewsTalk 1010 from 10:00 to 11:00am on Saturday, December 24 for the Chris Robinson Travel Show‘s feature on Ottawa.

You’ll learn more about the plans for Winterlude and other winter celebrations, post-Christmas shopping options, relaxing at Holtz Spa, staying at the Fairmont Château Laurier, dining at Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures, visiting the National Gallery of Canada and the Canada Aviation & Space Museum and more!

To whet your appetite, check out the video at the bottom of Chris Robinson’s homepage: http://www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca/

 

A Christmas carol for the modern age

19 Dec

As December 25 fast approaches, you may enjoy this “Christmas card to the internet” written and performed by our Director of Digital Marketing, Nick Iannitti, and a very photogenic cat.

New Year’s Eve in Ottawa

13 Dec

Are you spending New Year’s Eve in Ottawa this year? Check below for some options to ring in 2012 in style!

Enjoy dinner at Le Café within the National Arts Centre before catching the Blue Man Group this New Year's Eve!

At the National Arts Centre, you can spend New Year’s Eve with the Blue Man Group, followed by a post-show party in the lobby. Tickets range from $55 to $135 before taxes and charges. To really splurge, sign up for the pre-show dinner at Le Café. It’s a 3-course meal with coffee, tea, and live music for $69.95 per person (plus tax and gratuity).  NOTE: Dinner tickets are only available upon purchase of show tickets.

Across the Rideau Canal from the National Arts Centre, you can celebrate the arrival of 2012 at the sexy Ottawa Convention Centre. Called Dancing in the Stars, tickets are $159 per person and include a 4-course gourment dinner with wine, champagne toast at midnight, the soul funk disco sounds of the Hammerhead and two trips available to be won.

The brand new CE Centre near the Ottawa International Airport is marking New Year’s Eve with a gala event called Timeless 2012. $50 for the party, $125 for gourmet dinner and party.

If you really want to maximize the glitz factor, consider dinner and a show at the Casino du Lac-Leamy where you can groove to the funky beats of rhythm ‘n’ blues at the Esquire Show Bar revue. Starting at 8pm, tickets are $211.22 per person (which includes tax but not service and gratuities) .

In Ottawa’s Little Italy neighbourhood — also known as Preston Street — the Sala San Marco is dishing up a gourmet, black-tie optional evening for its guests. Tickets are $150 for adults, $95 for children 12 and under. The event has sold out for the last two years and features a 40-foot midnight buffet table, party favours, a photo booth and a 12-piece band!

In the Kanata neighbourhood, you can welcome in 2012 at the contemporary Brookstreet, with a five-course dining experience with live music, from $99.95 per person.

If you just want to dance your way into the new year, consider Zaphod Beeblebrox in the ByWard Market neighbourhood. A $10 cover fee gets you in to hear some great music and maybe try a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster to celebrate!

Winterlude is just around the corner!

6 Dec

Ottawans love to skate on the frozen Rideau Canal Skateway each winter.

The snow has started to fall in Ottawa and thoughts are turning to Christmas, the holidays and the whole winter season!

This winter marks the 42nd season of organized ice skating on the frozen Rideau Canal Skateway. The Canal snakes 7.8 km (4.8 miles) through downtown Ottawa— kids skate to school, people skate to work! It’s the equivalent in size to 90 Olympic-sized ice rinks, giving it the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink.

It takes several consecutive days of -15° Celsius (-5° Fahrenheit) or colder temperatures to ensure that the ice is at least a foot thick. That’s when the National Capital Commission deems it safe enough to open to the public — usually in late December or early January.

Skating on the Rideau Canal is the centrepiece activity of Winterlude, the capital region’s annual celebration of all things winter. The event takes place February 3 to 20, 2012.

Most activities are held on the weekends— learn-to-skate clinics, a hockey tournament, a winter triathlon, children’s entertainment—but the ice sculptures, skating on the Rideau Canal and the Snowflake Kingdom children’s snow playground are offered during the week as well (except Tuesday and Wednesday for Snowflake Kingdom). Best of all, most activities are free!

Foodies will love Taste of Winterlude, which runs from January 26 through February 20. Some of the capital’s best local restaurants create unique culinary events—wine and food pairings, chef demonstrations, walkabout winter feasts and more.

Book your visit to Ottawa with the Winterlude Rendezvous for Two package or the Winterlude Family Getaway! And don’t forget, participating Ottawa-area hotels are offering Third Night Free for travel until March 31, 2012.

Yummy Gooey Goodness!

2 Mar

March is maple syrup time in Canada’s Capital area, with local sugar bushes boiling down sap and serving up syrup and fun!  The Ottawa region is home to many maple syrup operations welcoming guests and groups to discover how the gooey golden syrup is made.  Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush near Carleton Place just west of the city offers a wide range of group, student and family educational programs and tours – plus plenty of syrup sampling!   Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm – also close to downtown – presents a syrup season Sunday brunch plus free tours, petting farm, wagon rides all centred around its heritage sugar shack.

The Canada Song video

17 Feb

Internet sensation Wilbur Sargunaraj visited Ottawa over the first week of Winterlude and filmed his latest video — The Canada Song — on the Rideau Canal Skateway, in front of Parliament Hill and in the ByWard Market neighbourhood. The result is amazing! Check it out:

Winterlude packing guide

12 Jan

So, you’re coming to Ottawa for Winterlude this February. Glad to hear it! (If you haven’t booked yet, check out the Winterlude accommodation packages — for couples and for families – available through Ottawa Tourism (and don’t forget the popular Third Night Free promotion at select hotels).

Especially if this is your first visit to Ottawa in the winter, we urge you to refer to this packing guide to make sure you enjoy yourselves to the fullest. Because no matter how amazing the ice sculptures at the Crystal Garden, how romantic the outing on the Rideau Canal Skateway, or how slippery the ice slide at Snowflake Kingdom, you won’t have any fun at all if your feet are cold!

BeaverTails are a delicious hot pastry treat available on the Rideau Canal Skateway. Don't let cold feet stop you from enjoying one... or two!

 

WINTERLUDE PACKING GUIDE

  • A backpack: It’s great for stashing your boots while you go skating on the Rideau Canal (remember to bring a plastic bag or two to limit wetness on the inside), plus it leaves your hands free to eat a BeaverTail!).
  • Snacks: Raisins, chocolate, power bars—you need something to munch on to keep your energy level up while skating, snowshoeing, skiing, or just wandering around town.
  • Water bottle: Stay hydrated! You may not realize you’re thirsty in the cold, but your body needs water! An insulated version is best.
  • Indoor clothing: Bring an extra layer or two of clothing so if it’s warmer or colder than you think, you’re prepared. This is key! Thin sweaters and shirts that whisk away any moisture are the best and they pack well.
  • Outdoor clothing: A warm jacket or parka is a must. Ideally, it would be a fabric that blocks the wind and repels moisture. Remember to layer in order to stay warm.
  • Ski pants: For so many reasons: they block the wind and add warmth, they protect your pants from snow and slush and prevent you from getting wet and therefore colder, and best of all, they help you whizz down the ice and snow slides at Snowflake Kingdom. If you wear jeans, you’ll get stuck and that’s embarrassing (this is the voice of experience talkin’ here!)!
  • Accessories: A warm hat, gloves or mittens, a scarf…these are necessities. And don’t feel self-conscious—the entire city battleshat-head! The more colourful, the better! Remember, too, that mittenswill keep your hands warmer than gloves (assuming they’re not wimpy things you can see through). Waterproof is best.
  • Footwear: Don’t skimp here! Warm socks and boots are a must (stick an extra pair of socks in your backpack just in case). Stiletto heels just won’t cut it, either—dress for warmth and you’ll enjoy your time outdoors.

  • Sleigh rentals are convenient for those in your group who don't skate. Push 'em along the Rideau Canal Skateway!

    Skates and sleighs: If you don’t bring your own pair of ice skates, you can rent some from Capital Skates at two locations on the ice surface: one near the National Arts Centre downtown and the other about half-way along the Canal near Fifth Avenue. Capital Skates also rents sleighs, which are perfect means of transportation for children or non-skaters, and which need to be pushed by skaters. Rates vary.

  • Bandaids: If you haven’t skated in years, it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to blisters (though modern skates are MUCH more comfortable than they used to be).
  • Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm: Think about it—the sun reflects off the snow and ice so it’s extra strong.Plus sunglasses might help you combat hat head once you move inside.
  • Tissues and wipes: Cold weather often means runny noses, so you’ll appreciate a handy supply of tissues.
  • Camera, batteries, recharger: You want to record these moments for posterity, don’t you? Pack your camera securely—and warmly—in an inside jacket pocket, not in your backpack! Batteries may deplete faster in the cold—be prepared!

MORE WINTERLUDE TIPS

  • Once you’ve spent all day outside being active, you deserve a reward. Indulge in an activity as part of Taste of Winterlude, a series of culinary special events, including winemakers’ dinners and walkabout winter feasts (where you walk from restaurant to restaurant for each course of a multi-course meal).
  • Use the SnoBus to get around. For $3.50 per adult (free for kids 11 and under), you can get a ride to the major Winterlude sites. The SnoBus runs on Saturdays and Sundays during Winterlude and connects from downtown Ottawa to Snowflake Kingdom (Jacques-Cartier Park) (10am to 5:30pm) and from downtown to Dows Lake (10am to 8:00pm) and the pass is good all day.
  • There are Chalets (or warm-up huts) all along the Rideau Canal Skateway. This is where you can put on your skates, or simply pop in to warm up for a while. Some people leave their boots behind, but most people throw them in a backpack and take them with.
  • There’s nothing more Canadian than standing in your skates with a BeaverTail in one hand and a hot chocolate in the other, on the Rideau Canal Skateway. Take a photo or upload a video to YouTube!
  • Most women in Ottawa arrive at parties with a shoe bag. You wear your boots to get to where you’re going, then you slip on your knock-’em-dead pumps once you’re there. Practical and sexy!

Anything I’ve forgotten? Weigh in below with a comment!

Affordable Family Day fun at Ottawa Senators Skills Competition

7 Jan

The Sens Skills competition won't look like the real game above, but it's still a heck of a lot of fun!

Looking for a fun family outing in Ottawa? Check out the annual Ottawa Senators Skills competition, to be held on Family Day, Monday, February 21, 2011 at Scotiabank Place.

“Sens Skills” sees the players compete in the following categories: puck control relay; fastest skater; hardest shot; accuracy shooting; power-play challenge; and breakaway shootout.

Besides the Senators players, there will be 10 minor hockey skaters and two goaltenders from the Ottawa region on the ice. The event has a fun ambiance, with plenty of teasing and ongoing commentary.

And best of all, the tickets are quite affordable, at $15, $12 and $8 (advance sales), available from www.CapitalTickets.ca, by phone at 613-599-FANS (3267) or 1-877-788-FANS (3267); in person at The Sens Store at Rideau Centre and Place d’Orleans; at any Ottawa Sports Experts location; Les Galeries de Hull and at the Scotiabank Place box office.

Even more New Year’s options

22 Dec

I’ve blogged a couple times — here and here – about Christmas and New Year’s activities in the Ottawa region. More and more area establishments are finally posting their menus or their plans for New Year’s Eve, so here’s an update:

  • The Heart & Crown's outdoor patio is great in the summer, but you'll want to be inside listening to the live bands on New Year's Eve!

    The Heart & Crown (part of a larger collection of establishments known as the Irish Village) is an iconic Irish pub in the ByWard Market neighbourhood, with two stages for live music — one featuring Evolver, the other Monday’s Grace.

  • Barrymore’s on Bank Street in downtown Ottawa is hosting a New Year’s Eve bash with DJ Perv, starting at $25.
  • If you’ve never seen the Duelling Pianos at Fat Tuesday’s in the ByWard Market, you don’t know what you’re missing! Dave Kalil and Tyler Kealey play old and new favourites and everyone sings along! Great Cajun and Creole food just make it that much more interesting!
  • Lago Bar/Grill/View, with its beautiful view of Dows Lake, offers dinner and dancing in a fun atmosphere. See-and-be-seen!
  • Foodies will love Chef Michael Hay’s five-course tasting menu in the stone-walled Courtyard Restaurant in the ByWard Market. There are both early and late seatings, at $65 per person. A New Year’s Brunch is served on both January 1 and January 2.
  • D’Arcy McGee’s Irish Pub has several locations in Ottawa, but the downtown flagship at Sparks Street at Elgin Street, is featuring Dustin Jones & the Rising Tide, who promise “Drinking Music you can dance to!” $25 per person includes champagne at midnight, party favours, late night sweets & sandwich buffet and the live band!

  • This dessert sampler came from an earlier meal at ZenKitchen but they've got equally good things on tap for New Year's Eve!

    More foodie fun awaits at ZenKitchen in Ottawa’s Chinatown, with both a smaller 4-course early seating ($55) and 6-course late seating ($75). Why not start the year off right with a delicious, healthy meal?

  • Stella Osteria in the ByWard Market also offers early ($65) and late ($80) seatings.

Happy New Year everyone!

Great Canadian Chill raises money Jan. 1 to fight children’s cancer

20 Dec

Looking for a little adventure to start off 2011? The Sears Great Canadian Chill is a brand new event, to take place on Saturday, January 1, 2011 at Britannia Beach along the Ottawa River in the city’s west end.

You can help welcome in the New Year by raising money to stop kids’ cancer COLD!

Solicit pledges and friends to cheer you on, then take a running plunge into the icy waters of the Ottawa River. What a way to start the year!

This is a new event, scheduled for Ottawa and Toronto in 2011 and more Canadian cities in the future. It’s sure to become a great annual event so why not check out its inaugural run?

Registration takes place at 12:00 noon on New Year’s Day and the plunge itself is at 1:30pm. Don’t forget the costume contest — have fun with it!

The money raised will benefit the Sears Foundation, which funds 17 oncology centers both provincially and nationally. All donations and pledges of $20 or more are eligible for tax receipts which will be emailed or mailed to you within two weeks of when your donation is made online or in-person, respectively.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.