There’s no better place to be than Ottawa for the holidays, whether you drive outside and find the natural beauty of the season or stop by some of the season’s best festivals in the city. Here are 5 must-dos in Ottawa for the holiday season.
Pick Your Pine at Thomas Tree Farm
Take a horse-drawn sleigh across Thomas Tree Farm’s 50-acre property to harvest your own Balsam, Spruce, or Pine Christmas Tree. The farm is just a short drive outside of Ottawa in North Gower.
Shop A European Christmas Market
Modeled after the picturesque Christmas markets of countries like Switzerland and Budapest, Lansdowne Pavillion will host a European Christmas Market with food and artisan vendors scattered across rows of log cabins. The market opens November 29th for weekends through December 22nd.
Walk Through Wonderland
Alight at Night transforms Upper Canada Village – an 1860s walk-through museum just an hour south of Ottawa – into a fully lit holiday exerpeince with almost a million Christmas lights. No tree or house in the village is left unlit, and it can all be toured by foot or by sleigh.
Drive Through Decorations
Drive through a two kilometre stretch of holiday light displays at Wesley Clover Park’s Magic of Lights, running for it’s 3rd year on November 21st through January 4th.
Catch The Lighting
The National Gallery’s iconic 12 metre-high Christmas Tree is ready for another season of magic, and will be lit at the beginning of December during their annual tree lighting event.