Ottawa travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The Museum is located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, at the Rideau Canal locks between Parliament Hill and the Chateau Laurier – one of the most picturesque sites in the city. It takes 20-30 minutes to tour the small building, which houses artifacts from the 1830s construction of the canal. The Bytown Museum is housed in Ottawa’s oldest stone building, the Commissariat of Lt. Colonel John By, Royal Engineers. Built in 1827, the building was the treasury and a storehouse during the building of the Rideau Canal. The Museum is operated by the Historical Society of Ottawa. The Bytown Museum tells the story of Col. By, the construction of the Rideau Canal as well as the early years of the city of Ottawa.

There are over 1,500 exhibits at the museum. Explore a kitchen from 1850’s Bytown, and appreciate how people lived without electricity, electronic appliances or running water. Other exhibits include a replica of a store’s “Toy Department” and the Victorian Parlour, which was a fixture in every middle class home from the mid nineteenth century, right up until the First World War. One of the weirdest exhibits the museum has is the cast of D’Arcy McGee’s death hand.

The mandate of the Bytown Museum is to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and educate the public in regards to the growth and development of Bytown, the City of Ottawa, Canada, and its environs from the founding of Bytown to 1918. The museum’s collection of over 7,000 artifacts includes some singularly important pieces. The stone work throughout this area is original, from the crypt construction of the larger 1872 Church. It was re-pointed and cleaned. Prior to its restoration for the Columbarium it had been covered with a lathe plaster, and a wainscot. The late Victorian Writing Desk located in the niche is a gift to the Columbarium from friends of the late Roberta Tilton, founder of the Women’s Auxiliary. It was the desk where all her correspondence was written prior to 1885 when she started the organization.

The Peacekeeping Monument was erected on Confederation Boulevard in Ottawa. Named “Reconciliation”, the monument honours the contribution made by Canadian peacekeepers; recognizes Canada’s commitment to world peacekeeping and tells the story of Canada’s role in world peacekeeping. Since 1950 more than 112,000 Canadians have served as peacekeepers in countries such as Cyprus, Haiti, Egypt, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda. The Peacekeeping Monument, entitled Reconciliation, was commissioned by the Canadian government in 1988 when the United Nations was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 40 years of international peacekeeping.

At present, it seems to be somewhat awkwardly wedged between the views of those who see it as a memorial to Peacekeeping, as envisioned by its creators, as a monument to the wider ideas of Peace, as promulgated by the Canada 125 Committee, and as a memorial to the dead in the manner of March’s National War Memorial, as it is increasingly being viewed by peacekeeping veterans. Standing 21 metres, it represents all the Canadians who served their country. The memorial, made of granite and featuring bronze figures of Peace and Freedom, is impressive.

This special monument honours both the living and the dead, and tells a story that Canadians have every right to be proud of. Since 1948, more than 110,000 Canadian peacekeepers have served in zones of conflict around the world. In 1988, UN peacekeepers were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As this monument shows, a big part of that honour belongs to Canada. Three peacekeepers — two men and a woman — stand on two sharp, knife like edges of stone, cutting through the rubble and debris of war and converging at a high point, which symbolizes the resolution of conflict.

Nurses, pilots, soldiers and sailors all represent tales of self-sacrifice and courage. Though prominently located in the busy downtown core, this triangle of space becomes the centre of attention every November 11 at 11am, when the country marks Remembrance Day in honour of the men and women who paid the ultimate price for freedom.

The inscription on the monument is a quote from Lester B. Pearson: “We need action not only to end the fighting but to make the peace… My own government would be glad to recommend Canadian participation in such a United Nations force, a truly international peace and police force” Lester B. Pearson, November 2, 1956.

The Dominion Arboretum of Canada, in 1886 a few farms, south west of Ottawa, were set aside as the Central Experimental Farm. Soon, the Dominion Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens were established. The first 200 species of trees and shrubs were planted in the autumn of 1889. By the end of the 19th century, more than 3,000 specimens made up the scientific and research collection. A collection in the north-east corner of the Arboretum can be viewed from Prince of Wales Drive, just as you enter The Farm from Dows Lake. It contains eight species, three varieties and has a wonderful showing of flowers during the early spring.

The diversity of trees, initially planted in the Arboretum, includes specimens which are the best to demonstrate how trees meet arboriculture, horticulture, and agriculture needs.
The existing Arboretum covers approximately 26 ha of rolling land between Prince of Wales Drive and the historical Rideau Canal system. The terrain is comprised of various soil types from loam, sandy loam to clay with varying moisture levels. Because the Dominion Arboretum is north of the 45 degree latitude, it is considered to be the most northerly Arboretum on the continent and is especially useful in testing for hardiness of various plant materials.

Many trees did not survive the Ottawa climate. Many did, however, and visitors to the Arboretum today are surprised to find specimens which normally do not grow in the National Capital area. Although not presently used in an active science research program, the Arboretum collection annually is enjoyed by an estimated 175,000 visitors who experience its peace and beauty or enjoy recreating on the 26 ha site.