We had my daughter's 10th birthday party here in September and she loved it. The wow factor was…read moregreat, everyone loved it. It felt like renting out a club, the girls were very excited. Karaoke is the main draw of course, but the room is also set up great for parties with lots of couches and areas to set up for doing presents and games and stuff. The staff was super accommodating and let the girls use the microphones to do play mafia and call bingo as well. Great spot, hidden gem, highly recommend if you're out of ideas for a birthday party!

friendly accommodating and creative staff in a beautiful modern venue. ability to bring food for…read morethe occasion and make some themes according to your needs. great experience here, affordable and highly recommended, Sandra K

Great venue. I recently attended a wedding there and really enjoyed myself. The food was good…read more Staff were polite and amazing, and we were able to celebrate with the newly weds until the next day! The setup was beautiful as well. Kudos to management and team! I was highly impressed!

One of these days I actually WILL get in to try the cafe. But darn it - I'll have to try that again…read morebefore 2:30 pm! We were about 45 minutes too late for this today, as we were looking for a coffee date together. Meanwhile, I've got to say that this is a great big facility; bright and clean, except I can't speak for the cafe coz I missed it again! The garden centre is open till 5:00 but the cafe closes at 2:30. They do cater weddings, and as a result this facility is more upscale; expect to pay over $30 per person. They will provide the staff, linens, and food of your choice. I will keep trying to get to the cafe for breakfast or lunch, and re-evaluate the experience once I am able to do that.

We had our small wedding at the Orange Art Gallery and the venue was perfect.  The art on the walls…read moreadded a very nice dimension and the character of the building and terrace were enchanting.  The bar was flexible in meeting our desire of showcasing Canadian craft beer, wine and liquor and the bartenders were, as several guests commented, extremely nice and friendly yet professional and mixing a mean drink. Art on the walls also provided spectacular and unexpected backdrop for some of our best wedding photos.    We recommend Orange Art Gallery for small to medium weddings and other functions.

We were in Ottawa to attend a small wedding and this gallery was the venue. It was very charming…read moreand we enjoyed viewing the art as we mingled with other guests over champagne. If you are in the neighbourhood it is an interesting spot.

The Observatory is run by the Algonquin Students' Association. I've been here once before for an…read moreevent where they had Perez Hilton come in, talk on stage, and sign autographs. A bunch of wooden chairs were set up facing the stage, and Perez gossiped about celebrities for an hour or so, told us how he got to be a famous blogger, answered some questions, signed t-shirts, and dropped as many F-bombs as he possibly could. The bouncers were a little too serious for the nature of the event and the guest of honour. You'd think that they'd lighten up a little considering it was Perez Hilton talking and not a concert or anything, but at least they made sure to keep everything safe and fight-free. Food and alcohol are offered at the Observatory. They are fully licensed and offer Starbucks coffee and a decent selection of sandwiches, salads, pizza, pub-fare, and breakfast, all for affordable prices. For those of you that are Algonquin College students, you can use your meal plan here. They also have couches, TVs, and pool tables if you want to hang out and/or study. It's also available for private rentals when it's not being used for other events. To contact the Observatory directly, here is their information via the website: Paul Norman, The Observatory Manager (613) 727-4723 ext. 5327 or by e-mail at normanp1@algonquincollege.com

I've eaten here three times now, and maybe it's the oil they use to cook their food or something…read moreelse but every time I've stopped by the observatory for food I've been sick right after. I usually get their chicken strips with fries, and it NEVER sits well with me. Sure, they taste good, but after twenty minutes I'm running to the washroom to toss it back up. A friend of mine has had their wrap and quesadillas and even she agrees that there's just something about the food that doesn't sit right in one's stomach. Overall, it's a really nice restaurant space - the fireplace is a nice, cozy touch. The food, however, leaves a bit to be desired. Prices are decent though, and they accept student meal plan, which is why I'm not giving them 1 star out of five.

Ottawa is so lucky to have this facility. Located in the Riverside area near Billings Bridge it's…read moregot an unreal amount of stuff happening at all times of the year. Under their umbrella, there's a ton of fitness centres and wellness programs (like the Nepean Tennis Club!) under their "lifefit" heading. I had my first experience here in a summer camp when I was young, and then at a volleyball camp as a teen. As an adult, I appreciate all the clubs and sport leagues available. They also do training courses like CPR and First Aid, and have specialty classes like Fine Art which is cool. Their facility is a big one, and there's a ton to learn and see, so take your time and soak it all in. I'm a big advocate of checking out their website to see what might be of interest to your fine self. You can get an individual or family membership, and there's a lot of options, so if you get confused, maybe go in for a chat. The FieldHouse Bar and Grill is also a part of the centre and serves up breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks and drinks. There's also a sports shop that sells fitness gear like clothing, tennis rackets and they offer restringing which is helpful. They also have banquet and special event services as well as a massage and physiotherapy clinic! If you're looking to get active or make some new friends, this is an awesome place to check out. Also great for kids - they have a massive summer program!

I've never used the sports facilities here, but I really enjoy this location for conferences and…read moremeetings. They have multiple rooms that can be used for a number of different events. The lobby is nice and welcoming and the signage is very helpful to get the guests to where they need to be in the building. The food the catering staff creates is top quality and their event staff must be on point as I've never attended an event where anything went wrong from the venue's perspective. They recently added a temporary extension off the front. I'm not sure what this building houses. It includes an enclosed walkway from the main building to the new temporary building. That walkway is a bit awkwardly placed and makes cab drop-offs and pick-ups somewhat difficult. It's not possible to see the full driveway and getting passed the temporary walkway is a bit of a squeeze in order to get to the cab drop-off/pick-up. But with all new things come a few bumps, so I'm sure they'll figure this out quickly.

Trail racing in Canada and Ottawa specifically is certainly one the summer season's fastest growing…read moresports. For a long time most of us assumed that running was healthy for you. Arguably it still is, but there are many definite drawbacks to straightforward road running. But as Irene Davis, director with the Harvard-affiliated Spaulding National Running Center (SNRC) says "It doesn't sound right that approximately 79 percent of runners get injured inside a given year, whenever we're doing something we're built to do," The truth is that most of us run with improper running form. If you've read "Born to own" by Christopher McDougall then you definitely know that he blames modern running sneakers and recommends time for a barefoot type of running. Nevertheless the year his book arrived, running injury sky-rocketed. The idea of running barefoot is when your running form hurts the feet, your body will first adjust along with your form will improve. Unfortunately, many individuals got injured BEFORE their form improved. To ensure "the initial challenge with road running, regardless of whether you run in shoes or without, the odds are that you simply" get an accident. More problems with road running is basically that you are running traveling! What are you sharing the road with? Cars... Along with what are the type cars producing? Noxious emissions. What are you inhaling deeply to your lungs and spreading during your body? Those toxins which are being spewed from the tailpipes coming from all those cars. Personally though, the biggest problem We've with road running is that I recently believe it is boring. Every step is equivalent to the past and there's practically no mental stimulation. And this is where trail running, trail racing along with the Mad Trapper appear in. Trail running comes about over a much softer and more forgiving surface than asphalt and concrete roadways. Certainly there's a chance of twisting and ankle or stumbling and skinning your knee. With road running the location where the more you operate, the greater your chances will face injury. Though trail running, the harder you run, the better you obtain at it as well as the LESS vulnerable to injury you are. Every time I've ever trained on an Ironman (which required training and running traveling) We've enjoyed a knee injury which includes put me away from commission for weeks as well as months. But I've been running trails for more than twenty five years and i also've never experienced an injury which has kept me over trail for over a day. When you're running around the trails, inside the woods, what emissions do you think you're inhaling then? The emissions from all the plants that surround you. Naturally, those emissions are pure OXYGEN! When running on the trails, I additionally find my mind is usually engaged. We are always plotting me second step and figuring how I am going to complete the subsequent section as effortlessly as you can. Additionally, there are few trails that don't involve some degree of elevation change. So you've the ability to exercise more muscles diversely. Whereas road running requires no core muscles in any respect, with trail running and racing, your core is obviously engaged. Unlike road running, I seriously enjoy myself when out running around the trails. Trail running is actually fun. Should you haven't completed it yet, look for a nearby trail as quickly as possible and try it out.

so after a recommendation from a nice french speaking canoe maker we were directed to the ark to…read morerent a canoe for our weekend fishing, swimming and sleeping under the stars at the gatineau river and lac-du-31-milles. we were pretty unconvinced we were ever going to find this place after clinking down about 15 miles of gravel road in our rented chevy impala (ghetto-fab), but somehow managed to make it. from the giant fushia double happiness cutout i could tell that mike was hosting one of those weird chinese-fusion weddings, and lo and behold the tables were labeled with exotic chinese power animals like "tiger" and "swan." anyway, i don't think you'll find a better place to find an affordable canoe to take around the beautiful lakes in the area, so i give it a recommend. and if their canoe rental is any indication of their weddings/events i'm sure they're excellent as well.

Spent a very lovely afternoon at this vineyard recently. I love that they have covered seating so…read moreyou can avoid the sun if you burn easily like I do. We had a lovely outdoor sofa under the tent towards the back. The flights were excellent, and I enjoyed that you could mix and match for $12 for 3 3oz pours. What an incredible deal! I didn't realize that Ottawa even had a winery. The food menu was excellent. We had the bruschetta, which was wonderful, the strawberry salad, and finished with a pizza. What an excellent way to spend an open day. Cannot wait to visit this spot again!

Love this vineyard. And sitting in the big Adirondack red chairs…read more Most northerly vineyard in Canada? Or Ontario. Something like that. Never enough staff. But friendly. Wine very $$$. But decent. I always leave with at least one bottle after sharing a small flight. My fave is the German one. Don't ask me to spell it. Lol. I'll take a pic of it. Big tent for rainy days on site. Gets an extra point for being dog friendly. Food/kitchen has changed and the menu is more varied. Lots of parking in the lot. I would recommend to anyone and while in Carp there is a lot of other cute places to see there too!

Dow's Lake is a man-made lake on the Rideau Canal. It's the site of many fun activities and there…read moreare several restaurants there with beautiful views of the water. You can rent canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats/paddle boats in the summer. In May there's the Tulip Festival which is technically in Commissioner's Park, but this park surrounds Dow's Lake. In the winter when the lake freezes over, you can skate on it, and it's connected to the Rideau Canal, so you can skate for a pretty good distance. There are 3 restaurants at Dow's Lake. Over the years they have changed, but currently the restaurants are Lago, Umbrella Bar, and Mexi's (aka Mexicali Rosa's). There's a paid parking lot nearby ($3.50 per 30 minutes up to a maximum of $14), or street parking ($0.25 per 6 minutes) a bit further away, or free parking on residential streets in neighbouring Little Italy (3 hour limit as per by-laws).

Dow's Lake Pavilion is a short distance away from the airport and Ottawa's downtown core. I like…read morethat you can escape from your daily routine to this picturesque area without doing a road trip. There are canoes and pedal boats that you can rent. You are required to sign a waiver, wear a life jacket, and put down a $20 deposit. You can use cash, and debit and credit cards, except for American Express. Sadly, Amex doesn't seem to be as widely accepted as it used to be. There are lockers where you can store your belongings when you are on the water. I recommend coming with what you truly need. I parked in the lot across from the Pavilion. Parking is $3.50 for 30 minutes, to a maximum of $14. I paid by credit card, which was great. I didn't risk parking on the street, but I know that I can now. It's cheaper that way, but you do have to be cognizant of the time. You can also dine here after a fun time out on the water. We ate at Mexi's. You have the option of dining in the restaurant or sitting out on the patio. I missed the tulip festival. Perhaps I'll plan my vacation and take them in next time. (254)

What a beautiful place! Hali talked with us and showed us around her property. This venue is huge!…read moreIt's got a groom room, a bridal sanctuary, a beautiful picture area next to an old stone wall, gardens, parking area and a long stone path to a giant tent. Hali was so easy to talk to, she wasn't pushy or stuck up like some of the other vendors we looked at. She even made my groom at ease... and he hates people, lol. Anyway, she had a few packages to choose from, you can even customize them! I thought that was pretty cool, i also thought it was cool she took payments, or other arrangements. Hali knew so much, and, she's a papered wedding specialist. So, she offers this part of a package that offers jewelry for your bridesmaids, and they get to take them home after as gifts. Omg!! They're Swarovski crystals! They are the most beautiful colors. She has a few samples there so you can see her work. She offers hair, makeup, catering, planning and backup/interferance (lol), bar, d.j. or other artist, and a whole bunch of other things. Our wedding went off with out a hitch, i think. Hali made it happen and that's what i know! Our guests were so happy with the place, the lights, that big beautiful tent! We had the ceremony, pictures and reception there. Hali hand made a gift for us, it was so nice, it's an antique painted window! Just like the name of her venue! The price was very reasonable we found, but basically, we really liked hali and her place.

From the owner: Beautiful outdoor tented wedding venue !read more