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    National Arts Centre

    4.1 (30 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Marie N.

    Saw Francis Cabrel here What an amazing concert! Parking was 11 bucks Easy in and out a little hard to find the parking deck though Great sound Comfy seats And Francis was amazing!

    Nico Samneil S.

    The glasses illuminates current issues of the society. Beautiful. Looks like it is a free entrance. People just came in and out without any tickets on hand

    Aimee B.

    5 stars out of 5 for: -well, to date, I've been impressed with the shows that have come to NAC - that, I have seen (from English Theatre to dance to orchestra to musicals over the years living in Ottawa) -this review is highly influenced by my seeing Onegin - y'all have to see it! -it's an interesting take from Pushkin's original opera; yep, it's quirky; well done music score; nicely done set design; brilliant cast! -also, come to the NAC & see the upgrades (nice digs!)

    Deirdre K.

    Thanks Live 885 for the tickets!!! My husband and I got to see Hey Rosetta tonight for our anniversary! They were fantastic! It was a sold out show and at the end everyone was on their feet singing along and dancing. Pretty cool way to celebrate being with someone for ten years! I love going to the National Arts Centre. I've seen a variety of shows from comedy acts, to large cast musicals, ballet, and rock concerts. I have yet to be disappointed. The sight lines in the various theatres are fantastic and the acoustics provide a round, even sound regardless of where you are seated. The NAC's attempts to bring in the younger generation in the past few years have been, in my opinion, quite successful. Keep bringing back bands such as Hey Rosetta, Sam Roberts Band, and Daniel Wesley, and comedic acts such as Potted Potter and the twenty somethings will come! :) P.S. I love not having to drive out to the Canadian Tire Centre.

    Amanda B.

    The National Arts Centre (NAC) is in the heart of downtown Ottawa. It's smack dab in the middle of all of the hustle and bustle - you can't miss it. It's a popular place to watch all sorts of performances, no matter what your age. You can attend dance recitals, children and family shows, comedy shows, English and French theatre, Broadway musicals, an orchestral concert, and other concerts, educational, and community events as well. I find that most of the programming consists of plays, and most of the concerts are classical or jazz. This is also the main location for elementary and high school kids to watch plays of the books they're reading in school. The halls and banquet facilities can even be rented for meetings and formal functions, and I even know a few high schools that have had their graduation ceremony here.

    Intermission
    Fauve G.

    I have been to the NAC onmany occasions and I have only good things to say about it! Dirty Dancing was what brought me here most recently - fantastic show. The pre-show and intermission drinks are a little pricey, but I can't complain about a delicious glass of Pinot Grigio during a great date night out! The staff and all employees are friendly and accommodating and are know their way around - and always help me find my seat :) I will definitely be returning!

    Ryan D.

    We went to the NAC to see the Counting Crows. It was the perfect choice for a local venue. When going to the NAC you don't have to worry about the sound, that is often hit or miss in many venues, it's always spot on. This night was no different. The C.C. sounded fantastic. This was the first time I've sat in the boxes up on the side. I usually need to get up throughout a show and these seats are perfect for that. There's only a few people per box and you can stand up without disturbing anyone and still take in the show. I was also pleased to be allowed to take a drink back with me to my seat. The only issue we had was the one ticket scanner would not work so we had to walk across to the other side of the venue to have our tickets scanned.

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    11 years ago

    Stunning wedding venue both inside and out. I LOVE weddings held on the rooftop terrace and their reception tent is amazing.

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    10 years ago

    I have a heckuva time finding parking in this place, but the shows are always top-notch. The orchestra is fantastic.

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    Review Highlights - National Arts Centre

    We were fortunate enough to see Bonnie Raitt in concert in the NAC's Southam Hall.

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    Greenbelt Riding School

    Greenbelt Riding School

    2.7(3 reviews)
    10.4 km

    In my opinion - I'm not a fan for a number of reasons, which I will try to document as tactfully as…read moreI can: The stable is sitting on a perfect piece of land, located just off the south end of Bank St, in the Greenbelt, minutes from downtown Ottawa. Unfortunately, facilities are, to my eye, run down. The arena is on the small side. It's fairly expensive to have lessons there - in part because of how they break up jump vs. flat, charging a premium for jump lessons. (It's not something I've seen before - and honestly, I don't like it - you need flat work for jumping - so... I think there's a better way to handle this.) Many aspects of the place show a lack of care (for example, tack room in the old barn needs a good cleaning). One positive aspect: I believe the owner has a knack for picking horses - so they have some wonderful school horses. This is one of the more relaxed stables as far as things go - which can result in some great experiences that you may not get at other stables. With these experiences come some increased danger. Personally I am ok with that. (It's a dangerous sport, even in the most controlled environment.) But if, as a parent, you are faint of heart, you may wish to find another stable for your darling to ride at. Would I recommend: Likely not. Would I return: Never say never - though it's unlikely at this time.

    My son had a week at Greenbelt this summer. While there, he had unsupervised access to an air…read morerifle! Someone brought it to the farm, and my son saw it and asked why the person had a gun. The person denied he had one, and went into a barn and came out without it. My son went in looking for it (he is 6). There was no one in the barn and my son and his friend saw the air rifle placed vertically on the floor, against the wall of an empty horse stall. My son picked it up and was excited to be holding a gun, showing it to his friend. There was no one in the barn when he was doing this. At some point someone did come into the barn and take it away from him. When I asked the owner about this the next day, he did not apologize, but told me that my son had gone looking for it. Of course he did - he is 6 and saw something interesting! The owner told me it was not a gun but an air rifle, laughed when I asked whether it could still do damage to a child ("of course it could" he said) and told me he took care of the situation. For anyone wondering, summer camps are unregulated in Ontario (I now know this). While their horses were wonderful creatures, and the people at the farm are great with the horses, they are not great with kids. And they run a camp for 5 year olds and up. While there were many other concerns I had with the camp (swearing in front of the kids, laughing when the kids are crying, etc.), the air rifle incident was the most egregious. My son did learn to ride, and loved the camp, and the horses, but guns at a camp and unpaid volunteers acting as counsellors with little (or no?) training on how to care for children mean that I cannot recommend this camp.

    The Gladstone Theatre - The bar

    The Gladstone Theatre

    3.8(5 reviews)
    2.5 km

    The Short Version: Small independent theatre. Has an old…read moreschool vibe. Tight seating. Weird washrooms. The Long Version: The Gladstone Theatre is an independent theatre and also a registered charity. It provides a venue for independent artists to showcase their work. The theatre is small and only seats 230 people. The seats are tiny. This comment is coming from someone who is 5'0" and 105 lbs, lol. The theatre has a classic theatre vibe to it which I found charming. The stage is not raised. So if you sit in the front row you are literally at the same level as the stage. There's a large centre section for seating and on either side against the walls there's a narrower section. We sat on the right side section and our row only had 3 seats, but the number of seats increased as you go farther away from the stage. My husband and I saw a production of A Mid-Summer Night's Dream there. It was a weekend matinee. There's a small bar that's open before the show and during intermission. They sell basic drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and some snacks like chips and candies. You can bring the drinks into the theatre but not the food. I got a can of seltzer for $4 and my husband got a bottle of ginger beer for $4. Prices are what you would expect at a theatre. The women's washroom had only 3 stalls so lineups were long. There were also huge gaps at the stall doors, where people can look in and you can look out. Weird. I didn't like it. They have a single gender neutral wheelchair accessible washroom that's a private room though (I didn't go in, but that's what the sign said). And I have no idea what the men's washroom is like. But I was not impressed with the women's washroom. There's also no on-site parking. So you have to park on the street. Most of the theatre productions my husband and I see are at Meridian Theatres (formerly Centrepointe Theatre), so I guess I'm used to free parking on-site and roomier seats. I support the local arts so I'm glad this theatre exists, but I'm uncertain if I personally will be attending many shows here in the future. Review #190 (2025)

    We went there over the Christmas break for Alice in Winterland. Have to say the show was wonderful!…read moreThe theatre itself is beautiful. Very retro. There isn't a bad seat in the house. There is a bar/snack bar out front and you can bring your purchases into the theatre. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The only downside, and it is kind of a big issue in the winter, is parking. There is no onsite parking. We parked a block over in a paid lot. Considering it was snowy and cold, it was kind of a drag to have to walk to the theatre. In nice weather parking wouldn't be an issue. On the up side, it is right off Preston with lots of choice for restaurants to dine in before or after the show. Other than parking, the place is great!

    Photos
    The Gladstone Theatre - The empty stage before the show started.

    The empty stage before the show started.

    The Gladstone Theatre - Front of the theatre

    Front of the theatre

    The Gladstone Theatre

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    National Arts Centre - theater - Updated May 2026

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