With the warm weather, outdoor activities, guided tours and popular Ottawa family attractions, Canada\u2019s capital is the perfect summer destination. Use this guide below to plan your own fun getaway or staycation with the whole family in the Ottawa region this August long weekend!\u00a0<\/p>\n
August long weekend ideas for families who love the outdoors\u00a0<\/p>\n
Accommodation options in the Ottawa area range from historic hotels to budget-friendly motels. Explore where to stay<\/a> for all the options and to take advantage of any promotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Head to parks<\/a> within the city centre to take a summer stroll or have a picnic with a perfect backdrop of Parliament Hill or the castle-like Fairmont Ch\u00e2teau Laurier. Or explore the stunning landscapes just outside the urban core, including forests, wetlands and farms located throughout the nearby protected lands. National Capital Greenbelt offers plenty of outdoor activity options<\/a> in the summer including walking, cycling and birdwatching.\u00a0<\/p>\n August long weekend ideas for adventurous families\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Bond as a family over adventurous activities<\/a>. If the kids weigh at least 35 kilograms (70 pounds), they (and you) can ride the world\u2019s first interprovincial zipline! Interzip<\/a> takes you soaring over the Ottawa River between downtown Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Qu\u00e9bec, with a view of Parliament Hill along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n Keep the adrenaline pumping at adventure centres within 30 minutes\u2019 drive from downtown Ottawa. At Arbraska Lafl\u00e8che<\/a>, you can zipline through the forest, explore the caves or embark on a hike. Camp Fortune<\/a> also offers an incredible zipline adventure, fun aerial park activities and hiking, plus mountain biking and a thrilling mountain pipe coaster (kids of a certain size can ride with an adult).\u00a0<\/p>\n Drive or hike through forests of bright deciduous trees, green conifers and rugged hills in Gatineau Park<\/a>. The park\u2019s main entrance \u2014 just 15 minutes\u2019 drive from downtown Ottawa \u2014 makes it the region\u2019s most popular summer destination. For the best experience (and smaller crowds), venture farther inside the 361-kilometre (almost 90,000-acre) conservation park and visit during off-peak hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wind down by pedal boating your way through a water maze surrounded by lush foliage at \u00c9co-Odyss\u00e9e<\/a>. Kids will love discovering species of flora and fauna while navigating the twists and turns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reward yourselves after a big adventure with some of the Ottawa region\u2019s frozen treats<\/a>. Everyone loves decorated sweets and warm beverages, and adults can indulge in tasty seasonal craft beers, ciders or cocktails.\u00a0<\/p>\n August long weekend ideas for families with young children\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Did you know that Ottawa is home to seven of Canada\u2019s nine national museums, as well as historic sites and other cultural gems?\u00a0<\/p>\n You can find the Canadian Children\u2019s Museum inside of the Canadian Museum of History. With so many interactive opportunities for you children to play and learn, they\u2019ll never want to leave! Another fan favourite is the Diefenbunker: Canada\u2019s Cold War Museum and home to the world\u2019s largest escape room \u2014 75 feet underground! Check out Ottawa\u2019s seven national museums<\/a>, including farm animals, airplanes, technology, nature, history and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n If animals are a family favourite, visit Valleyview Little Animal Farm<\/a> for other creatures and kids activities. Round it out with a self-driven Canadian safari at Parc Omega<\/a> \u2014 a giant wildlife and culture park located just 45 minutes away in Montebello, Quebec. Keep an eye out for moose, elk, bison, wolves and bears!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the warm weather, outdoor activities, guided tours and popular Ottawa family attractions, Canada\u2019s capital is the perfect…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":843953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[49,48,20739],"class_list":["post-843952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-ottawa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=843952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/843953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=843952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=843952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=843952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}