Canada’s capital, Ottawa, boasts a plethora of family-friendly attractions, activities and small-town fun. This urban oasis offers countryside scenery and vast landscape for outdoor exploration, as well as a fun cityscape — perfect for a family trip this spring.
Stay in the city and enjoy the endless options for dining, shopping and sightseeing. Be sure to rent a car so your family can catch the tail end of maple syrup season in and around the city. Enjoy nature’s bounty during the best festivals and seasonal celebrations the city has to offer.
Celebrate the season of syrup at Omega Park just 45 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Located in Montebello, Quebec, the large park brims with wildlife and family-centric attractions.
Immerse yourselves in local history and tradition with live music, chainsaw wood carvings, various maple-themed demonstrations and wagon rides with maple taffy and sugary treats, Thursdays–Sundays, through Easter. Meet local animals and keep your eyes peeled for wildlife around the park.
© Ian Wilson | Dreamstime.com
Plan your family trip during the Lanark County Maple Weekend for the full maple experience. The weekend, April 7–8, hosts sugar-making demonstrations, pancake breakfasts, sugar bush trail tours, sleigh rides and a wide variety or traditional treats and events.
Need more of a sugar high? Head to Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush in Pakenham, Ontario. Just less than an hour west of downtown Ottawa, the family-run establishment is worth the trip. Enjoy a traditional sugar bush experience with an authentic, home-cooked meal and inside peek at the backroom operations.
Hop on a horse-drawn sleigh through the forest and complete your classically Canadian afternoon. If you’re too full for more sugar, purchase some spa products for later in the Maple Shop — open through April 15.
Sink into a booth at Flapjack’s Canadian Diner and feel like a local. No rush to make the season cutoff at Flapjack’s, since it’s always maple syrup season at this beloved diner. Enjoy milkshakes, bacon pancakes and any homemade pancake sandwich you can get your hands on — you won’t be disappointed.
Finally, unwind after the long trip of eating, observing maple traditions and riding through the forest with a relaxing treatment at Holtz Spa. Opt for the Maple Treatment and enjoy the healing antioxidants and rich mineral naturally found in maple syrup. You’ll feel — and smell — amazing.
Read This Next
Halloween in Williamsburg, Virginia
Destinations / North America
Sep 22, 2026#WhereverFamily
Insta FeedOceania
Sep 16, 2026InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort Announces 2026 Festive Program
Ring in the holidays in paradise with InterContinental Maldives Maamunagu Resort’s most immersive festive programming yet. Inspired by the surrounding Indian Ocean, these events are themed 12 Pearls of the Ocean, an elegant journey inviting guests to discover a new treasure each day. From Dec. 20, 2026 to Jan. 7, 2027, the 12-day celebration transforms the resort into a stage for live music, Champagne parties, family adventures, wellness rituals and culinary delights.
Sponsored Content
Best of Both Worlds
Enjoy the best of both worlds when you fly with TAP Air Portugal thanks to the Portugal Stopover program. With the program, TAP passengers, whether traveling for business, leisure or both, can stop in Portugal for up to 10 days at no additional airfare on the way to their final destination. What does this mean for travelers wishing to explore by both land and sea? It means after flying to Portugal with TAP and experiencing the country in an entirely new way, travelers can then embark on scenic river and ocean cruises from Portugal’s port cities, or fly with TAP to another European destination.
Cruising
Sep 15, 2026Young Explorers Experience the Arctic with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offers something for every traveler, even the youngest ones with its Young Explorers program. Rather than traditional lessons, the program encourages children to explore, ask questions and make their own discoveries. For example, on voyages to destinations like Iceland, Svalbard and Greenland, young guests experience the Arctic through Zodiac rides, shore excursions, wildlife encounters and hands-on learning. Experienced expedition experts, including glaciologist Benjamin Schröter, accompany Young Explorers and help brings subjects, such as oceans, glaciers and polar ecosystems, to life.
Hotels
Sep 15, 2026Club Wyndham Welcomes Families for Fall Travel
Just because summer is nearly over doesn’t mean family travelers can’t pack up and explore a new destination. In fact, a Club Wyndham study recently found nearly eight in 10 parents feel like they’re running out of time to travel with their kids, and 80 percent of parents wish they had taken more vacations with their children.
Sponsored Content
GET TO KNOW TAP FORBIZ
Unlock flexible, refined business travel with TAP Air Portugal’s program, TAP FORBIZ. Developed for small, medium and large Companies, with options for corporate events, TAP FORBIZ offers exclusive advantages adapted to each type of business.
Hotels
Sep 14, 2026Bahia Principe Launches Happiness Sale
Families and multigen travelers looking to get a trip on the books this autumn can take advantage of the new Bahia Principe Happiness Sale, offering savings up to 50 percent at Bahia Principe properties. Available to book until Sept. 17, this offer complements free stays for the travelers’ first child at properties in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
ShareThis