Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

Act like a local For starters, head to the downtown ByWard Market where you can taste the famous BeaverTail pastries before you head off to skate on the Rideau Canal. Most visitors want to try and cover the entire eightkilometre run, and end up stopping for hot chocolate or more BeaverTails along the way. If it's a sunny day on a weekend, the foot and skate traffic will be overwhelming. Everyone (and their dog) will be out for some fresh air. Locals pray for cold weather. Pressed for time? Head to the outdoor Rink of Dreams at Ottawa's City Hall at the corner of Laurier Avenue and Elgin Street. If you're in Ottawa for Winterlude (January 31–February 17), you'll be very close to some cool activities at Confederation Park (a.k.a. the Crystal Garden), which overlooks the Rideau Canal and is well-known for its international ice-sculpting competition. It's a popular place after sunset when DJs spin tunes late into the night. If you're without kids, you might consider a walk down Elgin Street, Ottawa's equivalent of the "Main." And walking is not a bad idea as finding a parking spot is almost impossible. Classic winter activities Skate the historic Rideau Canal, the world's largest naturally frozen skating rink. Ottawa Tourism If you are with children, keep those snow pants on and head over to the Snowflake Kingdom across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Québec, where another snow sculpture competition takes place. Don't worry; snow is hauled in every year just in case Mother Nature doesn't provide enough. Snow mazes and ice slides depend on it. Or you might want to head off to Québec's Lac McGregor, just 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa, where Alaskan and Siberian huskies will take you dogsledding. In nearby Gatineau Park, where both downhill and cross-country ski trails are available, you can also try snowshoeing. Even more intriguing, you can do it at night from January 23 to March 6. Serious downhill skiing is available at Camp Fortune, just 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa, where Mont Cascades and Edelweiss offer great beginner and intermediate runs. Why not top off all of these exhilarating outdoor activities with a stop at a Scandinavian spa? It just so happens the largest such spa in North America is in Chelsea, Québec, at the epicentre of all the activities I've just described. Never visited a Nordic spa? Immersing your body in near-freezing water after spending 10 to 15 minutes in a hot sauna may be the most relaxing experience going. And at the Nordik Spa's new Källa pool you can float in an indoor Epsom salt pool as if you were in the Dead Sea. The Ontario side also offers classic winter activities. In Vanier, a community near downtown Ottawa, there is a Maple Sugar Festival from March 31 to April 4, however the real thing happens at Fulton's Pancake House & Sugar Bush in Pakenham, Ontario, some 40 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Although the spring maple syrup season is unpredictable, you can indulge in maple syrup here throughout the winter from February 15 until the Easter weekend. Fourth-generation owner Shirley Fulton-Deugo will introduce you to her pure maple products, gourmet foods, and bath and body products used in spas across Ontario. On site, there are also the horse-drawn sleigh rides and trails along which you can walk, snowshoe or cross-country ski. Nearby Pakenham features its own beginner downhill ski area as well as cross-country trails. Wi n t e r 2 0 1 3 / 1 4 85

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