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All Canada Ontario Ottawa

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Ottawa

16 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Ottawa, Ontario

Updated March 31, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Ottawa

Ottawa, Ontario

The Diefenbunker

Canada's subterranean Cold War museum has doubled as a movie set.
Maman

Ottawa, Ontario

'Maman'

Louise Bourgeois' 30-foot-tall steel spider sculpture.
Ottawa Jail Hostel. (Wikimedia Commons)

Ottawa, Ontario

Ottawa Jail Hostel

This inexpensive lodging house was once a prison notorious for its inhumane practices.
Sunset sky reflected in the water.

Ottawa, Ontario

Mer Bleue Bog

A boardwalk winds above this beautiful bog full of wildlife and a rare type of turtle.
Château Laurier, looking like a European castle.

Ottawa, Ontario

Château Laurier

The mastermind behind this palatial hotel perished on the Titanic weeks before its grand opening.
Central Experimental Farm with the city of Ottawa in the background.

Ottawa, Ontario

Central Experimental Farm

A sprawling Victorian farm that has been surrounded by a capital city is one of Canada's greatest treasures.
Family of mammoth replicas.

Ottawa, Ontario

Dinosaur Crossing Signs and Statues

These prehistoric replicas were based on actual skeletal remains.
Lock at Hogs Back

Ottawa, Ontario

Hogs Back Lockstation

These locks on North America’s oldest canal are named after a porcine rock formation.
See All 16 Things To Do in Ottawa

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Ottawa

Equipment for making maple syrup.

Ottawa, Ontario

Vanier Sugar Shack

Watch maple syrup being made without ever leaving the city.
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Explore Ottawa, Ontario

Monuments 2
Memorials 2
Intriguing Environs 2
Ecosystems 2

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Stories About Ottawa

Because of their exoskeletons, insects can remain in a collection for hundreds of years if they're well cared for.

A Massive Collection of Dead Insects Lives Inside Filing Cabinets in a Canadian Office

Growing since 1886, this taxonomic library is among the largest insect repositories in the world.
by Marc Fawcett-Atkinson
November 25, 2020
One of the courses at Atelier's drive-through: tuna tataki.

This Restaurant Pivoted From Molecular Gastronomy to a 5-Course Drive-Through

A server squeegees the window, too.
by Darcy Rhyno
June 26, 2020

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