Description
Things to do in Ottawa, the Ottawa MINI Scavenger Hunt is a 3.2 km / 2.0 mi self-guided walking tour with challenges along the way. It should take 3 hours to complete, and ends at the start location.
We tested Ottawa mini tour in May 2025.
On your Ottawa scavenger hunt, you will see:
- Rideau Canal
- Château Laurier
- ByWard Market
- Parliament Hill
- Canadian War Memorial
- Confederation Park
- Sparks Street
- Bank of Canada Museum
- Supreme Court of Canada
- and much more
We have visited Ottawa on several occasions since the 1990s.
This scavenger hunt has a difficulty level of EASY.
The ideal group size is between 2 and 6 people – but is not restricted to this. Children are welcome and will enjoy most of the challenges.
Attention: many areas of this scavenger hunt are not easily accessible in winter.
After purchase, to begin your Ottawa MINI Scavenger Hunt, you will need to head to the Government Conference Center / Canadian Senate, 2 rue Rideau, Ottawa, ON, K1N 8X5, across the street from the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel. This is the start location.
Once there, log in to this website and begin your hunt, or go to My Account for instructions.
Alternatively, you can access “My Account” and follow the instructions there.
Never hesitate to contact us if you experience any difficulties.
Ancient History
Ottawa is in Ontario, on the south shore of the Ottawa River, facing Gatineau, which is in Quebec.
The Outaouais nation occupied this region for a long time before the French arrived. The Algonquin (their language) term for this region is Odawa, where the name of the city comes from. The Ottawa River, called Kichi Sibi by the Algonquins, which means “big river”.
The first European settlement here is a farmer named Philemon Wright, from Massachusetts, dating back to 1800, on the Quebec side of the river. He hauled wood logs from Ottawa to Montreal on the river. This industry increased the number of settlers.
During the War of 1812, Lieutenant-Colonel John By settled on the hill overlooking the river to oversee the construction of the Rideau Canal. He built a hospital and several military barracks. In 1800, there were already about 1000 settlers, the village took the name of its founder. Bytown is fast becoming a center for the wood industry.
Recent Ottawa History
The founding of Ottawa came about in 1826 during the construction of the Rideau Canal. In 1857, the site was chosen by Queen Victoria to host the new capital of the province of Canada (a province of the British Empire at the time). It is mainly because it resides on the border of Upper and Lower Canada, and resolves the conflict between the cities of Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, and Kingston, which are vying for the permanent title.
In 1959, Ottawa became the capital of the Canadian Confederation, under the British Parliament and Monarchy. On July 1st, 1867, it became the capital of the sovereign country of Canada, which only has links to the British Monarchy, but no longer to the British Government. All of its principal federal institutions, including Parliament, the residences of the Governor General (the British Crown’s representative), and the Prime Minister of Canada, are located there.
In 1916, a major fire burned down most of the parliament, except for the library, which is located at the back. Reconstruction was completed in 1920.
Ottawa now has more than 900,000 inhabitants and is the fourth-largest city in Canada. Its metropolitan area has more than 1.2 million inhabitants, spread over Ontario and Quebec. 34% of the population is bilingual (French and English) in Ottawa.
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