You could not choose a better city to bring the family over the March Break!

With dozens of Museums and attractions, there is no shortage of things to do over your march break.  The Lord Elgin Hotel is in the center of all the action in Ottawa, making it the ideal place to stay while you explore the city and go on your March Break Family Adventure.   When you are not out and about exploring all there is, you can cozy up by the fireplace and play some board games (we have several on hand for you to choose from), or go for a swim in our large swimming pool and warm up in the hot tub or sauna.  It will be a wonderful break for the entire family!!

Here is just a sampling of what you can do during your Ottawa March Break.

Click here to book your Family Fun Getaway now!

Get Active (Indoors and Outdoors)

Camp Fortune

How often can you access a downhill ski center within a 15-minute drive from a major city? This is what makes Gatineau Park’s Camp Fortune, located in Chelsea, Que., so convenient – especially for Spring Break Lessons. The 3 or 4-day programs for kids aged 4 and up include a two-hour lesson and open skiing (the lift ticket is valid for the day), and full-day programs are available for kids aged 7 and up. All programming is offered on weekdays during both the Quebec and Ontario March Breaks.

Maple Syrup Fun

Maple taffy on snow, horse-drawn sleigh rides, delicious pancake breakfasts or brunch – what’s not to love about maple season? Several sugar bushes and other sites located throughout Canada’s Capital Region offer programming during the 2023 maple season, which runs from late February to early April. Check out some of our local Maple farms

Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush

Located in Pakenham, Ont., just under an hour’s drive west of downtown Ottawa, the family-run Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush offer the traditional sugar bush experience, including tours of the syrup-making operation, meals in the pancake house, and horse-drawn sleigh rides through the woods. Fulton’s also produces maple-based culinary and spa products which are sold in their Maple Shoppe (see the last item in this list to learn about maple’s health benefits).

Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm

Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm, located about 30 minutes east of downtown Ottawa in Edwards, Ont., also offers a traditional sugar bush experience, plus a petting farm and a children’s play area, and even an Easter egg hunt.

Proulx Maple & Berry Farm

Located just east of Ottawa in Cumberland, Ont., Proulx Maple & Berry Farm offers a traditional sugar bush experience as well, including weekend brunch. Take one of their guided tours to learn how maple syrup is made, visit the small animal petting farm and let the kids let loose in the play parks. Sugarbush and pancake breakfast from Feb 23 to April 19th.

Log Farm

One of the newest additions to the Ottawa maple scene is the Log Farm, a pioneer-style working farm located in the Nepean area, just west of downtown Ottawa. The site is open to visitors at different periods of the year, including the popular maple season in March and April. Meet the farm animals, enjoy taffy on snow, take a wagon ride, collect maple sap and see how syrup is made. The Log Farm also features another Canadian treat this maple season: the iconic BeaverTail pastries!

Get Cultured

Ottawa Art Gallery

The new Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) in downtown Ottawa is offering fully bilingual and hands-on creative camps during both the Ontario and Quebec March break.

Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum

Where else can your kids learn the art of espionage including disguising for cover, breaking codes, and using spy gadgets? Each day during the Ontario March Break at the Diefenbunker’s Spy Camp, (kids 7 to 12 years of age learn these new skills and more. The museum is located about 30 minutes west of downtown Ottawa in Carp, Ont. Before and after care is available.

Canadian Museum of Nature

This spring break, gather the family and enjoy the many wonderful things to see and do at the Canadian Museum of Nature.  Get up close to some amazing, live tidepool creatures in our new Pacific Discovery Tank. Be awed by our Snowy Owls, Great Horned Owl, Bald Eagle, and all our owl friends awaiting you outdoors in their special habitats. Embark upon a fun scavenger hunt, inspired by the mesmerizing art exhibition, Shadowland. Check out their March Break information here!

National Gallery of Canada

During both the Quebec and Ontario March Breaks, the National Gallery of Canada offers a range of art activities and games at the Artissimo kiosk. Or have fun and get messy at the Artissimo Studio while experimenting with clay, paint or soap carving. These hands-on family programs are included with Gallery admission. While there, don’t miss the Canadian and Indigenous galleries and special exhibits!

Canadian Museum of History

This museum has something for all ages, and the architecture alone is worth the visit!!  Check out the many exhibitions over the March Break, including the all-time favorite Children’s Museum at the Canadian Museum of History.

Canadian War Museum

Build, play, create, and learn as a family at the Canadian War Museum during the Ontario and Quebec March Breaks!

Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

From Feb 21 to March 20, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum features Winter Wimsey.  Meet our featured farm animals of the day, or lace up your skates and enjoy the fresh, wintry air on our outdoor skating rink (weather dependent). On Family Day, learn about our feathered friends — then help our backyard birds by making them a winter treat to take home. During the Quebec and Ontario school breaks, discover the science behind maple syrup…and join us in welcoming the newest members of the farm family as lambing season begins.

Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Participate in out-of-this world activities and learn about aviation and aerospace during March Break at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.  Activities are available for children of all ages and are free at the price of museum admission.

Canada Science and Technology Museum

Keeping kids’ brain cells active during March Break has never been so fun! Visit the Canada Science and Technology Museum  for fun-filled activities, experiments, and demonstrations linked to coding, engineering, neuroscience, and more. Activities are available for children of all ages and are free at the price of museum admission.

Get Wild

Omega Park

Omega Park, located in Montebello, Que. – just a 45-minute drive from downtown Ottawa – is a large wildlife park that immerses visitors in Canadian wildlife and First Nations’ history. You can take a Canadian safari any time of year through the natural habitat of animals like deer, elk, bison, caribou, and wolves. Plus, the park is offering a variety of special programming during both the Quebec and Ontario March Breaks including live demonstrations by a chainsaw wood carving artist (Thursdays to Sundays), wagon rides, maple taffy in the traditional sugar shack, farm animals in the heritage farm (daily), as well as special animation throughout the park, including musicians!

Get Locked Up

Haunted Walk of Ottawa

The cloaked guides from the Haunted Walk of Ottawa dare you to join them on their tours of the historic old Carleton County Jail and many other areas of Ottawa!

Escape Rooms

Nothing bonds a family and friends together like choosing to be locked up in a room and working together to escape! Escape attractions throughout the city like Escape Manor and Jigsaw Escape Rooms have rooms and themes that are suitable for all ages. If your kids are older, you might even be able to create your own escape by sitting back and relaxing in the lounge areas (some of which have cash bars) while your kids have a blast solving clues and attempting to break out.