Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA Great performances also happen at festivals such as Winterlude, the Canadian Tulip Festival, the Ottawa Children's Festival, the Festival franco-ontarien Banque Nationale, the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, RBC Bluesfest, Ottawa Chamberfest and CityFolk ( www.ottawa tourism.ca/en/visitors/what-to-do/ festival-and-events ). AN HISTORIC WATERWAY A number of Ottawa's festivals have prime locations overlooking Ottawa's UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal. The canal, which winds 202 km (125 mi.) from Ottawa to Kingston, was originally built for military reasons but was never used for those purposes. Today, the canal and its adjacent paths attract boaters, strollers, joggers, cyclists and skaters, and a new 99-passenger electric boat will offer tours in summer. BORN TO SHOP Downtown, the Rideau Centre mall is undergoing a $360-million expansion, which brought Nordstrom to the city in 2015 and this year will see the opening of a branch of Simons, a popular Québec fashion retailer. Recently redeveloped Lansdowne Park features retailers, restaurants, a year-round farmers' market, a 7.3-ha (18-acre) park, a 10-screen movie theatre and a newly renovated stadium/hockey arena. At Tanger Outlets in Ottawa's western suburbs, fashion lovers can check out roughly 70 retailers, including Michael Kors, Coach, GUESS, Cole Haan and Lucky Brand Jeans. Throughout the city, you can discover unique local shops and, in several cases, farmers' markets, in village-like neighbour- hoods such as the ByWard Market, The Glebe, Wellington West and Westboro. Within an hour's drive of the city, charming towns and villages such as Wakefi eld, Vankleek Hill, Merrickville and Perth brim with boutiques, many housed in heritage buildings. CanaDa DaY • nCC-CCn