Travel Guides to Canada

T he new Ottawa Convention Centre, perched like a shim- mering spaceship on the edge of the Rideau Canal, has injected a burst of excite- ment into Canada's already vibrant capital city (www.ottawatourism.ca). Cyclists pedalling past on the adjacent recreational path stop and stare at the eye-catching building, which opened in April 2011, while pedestrians on the nearby Mackenzie King Bridge reach for their cameras. A visitor walking 10 minutes in any direction from the new building can find a wealth of fascinating attractions, from the pomp of Parliament Hill and the world-class artwork of the National Gallery of Canada to great shopping in the ByWard Market and at the Rideau Centre. Ottawa and its sister city of Gatineau, directly across the Ottawa River in the province of Québec, have a combined population of just over 1.2 million peo- ple—large enough to support superb restaurants and entertainment but small enough to be manageable for visitors. Here's just a taste of the area's attrac- tions. eXcellent eXHiBitions Benefitting from Ottawa's status as Canada's capital, the National Capital Region is home to outstanding cultural institutions. At the Canadian Museum of Nature, visitors can learn about tides and see aquariums of marine creatures in the RBC Blue Water Gallery, or get up close and personal with live snails, slugs and insects in Animalium. (For those who pre- fer their animal specimens a little less lively, there are lots of stuffed specimens and carefully reconstructed skeletons, too.) Whales Tohorã, a touring exhibit from the Museum of New Zealand, will be on display from March until early September 2012. See enormous skele- tons, displays about whaling history and interactive exhibits for children, includ- ing a "build a dolphin" game and a life- sized replica of a blue whale that children can crawl through. ottaWa A capital destination By lAurA Byrne pAQuet CANADIAN TULIP FESTIVAL • OTTAWA TOURISM 30 2012 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA CANADA'S CAPITAL

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