As March Break 2024 approaches, Ottawa gears up to welcome families with an array of enriching and fun-filled activities and events from March 8th to 17th.
Whether it’s exploring interactive exhibits, enjoying nature’s splendour through sweet water season, participating in creative workshops, or attending lively cultural festivities, there’s something to captivate the hearts and minds of both young and old.
For GTA and Hamilton activities, see March Break in GTA.
Travel Ideas Ontario: Getaways in Ontario
Disney On Ice – Into the Magic
March 7 to 10, 2024
Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Drive, Kanata
$20 – $150 +charges
“Tales from the Village” with Vintage Stock Theatre
Enjoy a cozy winter day with friends or family at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum as actors from Vintage Stock Theatre bring the words of local storytellers to life. As you pass from building to building, exploring the 1920s and 30s village and heritage structures, you’ll listen to stories inspired by characters and tales from our community’s history. Details
March 9 & 10, 2024
Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, 2940 Old Montreal Road, Ottawa
$19.90
Murder on the Orient Express
Take older kids to see a live performance. A diabolical murder is about to take place on the luxurious Orient Express. With a train full of suspects and an alibi for each one, it’s the perfect mystery for Agatha Christie’s legendary detective Hercule Poirot. All aboard for a thrilling ride in this adaptation by pre-eminent comedy playwright Ken Ludwig. Details
Until March 16, 2024
Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa
$14 – $30
Sugarbush at the Log Farm
Visit the historical farm site, where you can see how the Bradley family lived in the 1860’s. The farm house is set up to depict what life for a family would have been like during this period. Come out to the farm to experience sugarbush 2022. This once-a-year Canadian tradition doesn’t last long as winter gently eases into spring. Take a wagon ride out to the sugarbush. See how maple syrup is made. Then take a walk through the trails of the sugar maples. Details
March 2 to April 7, 2024
The Log Farm, 670 Cedarview Road, Nepean
$10
Olde Maple Lane Sugarbush
Visit the sugar shack, and watch the sap to syrup process unfold while enjoying taffy on the snow. Come take a walk, or snowshoe through over 2km worth of trails that will lead you through our beautiful property. Our sugar shack is an age-old log cabin, with a wood-burning evaporator, go inside and learn how maple sap becomes syrup. The sugar shack has been used to make maple syrup for over 200 years. Details
March 2 to April 14, 2024
Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm, 2452 York’s Corners Road, Edwards
Free to $10
Maple Fest
March 3 to April 14, 2024
Proulx Maple & Berry Farm, 1865 O’Toole Rd, Ottawa
$8.25 – $14.75
Winter in Fulton
Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush is one of Lanark County’s best-loved and well-known sugar camps. Enjoy the quiet solitude and fresh air of our 400-acre sugarbush filled with young and decades-old maple, pine, spruce, cedar, white birch trees.
Trails, trail games, playground, maple taffy and horse-drawn sleigh rides daily during March Break between 11 am – 3 pm. Details
February 17-April 18, 2024
Fulton’s Pancake House – 399 Sugar Bush Rd., Pakenham
$10/vehicle
Vanier Sugar Shack
Located in a 17.5-acre sugar bush in the heart of the nation’s capital, the Vanier Museopark keeps the tradition of maple syrup production alive, traditions established in Vanier by the White Fathers circa 1940. Details
Until March 24, 2024
Vanier Museopark, 300 des Pères-Blancs Ave., Vanier
Free admission
March Break at the Bank of Canada Museum
Pop in with the kids for some fun crafts and FREE family activities. It’s all about currency, counterfeiting and telling the difference. Details
March 4 to 15, 2024
Bank of Canada Museum, 30 Bank Street, Ottawa
Free
March Break Fun
Carlingwood Shopping Centre invites families for a magical March Break Madness, offering free daily entertainment beside Marises. Enjoy performances like Junkyard Symphony, Brad the Balloon Guy with face painting, Circus Factory workshops, and Magician Eric Leclerc. Additionally, meet beloved characters such as Mario, Peach, and Blue’s Clues for photo opportunities, with the first digital photo free. Details
March 11 to 15, 2024
Carlingwood Shopping Centre, Ottawa
Free
March Break at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Create memories that sparkle like the stars! Enjoy solar system crafts, crater demonstrations, and Lego Rover workshops that shed light on Canada’s role in space exploration. Details
March 4 to 17, 2024
Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa
Free with museum admission
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum March Break
Stop by the barns to visit the museum’s newest arrivals — the sweet kids and lambs. In the Demonstration Kitchen, learn some fun facts about eggs and chocolate as you enjoy a sample of our recipes. Relax while watching a family movie, or make the most of the winter season by taking a spin around our skating rink (weather permitting). Details
March 2 to 17, 2024
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, 861 Prince of Wales Drive in Ottawa
Regular Admission
March Break at the Canada Science and Technology Museum
Science and play come together this March Break with amazing and unexpected results! Join us for lots of engaging experiments and activities that are sure to pique your curiosity. Tap into your creative side with our oversized cardboard extravaganza, as you embrace the astonishing versatility of this amazing material. Details
March 2 to 17, 2023
Canada Science and Technology Museum, 2421 Lancaster Road, Ottawa
Regular Admission
March Break at the Canadian Museum of Nature
This Spring Break, our science interpreters will highlight their favourite specimen, animal, or story from the museum’s collection. Find your favourite thing or gallery in the museum as you explore the castle. Grab a scavenger hunt, discover hidden treasures and be rewarded with a small museum gift (while supplies last).
March 2 to 17, 2024
Canadian Museum of Nature, 240 McLeod Street, Ottawa
Regular Admission
March Break at the War Museum
Also in the Lobby, uncover the stories of the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service, often called the Wrens, who served both in Canada and abroad during the Second World War. At a time of peril in the North Atlantic, these women listened for German radio transmissions, gathered data and developed vital intelligence for the war effort.
March 2 to 17, 2024
Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place, Ottawa
Regular Admission
March Break in the MakerStudio
Drop into the MakerStudio at Nepean Museum to discover hands-on activities and daily scavenger hunts inspired by local history – we’re switching up the theme each day, so the fun continues all through the week!
March 11 to 15 | 10 am to 2 pm
Nepean Museum, 16 Rowley Avenue, Nepean
Admission by cash donation
March Break at the Goulbourn Museum
We will be offering a different craft each day! The theme of the activities will be “old-fashioned fun.” Kids will explore crafts and games that children their age would have played with “back in the day” in the former Goulbourn Township.
March 11 to 15 | 10 am to 4 pm
Goulbourn Museum, 2064 Huntley Road, Stittsville
by donation.
March Break at Osgoode Museum
Join us over the March Break and learn what it’s like to work in a museum! Each day will be a new museum or history themed activity where you’ll learn lots and have fun while doing it!
March 12 to 15, 2024 | 10 am to 4 pm
Osgoode Township Museum, 7814 Lawrence St, Vernon
$5 per participant.
March Break at the National Gallery of Canada
Plan your March Break at the Gallery with fun, art-inspired activities for all. Activities: Story Time, Public Guided Tours, Drop-In Sketching Session, Family Art Adventures, Open Studio.
March 2 to 17, 2024
National Gallery of Canada
380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa
Regular Admission
March Break at the Library
There is plenty to see and do at the library. Details
March 9 – 17, 2024 | Various Hours
Various Ottawa Public Library Branches
March Break Afternoon Tea
Join us for an Afternoon Tea at Zoe’s! The menu features 6 savory sandwiches and 4 desserts. Details
11:00 am – 3:30 pm, daily
Zoe’s, Fairmont Château Laurier, 1 Rideau Street, Ottawa
$73 per adult, $36 per child
Ottawa Valley Farm Show
Of particular interest to farm families and other rural residents, the show displays everything from machinery, seed, and equipment, to agricultural associations and financial services. We also feature several pieces of machinery outside.
March 12 to 14, 2024
EY Centre – 4899 Uplands Drive, Ottawa
$12 to $15
Youth Infringement Festival
The Youth Infringement Festival is an open access performing arts festival for Ottawa youth ages 16 to 25 to develop and produce original work. he Festival will showcase six original one-act plays written, directed, stage managed, and performed by artists who are under the age of 25.
March 6-16, 2024
Arts Court Theatre, Ottawa
$5 – $50
Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Show
This two-hour show features all-Canadian music: from maritime folk songs to modern pop. Come meet our singing Mountie, Hockey Player, Anne of Green Gables, Klondike Kitty and more. This high-energy production features over 70 songs from all-Canadian artists including music from Paul Anka, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, the Bare Naked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber and many, MANY more. Details
March 15 & 16, 2024
Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Theatre, 330 Kent Street, Ottawa
$20 to $89.95
Cheer Ottawa’s Home Teams
Cheer Ottawa Senators and Ottawa 67’s at their home arenas.
- Ottawa 67’s v. Mississauga Steelheads — Sunday, March 10, 2024 | 2:00 PM @ The Arena at TD Place, 1015 Bank St., Ottawa
- Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins — Tuesday, March 12, 2024 | 7:00 PM @ Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Drive, Ottawa
- Ottawa 67’s v. Barrie Colts — Tuesday, March 12, 2024 | 2:00 PM @ The Arena at TD Place, 1015 Bank St., Ottawa
- Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes — Sunday, March 17, 2024 | 6:00 PM @ Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Drive, Ottawa
Polka Dot Roller Party
This is the spot, polka dot! Roll with us! Rollerskating with lights & tunes in the beautiful Horticulture Building!! Details
Friday, March 15 | 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Lansdowne Park – Horticulture Building, 1525 Princess Patricia Way, Ottawa
$15 – $25
Bug Adventure
It’s amazing what bugs can do—and you can too—in this larger-than-life exhibition. Let the design team behind The Lord of the Rings and Avatar take you on a bug adventure. Bugs have superpowers: from fast flight to powerful exoskeletons, camouflage, swarms and more. Discover how bugs are already inspiring human innovation. Imagine all the things we could do if we were more like them!
March 15 to October 14
Canadian Museum of Nature
240 McLeod Street, Ottawa
Regular Admission
Ottawa St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Line up to see the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. Details
Saturday, March 16, 2024 | 11 AM
City Hall to Lansdowne, Ottawa
Free
City of Ottawa Rec Program
The city of Ottawa is offering plenty of drop-in programs and camps during this March Break.
Toys “R” Us March Break
Visit your local Toys ”R”Us store Monday through Friday of your March Break to enjoy free activities. Details
March 11 to 15, 2024
Toys “R” Us Stores
Free
March Break All You Can Play Special
March 11 to 15, 2024
The Ottawa Pinball Arcade, 2559 Baseline Road, Ottawa
$15 per person
Family Movies
- Watch movies at Cineplex theatres for $3.99 on select days – Details
March Break Camp
Take a break from cell phones, Fortnight, and whatever other modern distractions that have crept into our 2024 reality, and show the younger generation what gaming was when we were young while re-experiencing your own childhood, where the games truly are fun for all ages. Details
March 11 – 15, 2024
Art Haven Kanata, 124-150 Katimavik Rd., Ottawa
$80-$85
Go Ice Skating
Located in neighborhoods throughout Ottawa are outdoor skating rinks. So get your skates and go skating!
- Rink of Dreams
- Lansdowne Park Skating Court
- Ben Franklin Place Skating Rink
- Jim Tubman Chevrolet Rink
- RiverOak Estate
- Countryside Adventures
Go on a Ride
Fat biking is a wonderful way to keep warm in winter. Head over to SJAM Winter Trail or the Britannia Winter trail. Gatineau Park also has over 30 kms of snow biking trails that can be accessed with a snow biking pass.
Winter Walking
Dress warm, grab a hot cup of coffee/cocoa, and head out to enjoy a walk. Make it a family fun hike by exploring parliament hill and easy hikes.
- Scenic Lookouts: 15 Scenic Lookouts In and Around Ottawa
- Waterfalls: 15+ Waterfalls to Visit in and Around Ottawa
See Birds at Mud Lake
Mud Lake located within Lac Deschênes, is a major migratory corridor and is a popular site for bird watching.
See animals at Parc Omega
Breathe in the fresh air at the Parc Omega. Drive through the nature park and observe wild animals from the northern hemisphere, like wolves, elks, and deer – all from the comfort of your vehicle. The snowshoe trail at the park is now accessible at zone 11. Book an overnight stay at the cozy Wolf Cabin. Located one hour from Ottawa.
View this post on Instagram
Appreciate Public Art
There are many art installations, murals, and graffiti located throughout the city. House of PainT has created a map you can use to tour the murals and graffiti.
Experience Nature Walks
Experience and get to know nature! There are plenty of opportunities for you to explore and enjoy nature in the Ottawa area.
Visit Indoor Attractions in Ottawa
Be a tourist in Ottawa and visit Ottawa attractions:
Go on a winter day trip
Visit nearby counties and towns:
- Things to Do Outdoors this Winter in Brockville and Leeds & Grenville County
- Things to Do Outdoors This Winter in Prescott-Russell
- Things to Do Outdoors this Winter in and Around Cornwall
- 20+ Things to Do Outdoors During Winter in Lanark County
- 25 Outdoor Winter Activities in Renfrew County
- 22 Fun Outdoor Winter Activities in Kingston and Frontenac County
- 20 Things to Do Outdoors During Winter in Belleville and Hastings County
- 15 Things to Do During Winter in Algonquin Park
- 25 Ontario Provincial Parks to Visit During Winter