Giant spider
At the entrance.
Tullia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · – Wladyslaw [Disk.] — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hayden Soloviev — CC BY 4.0 · Hayden Soloviev — CC BY 4.0
Canada's largest art museum, in a striking glass-and-granite building by the architect Moshe Safdie opened in 1988, with a soaring glass hall overlooking Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River and a giant bronze spider guarding its entrance. The spider is Louise Bourgeois's famous sculpture Maman, more than nine metres high and now one of Ottawa's most photographed sights. Inside is the world's largest collection of Canadian art, from the Group of Seven's paintings of the Canadian wilderness to Indigenous and Inuit art. The gallery holds works by major European and American artists and changing temporary exhibitions, and at its heart a nineteenth-century wooden chapel interior, moved piece by piece from an old building and reassembled inside, where a sound artwork is sometimes played. Tickets are C$22 per adult before tax, and entry is free for everyone every Thursday from 5 to 8 pm, per the official site. The gallery is a short walk from the ByWard Market.
At the entrance.
Canadian wilderness.
And Indigenous art.
380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa
Rideau CanalA historic waterway opened in 1832, running 202 kilometres from Ottawa to Kingst8 minutes walk4.8
ByWard MarketOttawa's oldest and liveliest shopping district, which grew from a farmers' mark8 minutes walk
Parliament HillThe heart and symbol of Canada's capital, a group of Gothic Revival stone buildi9 minutes walk4.8
Canadian Museum of HistoryCanada's most visited museum, on the north bank of the Ottawa River in Gatineau,9 minutes walk4.6Every Thursday from 5 to 8 pm for all visitors.