Latest news with #CommissionersPark
CTV News
16-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
5 travel tips for seeing the tulips in Ottawa this weekend
The tulips are in bloom at Commissioners Park in Ottawa ahead of the opening of the Canadian Tulip Festival. (Scott Rook/CTV News Ottawa)
CBC
16-05-2025
- CBC
3 tips to achieve tulip bliss — without the stress — this long weekend
Social Sharing Tulip admirers, assemble! But maybe not all at the same time, OK? This long weekend caps off the annual Canadian Tulip Festival at Commissioners Park in Ottawa. It's a beautiful space, resplendent in the bloom of variously coloured tulips — and a symbol of the enduring friendship between Canada and the Netherlands. The 2025 edition has some cool new features like the Big Bug Boardwalk along Dows Lake. Over 2,000 tulips are lit up with UV lights and surrounded by giant bugs. "You feel like you're shrunk down and you can see the pollen glow the way bees and butterflies see them," said the festival's executive director Jo Riding. But the festival area can get crowded, and this weekend is a holiday. To make the most of the occasion, without the stress, go to the park early if you can. If that's not possible, consider the following three tips. Take the O-Train Parking near Commissioners Park is "very limited," according to the festival's website. While Carleton University's P7 lot offers spots at a daily flat rate of $12 and is only an eight-minute walk to the park, you might consider hopping aboard OC Transpo's Line 2 instead. It practically deposits you right at the park. Dow's Lake station is the second stop after departing Line 2's northern terminus at Bayview. Dow's Lake station is located just north of Carling Avenue, a straight diagonal line to the park. Just ascend the steps at Dow's Lake station, cross Carling and then Preston Street, and you're in tulip heaven — two minutes faster than if you'd walked from Carleton, according to Google Maps. You can always go downtown This tip might sound counter-intuitive. After all, Commissioners Park is where it's at, right? But if the park is too crowded, you could do worse than hopping back on the LRT. Transfer to Line 1 Bayview, head east to Lyon station and explore the many other tulip patches along Wellington Street. The bright flowers abound between Library and Archives Canada and the Supreme Court, to name but one spot. You could walk the pathway behind Parliament and picnic at Major's Hill Park, which boasts its own healthy helping of tulips (and is a good people- and dog-watching spot to boot). Sure, there's no interactive walking tour like at Commissioners Park. But your step-counting app will thank you. Escape to the country Feeling adventurous? Hit the road. An Ottawa couple whose "u-pick" tulip crop was badly damaged by a fungal growth has relocated this year to their nephew's farm. U-pick-it tulip farm east of Ottawa finds new fields after devastating fungus 2 days ago Duration 2:03 Last year, Green Corners farm lost its crop to a fungus called tulip fire. Now they've rebuilt in a new location and are excited to welcome customers. Manja Bastian and Allan Groen of Green Corners Farm have planted 300,000 tulips at 640 North Russell Rd. in Russell, Ont., about 35 kilometres southeast of downtown Ottawa. Losing half a million flowers last year was "emotionally wrenching," Groen recently told In Town and Out host Giacomo Panico. Seeing people stream back this year has hit a different note. "It's something that makes it all worthwhile for us," he said.
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
NCC ‘Summer Zone' returning for 2nd year at newly installed Dows Lake dock
The National Capital Commission's 'Summer Zone' will return this year with a change in location. A floating dock that was installed earlier this month along the shoreline of Dows Lake across from Commissioner's Park will become home to the attraction this year. 'We expect to have lawn games, as well as food and beverage offerings near the dock's location, across from Commissioner's Park, beginning in June,' a spokesperson for the NCC said in an email to CTV News. 'For this year, taking into consideration construction impacts on the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, and the installation of the recreational dock, we decided to try out a new format and location.' The Summer Zone was launched last year between Catherine Street and Somerset Street West on Queen Elizabeth Drive to celebrate the organization's 125th anniversary. The NCC says it proved to be 'very popular with residents and visitors,' with more than 80,000 visits last year. The first edition featured sports, outdoor games, art classes and showcases, food and drink and live music. A new recreational dock opened earlier this month near Lakeside Avenue with Muskoka chairs and bike racks available. The NCC says the dock will be used for launching kayaks and paddleboards, but has said it may open for swimming later this summer. 'The NCC is continuing to enhance the Dow's Lake shoreline with new amenities and activities, and these additions will help create a vibrant and welcoming waterfront experience,' the organization said. Weekend Bike Days are returning this year but without 24-hour use on the QED. The road will be open for active use between Somerset Street to Fifth Avenue from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Last year, a section of the Driveway was reserved for active users 24 hours a day in July and August. The Kichi Zībī Mīkan and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway will also have certain sections open for active use on weekends and holidays. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond and Josh Pringle
