Established in 1992, the Jami Omar Mosque was located inside a renovated bungalow. But, in 2003, construction began on a new mosque located on the same property. Over the next 15 years, the new and much larger mosque was constructed. It provides various services for the community — including marriages, family counselling and funeral services.

The Ottawa Little Theatre, founded in 1913, is Canada’s longest continuously running community theatre. During Doors Open Ottawa, visitors will receive a guided, behind-the-scenes tour from one of the theatre’s dedicated volunteers. The tour will reflect an actor’s experience from first rehearsal to opening night and feature the talented production team who support them on that journey.

The Ingenium Centre houses Canada’s science and technology collection, with more than two million archival, trade literature and library materials, and more than 150,000 artifacts. The Centre provides a controlled environment to protect the artifacts for the benefit of generations to come. It is designed to properly house artifacts made of materials such as plastic, wood, paper, textiles and ivory.

Located in the ByWard Market, this school is in a four-storey, three-bay stone building of solid appearance with a richly decorated principal façade. During Doors Open Ottawa, visitors can join school staff and students in the lobby as they celebrate the school’s 145th anniversary, or take a guided tour. Throughout the day, art and artifacts will be on display.

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is located in a prominent structure, comprising two symmetrical four-storey wings that wrap around a central nine-storey tower block. This year, visitors are invited to stop by the building to learn about the LAC’s extensive services for the public and to hear more about their future home at Ādisōke, scheduled to open in 2026.

The Gladstone Theatre has been a theatre for over 40 years. Initially a garage, it was turned into a 230-seat theatre in 1983 by the Great Canadian Theatre Company, with further renovations in 2007. By 2016, it was regularly hosting 12 stylistically diverse theatre companies, with more than 27,000 tickets being sold per year. Come and explore this unique site!

The Herb Garden is pleased not only to celebrate 30 years as a small family-run business operating a greenhouse in rural Ottawa, but also a 200-year-old farm property and heritage barns. During Doors Open Ottawa, visitors can explore the historical barns and learn about the family business before checking out the trails, labyrinth and garden.

Founded in 2019, the Ottawa Glassblowing Co-op is located in the heart of Ottawa near Little Italy. Their mandate is to foster a glassblowing co-operative that operates inclusively to support the artistic creativity, learning and growth of its members and to educate the public in the art of glass. Come and see glassblowing demos by local artists!

The ByWard Market has been Lowertown’s focal point since 1848. This particular site has served as a market since 1875. The present building is the fifth to house the market. Home to food merchants, specialty boutiques and artisans operating in indoor and outdoor spaces, the ByWard Market Building is a landmark. For Doors Open, enjoy special tours, displays and presentations.

The capital region’s only therapeutic riding facility accredited by the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association provides therapeutic riding lessons and equine-assisted programming for children and adults with physical, developmental and learning disabilities. Situated on over 8 hectares (20 acres) of pasture and trails, this fully accessible facility includes an indoor and outdoor arena, box stalls and a classroom for additional programming.

Come and visit this plaza during Doors Open Ottawa. Construction is underway to restore and modernize the Centre Block and advance construction of Canada’s new Parliament Welcome Centre. Though the Centre Block is currently closed, visitors during Doors Open can view a special exhibit featuring videos, images and information about the design plans for the building and the Parliamentary Precinct.

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Ottawa’s oldest stone building. The Bytown Museum offers tours of the Commissariat Building throughout the day. Come check out their new temporary exhibit and award-winning gallery renewal, a showcase of their historical costume collection and their vault. Enjoy a fresh lemonade next to the Ottawa lockstation, part of the Rideau Canal UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With over 17,000 artworks by over 3,000 artists, the Canada Council Art Bank houses the largest collection of contemporary Canadian art in the world. The collection houses paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and prints by emerging and established artists, including a significant number of Indigenous artists. The collection is also regularly featured at the Canada Council for the Arts main office.

The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), special operating agencies within the Department of Canadian Heritage, were created in 1972 to advance and promote the conservation of Canada’s heritage collections. The CCI is focused on moving conservation forward through science and practice. It helps heritage institutions care for and share their collections both here in Canada and abroad. The CHIN offers valuable collections management resources to the Canadian museum community and online public access to millions of collections records. The building they occupy houses over 20 laboratories that are used for conservation and research. It also has a library, metal workshop, wood workshop, photography studio – with an industrial radiography laboratory – and over 100 offices. Visitors will note the eccentric figure that sites atop the front entrance of the building, known as “Captain Conservation.” This imposing fibreglass sculpture tells an interesting story. CCI conservator Andrew Todd came across the sculpture in an Ottawa junkyard in the early 1980s. When Todd left the CCI, he left “the Captain” behind. In the early 1990s, however, then-Director General Charles Gruchy bought the statue from Todd for $1, making the Captain the CCI’s official mascot. During the statue’s restoration, a time capsule was placed in its cement base. The capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2042. As part of Digital Doors Open, take a virtual tour of the CCI through the video below and learn more about this fascinating site.

Designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, this award-winning building serves a representational role for the Ismaili Imamat in Canada, offering a centre for building relationships, enabling quiet diplomacy, and disseminating knowledge and information while reflecting the wide-ranging humanistic and humanitarian agenda of the Aga Khan Development Network and its associated institutions. Under the general direction of His Highness the Aga Khan, Maki has translated concepts rooted in Islamic tradition into a bold, modern design. This design is inspired by the natural luminosity and multi-faceted shape of rock crystal. Throughout the site, the play of light on transparent and translucent surfaces creates a dynamic visual effect. The notion of openness and transparency is carried through the building. The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat has received the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture (2012), and two awards from the Ontario Association of Architects: the Celebration of Excellence Award and People’s Choice Award (2010). As part of Digital Doors Open, explore this site through this engaging interactive virtual tour.

The Diefenbunker is Canada’s most significant surviving Cold War artifact. It is an impressive four-storey underground facility that operated as the country’s central communications headquarters during the Cold War, ready at any moment in case of a nuclear attack. Now a museum, the Diefenbunker offers a one-of-a-kind experiential learning environment, coupled with award-winning programs, events and exhibitions. Registration required.

Originally built as the Ottawa Normal School, this site is now Ottawa City Hall. Built in the Gothic Renaissance style, it reflects the influence of the Parliament Buildings — with Italianate windows and Romanesque columns. Purchased by the municipality in 1987, the restored building opened as city hall in 2001. The Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame is now permanently housed here.

Rideau Hall has been the official residence of every Governor General of Canada since 1867, and their workplace since 1940. It has nearly two centuries of history, and has become an important gathering place and site of official activities. The grounds, the building and its interiors have evolved over time to reflect/reinforce Rideau Hall’s identity as a national symbol.

Built in 1860 along the shores of the Rideau River, Watson’s Mill remains active as a water-powered flour mill. Nearby Dickinson House, built in 1867, displays the heritage home of the past mill owners. Dickinson Square is the only industrial heritage site in Ottawa. The site comes to life through tours by costumed interpreters and milling demonstrations.

Ottawa’s first high school has occupied this prime downtown location alongside the Rideau Canal since 1874. The Gothic revival building has been extended and renovated several times. It has many distinct architectural features – including an impressive 660-seat auditorium that maintains much of its original character, and an attic that students used as a shooting range during the Second World War.

The official name of the Canadian Museum of Nature building is the Victoria Memorial Museum Building. Most of the exhibitions and programs are offered here. This museum is proud to reside in the first building in Canada created to house a national museum. It is a national historic site and the birthplace of Canada's national museums. The Victoria Memorial Museum Building's chief architect and designer, David Ewart, created a fanciful castle-like structure that has been described as Scottish baronial in design. Ewart's structures reflect the Romanesque and medieval styles of Europe, with a combination of Tudor and Gothic features. The massing and interior articulation of the building are influenced by the beaux-arts style, which stressed symmetrical, axial plans. The architecture was intended to mirror the Centre Block of Canada's original Parliament Buildings, one mile due north of the museum's site. Despite the influence of European styles, the building is firmly rooted in Canadian reality. It is one of the first public buildings to incorporate into its design animals and plants found in Canada – in windows, exterior walls and interior embellishments, as well as the two carved moose heads that guard the main entrance. Renewal of the museum was completed and the renovated museum building was celebrated on May 22, 2010 – the International Day for Biological Diversity. The Queen dedicated the new glass tower, called the Queens' Lantern, named for both Victoria and Elizabeth II. For Digital Doors Open, visitors can watch the video below to learn more about this engaging museum. Or they can take a 3D self-guided tour and wander the halls to explore the galleries and spaces. Or take a fun and interactive virtual tour of the museum's Natural Heritage Campus and go behind the scenes to see treasures from their collections.

Built in 1872, this church was constructed to harmonize with the new Parliament buildings. Named the Cathedral of the Diocese in 1897, it continues to nurture faith in creative and traditional ways. Architectural features include soaring ceilings, magnificent windows and the bell tower, home to the 516-pound bronze bell cast for the original church in 1839.

Built in 1872 as Goulbourn Township’s Town Hall, this site is now the Goulbourn Museum, home to interactive and hands-on exhibits. The museum shares the story of the former township by collecting, preserving, displaying and interpreting nearly 10,000 local artifacts as well as a 40,000-piece archaeological collection. The adjacent History Centre, built in 1961, was the former clerk building. Today, it is used for collections storage, office space and meeting space. The Goulbourn Museum features such exhibits as All the Woods & Waters (which explores the colonization of the township), The Village General Store (where visitors can dress up, shop or barter for supplies) and SCORCHED: The Great Fire of 1870 (which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the fire that had devastating consequences for Goulbourn Township). During Digital Doors Open, take virtual tours of their children’s toy, archaeological and military collections.

The Ottawa Muslim Association and the Ottawa Mosque was incorporated in 1964 as a charitable organization, with its first phase completed in 1970. The Ottawa Mosque is the first and the oldest mosque in the city, and is one of the oldest in Canada. Its distinct architectural design includes a two-storey prayer hall, library, minaret, central dome and multi-purpose basement.

In 1978, Ottawa’s mayor recommended establishing a municipal arts centre, arts council, arts festival and a permanent art collection for the city. This building initially served as the Carleton County Court House, purpose-built in 1870-71. It was slated for demolition in 1980, but it was saved by the city and turned into the Arts Court. It officially opened in 1988.