What do Visitors know that many Locals don't??

You must hear it often.  Well you would hear it often if you spoke with Ottawa natives often enough. 

It often sounds like complaining, maybe even whining.  It may certainly sound like a beautiful city taken for granted.  I know because my hubby and I are definitely one of those many locals that complain.

And what are we saying??

There's nothing to do.  Ottawa is boring.  If you are going to do anything worthwhile with your life you have to leave Ottawa.

Hmmm.....

Is that true, really??

Even I am beginning to wonder if that is a false tale.

Take a drive around town and you will see many new homes being built, many new businesses that offer something that used to be reserved for Toronto or Montreal.  There are many expensive cars that were not around years ago.

While this may not be clear to you why this point would be important to notice, to my hubby and I, it is.  It shows us that there are lots of people with lots of money, solid careers and businesses and that Ottawa really is growing in a positive way.

It shows us that people are moving here, by choice.  Ottawa has something that people want.  And we don't get it.  We don't understand what "it" is.  But we aim to find out.

So we are going to start with gathering a list of the things to do around this city of ours to see what brings people here to visit over and over again.

There are many tourists who visit Ottawa repeatedly as this is their favourite city to travel to.  Our favourite place to travel to was found by accident, we love the coast of Maine, mostly Ogunquit, Old Orchard Beach, and Wells.  Why we love it there is really not the point of this post, however, why people love Ottawa is, and that is a point we don't see because we are too close to the question (or maybe to close to the answer).

I may have to start with a list of what Ottawa has to offer as a whole.  Looking at the city with a tourists eyes may accomplish that...

I will start a post for What to do around Ottawa (and area) and I will add to it often.  I will add links if they are available, and welcome additions that you feel I may not find on the scattered information on the web.

What I am looking for is not only the larger scale events that would be publicised for tourist attraction, but also events for locals, as there are many of these, we tend to miss out on them and hear about it after the fact.  Talk about frustrating!!  I am also looking for general activities that are not event related.

So help me if you can!  Here's the linky for the post I am making.

We could make a great one stop place to look for ideas as there are no one stop places for this kind of info.

That is what I feel makes a great city, the attractions for the locals, that is why we fell in love with the areas I mentioned in Maine.