Next up with our friends on our day trip in Ottawa were the Byward Market, Chinatown, and the House of Targ.

The Byward Market

Would you believe that the ByWard Market (Marché By) is a highly sought-after tourist attraction? Here you will find shopping, dining, arts, professional services, a farmer’s market, artisans, over 600 businesses, as well as entertainment. During the summer months, an average of 50,000 visitors attend. It is a retail and entertainment district in downtown Ottawa. It includes the market buildings and an open-air market along George, York, ByWard, and William Street. The district is bordered on the west by Sussex Drive and Mackenzie Avenue, on the east by Cumberland Street, on the north by Cathcart Street, and the south by Rideau Street.

The hours of the different businesses vary, but you are good to go if you attend between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. If you are looking for a particular business, you can contact them through their directory.

Our friend Mandy saw some cool hoodies on sale that she wanted to buy but couldn’t make up her mind! This is truly a shopper’s paradise, offering just about anything you are looking for.

As of 2019, celebrations have been happening here for 193 years, such as the Maple Sugar Celebration or Canada Day.

Featured events include walking tours, which are conducted between June and September. During the tour, you will discover such things as how the ByWard market came to be and learn historical information. Hours are 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and on weekends (including holiday Mondays), 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

If you are a night owl, you will find many cafes, specialty food shops, restaurants, and pubs with late hours to keep you busy and entertained.

Everything is accessible by foot, transit, or car which makes a day trip in Ottawa that much more fun. Here you will find information on buses and cabs.

Chinatown

We didn’t spend a lot of time here, but we found it interesting. It was bustling with lots of activity. In addition to the business and residential areas, there is dining and entertainment. Merchants from all over the world are here: Chinese, Indian, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, Philippinos, Spanish, Lebanese, French, and Middle Eastern. Whew! It was fun going to the different stores with their interesting Asian smells.

The location of Chinatown is along Somerset Street west of downtown Ottawa and runs from Bay Street (east) to Rochester St. (west). The signs for Chinatown continue along Somerset to Preston Street, and many restaurants can be found further west. Originally named Somerset Heights, it became known as Chinatown in 2005.

The House of Targ

Our last stop was for pure fun. The House of Targ at 1077 Bank St. is a hopping place featuring live music, pinball, classic arcade games, and a menu that includes homemade perogies with locally sourced ingredients. If you are looking for a pub, music, restaurant, or entertainment, it is all here. The owners are local musicians Paul ‘Yogi’ Granger, Mark McHale, and Kevin Birger.

We arrived in the midst of a contest, so all the machines were getting a workout. As you can see from our photos, our friends had lots of fun! Keep in mind that the music can be quite loud, so be prepared. They were very happy to be part of our day trip.

Follow the House of Targ on Twitter and Facebook.

Best Place to Park

Parking is available along Sunnyside, and if you choose public transit, the #6 and #7 stop right in front of the House of Targ.

Final Thoughts

There is so much to do in Ottawa that this day trip was just the tip of the iceberg: visiting the Parliament buildings, museums, bike riding along the many trails, music festivals and concerts, sports events such as an Ottawa Senators game, skating in the wintertime at the Rideau Canal, the Haunted Walk of Ottawa, a tour of Rideau Hall (Canada’s Buckingham Palace), and of course the beaches where we spent a lot of time (our trip this time lasted 4 months due to a house sit in an area that was close to everything we needed).

I think our friends enjoyed themselves. I know we did.

Have you ever taken a day trip to Ottawa? What did you like the most? Be sure and let us know in the comments below.

We had friends from London visit us in early May while we were on a four-month repeat house sit in Ottawa. They decided to make a day trip to Ottawa and the Royal Canadian Mint. The weather was crappy, but the company was good.

Since they were only visiting for a few days, there were a few places they wanted to check out while they were here: the Royal Canadian Mint, the National Gallery of Canada, the Byward Market, and the House of Targ (a video arcade).

First on their agenda was the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Royal Canadian Mint

Our first stop was at the Royal Canadian Mint which is located at 320 Sussex Drive, Ottawa. Just so you know, you are not allowed to take photos on the tour; you can, however, take them in the Boutique and of course, outside.

OUR FRIEND JOHN – CLOWNING AROUND

The Royal Canadian Mint is a crown corporation and produces all of Canada’s circulation coins as well as manufacturing circulation coins on behalf of other nations. In addition to the coins, it also manufactures precious metal collector coins such as gold, silver, palladium, platinum button coins, medals, medallions, and tokens.

It also operates as a profit entity without relying on taxpayers’ support to fund its operations. It consists of a board of directors, which is made up of a chair, president, CEO, and eight other directors and is accountable to the Minister of Finance.

As most of us know, the penny is no longer produced as of March 2012; the final penny was minted in the Winnipeg, Manitoba, plant on May 4, 2012.

The Tour

The Royal Mint is open year-round. You have to book the tour in advance, which takes approximately 45 minutes, and you have the choice of either an English- or French-speaking tour. The tour itself will take you behind the scenes of their state-of-the-art facilities. Here you will see the master tooling that is done to create the dies that make up the designs for both the commemorative and circulation issues.

The Million Dollar Coin

In 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint produced the world’s first million-dollar coin, which weighed 100 kg and was 99.999% pure gold with a face value of one million dollars. The purpose of the coin was to promote the new line of pure 1-ounce Gold Maple Leaf bullion coins. Since then, five of these have been purchased by investors from Canada and abroad. These coins weigh 3,215 troy (31.10 grams) ounces each. One side features the image of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and on the other side is the hand-polished maple leaf design.

Mint artist and senior engraver Stan Witten was the artist behind the maple leaf, and Susanna Blunt was responsible for the profile of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

The Boutique

The boutique is where you can shop for collector coins, gifts, souvenirs, and an exclusive line of Royal Canadian Mint clothing.

I was in the market for a wallet that was also big enough to hold my cell phone and found this one, which I thought was rather stylish.

Transportation

BUS

Public transit is a great way to get around Ottawa and is provided by OC Transpo; it is economical as well as efficient. Operating 22 hours a day, you are sure to find a bus to get you to your destination. For more information, call 613-741-4390, or you can check on the web.

Regular Prices in Canada:

Cash or ticket machine:

Adults & Youth 13+: $3.50

Seniors: $2.65

Children 6–12: $1.75

Children 5 and under: Free

Driving

There is a parking lot in the National Gallery of Canada, which is about a 3-minute walk from the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Gallery has an underground parking lot and costs $2.75 per half-hour, up to a daily maximum of $14 (there is a $2 discount for members). There is also some parking available on adjacent streets.

Taxis are also available:

Blue Line (tel. 613/238-1111)

Capital Taxi (tel. 613/744-3333)

City Cab Ottawa (5 stars, https://citycabottawa.ca/)

Executive Cabs and Limo Services (5 stars; call or text 613-799-3353)

West-Way Taxi (good for people with disabilities): (613) 727-0101 or book online.

Final Thoughts

Since this was our second trip to Ottawa, we were more than happy to accompany our friends. If you are a coin collector or just like seeing how things are produced, then you will enjoy the Royal Canadian Mint.

In our next article, we will be visiting the National Gallery of Canada.

Have you been to the Royal Canadian Mint? What did you think of it?