Dad’s Dreamy Day

You make the plan, prep the food, spread the blanket and provide the kids’ entertainment. Your handsome, hard-working hubbie nibbles on treats in the warm sun as he watches his well-behaved children frolic across the grass under your capable supervision.

Ah, parenting the way he imagined it would be! If you’re looking to deliver that dream to him this year for Father’s Day (and all the best to you if you do), we have a few hot picnic spots you might want to start with.

Bate Island, along the Ottawa River underneath the Champlain Bridge, offers soothing river views and the sound of rushing water together with restrooms, parking, picnic tables and garbage cans. This is an ideal spot for the bird-watching or fly-fishing dad, so bring binoculars or a tackle box if that’s his thing. If yours is an energetic, cycling dad, remember you can easily get here by bicycle via the recreational path on the Ottawa parkway.

The Rideau Hall grounds at 1 Sussex Drive are an ideal picnic destination for the heritage-loving Dad. Here you can take an optional guided tour, or take yourselves on a self-guided tour from either entrance, following interpretive panels. There are more than 10,000 trees here for shade as well as an inuksuk, a totem pole, a play structure, water fountains and benches. The grounds are open daily from 8 am to an hour before sunset.

Nature-loving dads will enjoy a picnic in the Gatineaus at Mackenzie King Estate, formerly the home of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. King left the entire 231-hectare estate to Canada when he died, and you can still explore restored cottages, beautifully kept gardens, ruins, and paths that lead elsewhere in the park. The tearoom is open from May to October, so if you didn’t quite manage to get lunch packed, no worries. 

For the urban dad who prefers to be within striking distance of a latte in a bustling spot with good people-watching, try Brewer Park near Carleton University. Here you’ll find a vast expanse of grass (perfect for an impromptu game of soccer or baseball), an impressive variety of play structures, a covered area with picnic tables, and washrooms—not to mention a splash pad that will keep the kids busy for hours. Bring bathing suits—where there is a splash pad, there is the will to get wet.

Kick it up a notch on the picnic offerings by stopping at your nearest Farm Boy (nine locations in Ottawa) for an array of interesting, ready-made salads. Add a baguette, some olives, cheeses, sliced meats and a dessert, and you’re good to go.

Father’s Day picnics—the perfect setup for the lounging, snacking, leisure-loving dad! With a little sunshine, he can live the dream for at least one day. Tested by Patti R., Ottawa