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Roots Earth in Ottawa: audio stories about 42 places

Roots Earth has audio stories about 42 places in Ottawa, Canada, in North America. The Ottawa stories are in all seven Roots Earth languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The app needs no account: open Ottawa, pick a place on the city's map of places and play. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection. The stories are written by local people.

The 42 places are listed below in the order the app shows them, and again further down with their coordinates. The lists were taken from the Roots Earth catalogue on 15 September 2026.

Published 16 September 2026. Markdown: ottawa.md

The 42 places in Ottawa with audio stories

In the order the app shows them.

  1. Parliament Hill
  2. Peace Tower
  3. Centre Block
  4. Rideau Canal
  5. National Gallery of Canada
  6. Canadian Museum of History
  7. Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica
  8. Chateau Laurier
  9. Rideau Hall
  10. National War Memorial
  11. Confederation Square
  12. Canadian War Museum
  13. Supreme Court of Canada Building
  14. Library and Archives Canada
  15. National Arts Centre
  16. Canadian Museum of Nature
  17. Royal Canadian Mint
  18. Senate of Canada Building
  19. Connaught Building
  20. Bytown Museum
  21. Christ Church Cathedral
  22. St Patrick's Basilica
  23. Major's Hill Park
  24. Kieweki Point (Nepean Point)
  25. Canada Aviation and Space Museum
  26. Canada Science and Technology Museum
  27. Laurier House
  28. Rideau Falls
  29. ByWard Market
  30. Sparks Street
  31. The Glebe
  32. Little Italy
  33. Chinatown
  34. Hintonburg
  35. Westboro
  36. Sandy Hill
  37. New Edinburgh
  38. Lansdowne Park
  39. Dow's Lake
  40. Hog's Back Falls
  41. Beechwood Cemetery
  42. Strathcona Park

Is there an audio guide for Parliament Hill?

Yes. Parliament Hill has its audio stories in the Roots Earth app: a short introduction and a deeper story, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian.

It is place 1 of the 42 Ottawa places in the app, at 45.4247, -75.6994. Every one of the other 41 places in the list above has the same two stories.

Roots Earth is not a guided tour: you choose the place on the city's map of places and play its story yourself.

How to use Roots Earth in Ottawa

Open Roots Earth and choose Ottawa. The city has its own map of places with all 42 of them on it. Tap the place you are standing in front of, or any other, and play its short introduction or its deeper story. You decide what to listen to and in which order.

You can listen in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian, and there is no account. Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection.

In full

All 42 places in Ottawa, in the app's order, with their coordinates.

All 42 places in Ottawa, with coordinates

Every place below has a short introduction and a deeper story in the Roots Earth app, in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian. The names, the coordinates (latitude, longitude) and the one line descriptions are the app's own catalogue values of 15 September 2026; a place without a line here has none that this page can print.

1. Parliament Hill

Coordinates
45.4247, -75.6994
In one line
Crowning a bluff above the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill is Canada's seat of government and most recognizable civic landmark. Its Gothic Revival blocks, terraced lawns, and Centennial Flame embody the nation's Confederation, drawing roughly three million visitors each year.

2. Peace Tower

Coordinates
45.4248, -75.6996
In one line
Rising approximately 92 meters above Parliament Hill, the Peace Tower is Canada's foremost war memorial. Built between 1919 and 1927, this Gothic Revival landmark holds a Memorial Chamber, the Books of Remembrance, a four-faced clock, and a carillon of 53 bells.

3. Centre Block

Coordinates
45.425, -75.7
In one line
Centre Block is the main building of Canada's Parliament, housing the Senate and the House of Commons. Originally built from 1859 and rebuilt in Gothic Revival style after a 1916 fire, it shelters the Hall of Honour, the Library, and the heart of national government.

4. Rideau Canal

Coordinates
45.4258, -75.6972
In one line
Built between 1826 and 1832 by Lieutenant Colonel John By, the Rideau Canal runs 202 kilometers from Ottawa to Kingston. North America's oldest continuously operated canal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it becomes the world's largest skating rink each winter.

6. Canadian Museum of History

Coordinates
45.4297, -75.7089
In one line
Across the river in Gatineau, the Canadian Museum of History flows in curved limestone walls designed by Douglas Cardinal and opened in 1989. Its Grand Hall holds the world's largest indoor collection of totem poles, beside galleries tracing 15,000 years of Canadian history.

7. Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica

Coordinates
45.42971, -75.69646
In one line
Ottawa's oldest surviving church, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica rises in Lower Town with twin tin-clad spires gleaming above Sussex Drive. Built from 1841 and shaped in Neo-Gothic style, it dazzles inside with carved wood, a painted sanctuary, and a gilded Madonna.

8. Chateau Laurier

Coordinates
45.4256, -75.6951
In one line
A grand railway hotel beside Parliament Hill, opened in 1912 in the Châteauesque style. Its steep copper roofs, turrets, and limestone walls have housed prime ministers, broadcasters, and a famous portrait studio.

9. Rideau Hall

Coordinates
45.443753, -75.685641
In one line
The official residence of Canada's Governor General since 1867, built from a stonemason's 1838 villa. Set on 88 hectares of grounds, its many rooms host ceremonies, honours, and visiting heads of state.

10. National War Memorial

Coordinates
45.42404, -75.6955
In one line
A granite arch crowded with 22 bronze figures, titled "The Response," dedicated in 1939. Standing at Confederation Square above the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it is the focus of Canada's national Remembrance Day ceremony.

11. Confederation Square

Coordinates
45.42402, -75.69551
In one line
A triangular civic plaza laid out in the 1930s and shaped by planner Jacques Greber. Framing the National War Memorial and ringed by heritage buildings, it is Canada's second great ceremonial space after Parliament Hill.

12. Canadian War Museum

Coordinates
45.41722, -75.71722
In one line
Canada's national museum of military history, opened in 2005 at LeBreton Flats. Architect Raymond Moriyama's angular design embodies regeneration after conflict, sheltering more than 500,000 artifacts across its halls.

13. Supreme Court of Canada Building

Coordinates
45.42139, -75.70333
In one line
Canada's highest court, built from 1938 to 1940 to architect Ernest Cormier's Art Deco design with a steep copper chateau roof. A marble entrance hall and statues of Truth and Justice mark this seat of final appeal.

14. Library and Archives Canada

Coordinates
45.41972, -75.70792
In one line
Canada's national library and archive, housed in a modernist building on Wellington Street opened in 1967. It preserves the country's documentary heritage, from millions of books and photographs to founding constitutional documents.

15. National Arts Centre

Coordinates
45.42306, -75.69333
In one line
Canada's bilingual national performing-arts centre, opened in 1969 on the bank of the Rideau Canal. Its interlocking concrete hexagons, a hallmark of late-1960s design, gained a glowing glass atrium in a 2017 renovation.

16. Canadian Museum of Nature

Coordinates
45.41266, -75.68875
In one line
Canada's national natural-history museum, housed in the castle-like Victoria Memorial Museum Building of 1912. Designed by David Ewart in Tudor-Gothic style, it briefly sheltered Parliament after the 1916 fire and now holds millions of specimens.

17. Royal Canadian Mint

Coordinates
45.43135, -75.699282
In one line
A castle-like stone building on Sussex Drive, opened in 1908 to strike Canada's coins. Designed in Tudor-Gothic style, it now produces collector and bullion coins and welcomes visitors to watch precious metal become money.

18. Senate of Canada Building

Coordinates
45.424525, -75.693655
In one line
A grand Beaux-Arts building of 1912, once Ottawa's Union Station railway terminal. Its colonnaded facade and vaulted concourse now shelter Canada's Senate chamber during the long restoration of Parliament's Centre Block.

19. Connaught Building

Coordinates
45.42639, -75.69472
In one line
A Tudor-Gothic Revival landmark built between 1913 and 1916 to designs by David Ewart. Named for the Duke of Connaught, it began as a customs warehouse and now houses the Canada Revenue Agency, a National Historic Site since 1990.

20. Bytown Museum

Coordinates
45.425809, -75.697764
In one line
Ottawa's oldest stone building, raised in the 1820s as a supply depot for the Rideau Canal. Tucked beside the canal locks below Parliament Hill, it has been the Bytown Museum since 1917, telling the story of the city's earliest days.

21. Christ Church Cathedral

Coordinates
45.417755, -75.708198
In one line
Ottawa's Anglican cathedral, a Gothic Revival church built in 1872 and 1873 overlooking the Ottawa River. Designed by King Arnoldi, it became a cathedral in 1897 and is known for its choir of men and boys.

22. St Patrick's Basilica

Coordinates
45.417, -75.701
In one line
Ottawa's oldest English-speaking Catholic church, this Gothic Revival landmark grew from an 1855 parish into a stone basilica dedicated on 14 March 1875, with work continuing into the early 20th century. Pope John Paul the Second elevated it to basilica rank in 1995.

23. Major's Hill Park

Coordinates
45.427311, -75.697496
In one line
Ottawa's oldest park crowns a bluff above the Rideau Canal where it meets the Ottawa River. Once home to Colonel By and his successors, it is named for Major Daniel Bolton and now hosts Canada Day crowds beside Parliament Hill.

24. Kieweki Point (Nepean Point)

Coordinates
45.429444, -75.701139
In one line
A river promontory beside the National Gallery, long called Nepean Point and renamed Kìwekì Point in 2022, an Algonquin name meaning returning to one's homeland. A statue of Samuel de Champlain crowns the lookout.

25. Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Coordinates
45.457723, -75.642929
In one line
Canada's national aviation collection, amalgamated at Rockcliffe in 1964, holds more than 130 aircraft spanning a century of flight. Highlights include surviving pieces of the Avro Arrow and a Space Shuttle Canadarm.

26. Canada Science and Technology Museum

Coordinates
45.403333, -75.620278
In one line
Opened in 1967 in a converted bakery, Canada's national science museum holds the country's largest collection of scientific and technological artifacts. After a major renovation it reopened in 2017, keeping favourites like the Crazy Kitchen and its steam locomotives.

27. Laurier House

Coordinates
45.427222, -75.677778
In one line
Built in 1878, this Sandy Hill mansion was home to two Canadian prime ministers, Sir Wilfrid Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King. A National Historic Site since 1956, it is now a museum run by Parks Canada.

28. Rideau Falls

Coordinates
45.441405, -75.69623
In one line
Where the Rideau River drops about 11 metres into the Ottawa River, twin falls split by Green Island recall the curtain that gave them their French name. They once powered a 19th-century industrial complex of mills.

29. ByWard Market

Coordinates
45.4271, -75.6923
In one line
Laid out by Colonel John By in the 1820s, the ByWard Market is Ottawa's oldest public market, a lively grid of stalls, courtyards, restaurants, and bars at the heart of historic Lower Town.

30. Sparks Street

Coordinates
45.42083, -75.69861
In one line
Named for pioneer farmer Nicholas Sparks, this was Ottawa's commercial hub a century ago. Permanently pedestrianized in 1967, Sparks Street became Canada's earliest pedestrian mall, lined with banks, government offices, and heritage buildings.

31. The Glebe

Coordinates
45.40022, -75.69219
In one line
Once church land granted in 1837, The Glebe grew into one of Ottawa's first suburbs. Tree-lined streets of pre-1914 homes surround Bank Street's shops and Lansdowne Park, now a prosperous, walkable neighbourhood.

32. Little Italy

Coordinates
45.4042, -75.7117
In one line
Settled by Italian immigrants around 1900, Little Italy centres on Preston Street, known as Corso Italia. Home to Saint Anthony of Padua Church since 1913 and the annual Italian Week festival, it remains Ottawa's Italian heart.

33. Chinatown

Coordinates
45.41084, -75.70721
In one line
Centred on Somerset Street West, Ottawa's Chinatown grew here from the 1960s. Its Royal Paifang archway, unveiled in 2010 through an Ottawa-Beijing partnership, marks a vibrant multi-ethnic Asian district of restaurants and shops.

34. Hintonburg

Coordinates
45.40639, -75.72917
In one line
First settled in 1826 and named for community leader Joseph Hinton, this former working-class village joined Ottawa in 1907. Today Hintonburg's arts district and Wellington Street West make it one of the city's most creative neighbourhoods.

35. Westboro

Coordinates
45.39722, -75.74333
In one line
Promoted in the late 1800s with the cry "Move to Westboro," this riverside neighbourhood was a police village before joining Ottawa in 1949. Richmond Road's boutiques, a popular beach, and historic Maplelawn Garden define it today.

36. Sandy Hill

Coordinates
45.425, -75.675
In one line
Sandy Hill is one of Ottawa's oldest residential neighbourhoods, set between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River. Once home to prime ministers and lumber barons, its grand Victorian mansions now house embassies, students, and a richly mixed community.

37. New Edinburgh

Coordinates
45.4456, -75.6886
In one line
New Edinburgh is a historic village founded in 1829 by Thomas MacKay, the Scottish builder of the Rideau Canal locks. Now an affluent Ottawa neighbourhood, it holds Rideau Hall, the prime minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive, and streets named for MacKay's family.

38. Lansdowne Park

Coordinates
45.399, -75.683
In one line
Lansdowne Park, established in 1868 beside the Rideau Canal in the Glebe, is Ottawa's historic exhibition and sports ground. Home to the landmark 1898 Aberdeen Pavilion and the modern TD Place stadium, it has hosted fairs, Stanley Cup games, and professional football for over a century.

39. Dow's Lake

Coordinates
45.394412, -75.701551
In one line
Dow's Lake is a man-made reservoir on the Rideau Canal, created in the 1830s when a dam flooded a marshy area once called Dow's Great Swamp. Today its shores host the Tulip Festival's spring blooms, Winterlude skating, and a busy lakeside pavilion of restaurants and boat rentals.

40. Hog's Back Falls

Coordinates
45.371021, -75.697024
In one line
Hog's Back Falls is a dramatic artificial cascade in Ottawa, created during the building of the Rideau Canal. Here Lieutenant Colonel John By's dam, completed in 1830 after collapsing three times, raised the river by 12. 5 metres, turning a treacherous rapids into one of the canal's greatest feats.

41. Beechwood Cemetery

Coordinates
45.447, -75.66
In one line
Beechwood Cemetery, founded in 1873 in Ottawa's east end, is the National Cemetery of Canada. Spread across 160 acres, it holds national military and police memorial grounds and the graves of prime ministers, governors general, and figures such as Tommy Douglas and Sir Robert Borden.

42. Strathcona Park

Coordinates
45.426166, -75.671682
In one line
Strathcona Park, laid out between 1904 and 1907 along the Rideau River in Sandy Hill, is one of Ottawa's oldest parks. Named for Lord Strathcona, it centres on an ornate 1909 fountain and serves a leafy district lined with embassies, theatre, and riverside walks.

Roots Earth in short

Roots Earth has audio stories about 5,665 places in 130 cities, 25 countries and 6 regions, written by local people.

  • No account
  • Download a city's audio, then it plays without a connection
  • Audio stories in English and German in every city, and in Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and Albanian in 126 of the 130 cities

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