A 202-kilometre canal built in the 1820s as a military supply route between Ottawa and Kingston, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. In summer the canal is full of pleasure boats; the eight original Ottawa Locks step down dramatically beside the Chateau Laurier hotel and are worth watching in operation. In winter — usually from January to early March — the central 7.8 kilometres freeze into the Rideau Canal Skateway, the world's largest skating rink. Locals commute to work on it. Rent skates at one of the changing huts and stop for a hot chocolate or a BeaverTail (a flat fried pastry) along the way.
Rideau Canal
UNESCO canal that becomes the world's largest skating rink