Bytown Museum | Musée Bytown

Bytown Museum | Musée Bytown Open 11:00 am - 5:30 pm, 7 days a week this summer☀️ Join us for family events, new exhibits and daily programs and guided tours.

Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, the Bytown Museum explores the stories of an evolving city and its residents from its early days as Bytown to present day Ottawa. Housed in Ottawa's oldest stone building, the Museum is located at the Rideau Canal locks between Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier—one of the most picturesque sites in the city. A six-language audio-tour, available in Engl

ish, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese, is included with the admission ticket. Our Summer hours are: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm; closed Monday and Tuesday.

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈Today marks 55 years since the “We Demand” demonstration in Ottawa. In 1971, “We Demand” w...
08/28/2026

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈

Today marks 55 years since the “We Demand” demonstration in Ottawa.

In 1971, “We Demand” was the first recorded public political action in Canada taken by q***r activists. The demonstration effectively launched Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ liberation movement.

That day, in an effort organized by Toronto Gay Action, around 200 people gathered on Parliament Hill in the rain to address federal lawmakers with ten “demands” to incorporate 2SLGBTQIA+ rights into Canadian law and public policy. A similar protest in Vancouver attended by about 20 people took place the same day in solidarity.

The ten demands, largely composed by Herb Spiers and David Newcome, were part of a larger 13-page document. Many of the demands, were a direct response to the LGBT Purge that took place during the Cold War-era in the Canadian federal government and military.

Today, there is a mural commemorating “We Demand” at the intersection of Bank and Gilmour streets in Ottawa. The mural, created by Dan Metcalfe and Rob Lariviere, depicts Charlie Hill under an umbrella listing the ten demands on Parliament Hill that day.

The museum will be closing early today for our staff appreciation event🌟We will be back to our normal hours tomorrow!
08/27/2026

The museum will be closing early today for our staff appreciation event🌟We will be back to our normal hours tomorrow!

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈Did you know that Ottawa’s first Pride event was held in Strathcona Park (pictured here) in...
08/26/2026

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈

Did you know that Ottawa’s first Pride event was held in Strathcona Park (pictured here) in June 1986?

A group of about 50 people gathered in the park for a picnic, where colourful balloons decorated the festivities. This Pride picnic became a tradition that lasted for a few years across different parks in the city.

These Pride picnics were the forerunner to the city's first formal Pride Week that was organized from June 9 to 18 in 1989, with the first Pride Parade on June 18. The Pride Committee of Ottawa-Gatineau received their first proclamation from Ottawa City Council in 1997. Annual Pride festivities were held at City Hall until 2002, when they were moved to Bank Street. The Pride Committee of Ottawa-Gatineau rebranded to Capital Pride in 2008, a name which remains today.

[Bytown Museum, P3271i]

Just over a week ago, we hosted our second annual yoga fundraiser with Yoga Kāla! It was a beautiful morning filled with...
08/25/2026

Just over a week ago, we hosted our second annual yoga fundraiser with Yoga Kāla! It was a beautiful morning filled with movement, intention, and community. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our community museum - we are so grateful!

As a non-profit organization, your generosity enables us to preserve Ottawa’s rich history and make it accessible to everyone💙

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈The Lookout Bar, located in Ottawa's Byward Market, is Ottawa's oldest 2SLGBTQIA+ bar. It o...
08/24/2026

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈

The Lookout Bar, located in Ottawa's Byward Market, is Ottawa's oldest 2SLGBTQIA+ bar. It opened in 1996 at 41 York Street and offers weekly dancing, karaoke, drag shows, and more.

The building itself (pictured here ca.1900) was built in 1875 for the St. Louis Hotel, after the hotel's previous building was destroyed by a fire in 1874. The hotel operated until 1909, and the building later went on to house Petere Devine Ltd. Grocers until 1975.

In the 1990s, the building received heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act for its historic and architectural value including its brick facade, gable roof, second storey balcony and more.

[Bytown Museum, 2014.004.01.45]

WE'RE RECRUITING! Are you a museum lover? Passionate about supporting local? Interested in Ottawa's history? We need you...
08/23/2026

WE'RE RECRUITING! Are you a museum lover? Passionate about supporting local? Interested in Ottawa's history? We need you on September 26 as we mark Ottawa's bicentennial with a day of free events and programming!

🔗Sign up here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=dD57GC-6IkOzCIN9VJbPnOAOQexxfSNCpPzi36ZvwaZUQ1dOMlJFVzhMN0VTQko0MFpHSFRVOFRJWC4u&fbclid=PAVERFWAT4Mk9wZG9mAmZkaWQWUNDLoge8jVXsHLc6q6_59HGIv0r3hGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp0-VfBLb7XJzz5AnH4p6LQy3Lvjr1qzsIUa3GTKIoUgekhc1XP5F5g-rmP-f_aem_r-gPv1u288iQTUaHCW6a0A

Since January this year, the Bytown Museum has been marking Ottawa's bicentennial through exhibitions, programs, and eve...
08/21/2026

Since January this year, the Bytown Museum has been marking Ottawa's bicentennial through exhibitions, programs, and events. In 1926, Ottawa’s Centenary Week was celebrated August 16-21. 🎉

This significant anniversary was recognized across the city with a “galaxy of attractions.” Local theatres had their biggest week putting on sold out picture and vaudeville shows. A Historical Pageant at Lansdowne Park showcasing fashions from the previous 100 years took place (the Bytown Museum helped with the research for this program). A stampede, parade, military spectacles, sporting activities, and much more was on offer for residents and visitors alike during the week.

Pictured here are members of the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa in front of the Bytown Historical Museum during Centenary Week. (From left to right: Miss Mary Mutchmore, Miss M.J. Tormey, Miss Eva Read, and Miss E.W. Armstrong.)

The Bytown Historical Museum was open to the public every day of the Centenary week from 10am to 6pm. And this summer the Bytown Museum is open every day from 11am to 5:30pm (until 7pm on Thursdays!).

[Bytown Museum, P4315]

FREE EVENT THIS SATURDAY🩷Learn about Ottawa's 2SLGBTQIA+ history this Saturday with Morgan Mercury who's featured in our...
08/19/2026

FREE EVENT THIS SATURDAY

🩷Learn about Ottawa's 2SLGBTQIA+ history this Saturday with Morgan Mercury who's featured in our new temporary exhibition "What's in a Frame? 200+ Years of Community Portraits"

🌟Morgan is the owner of Fairy Cowboy Tours - a walking tour focused on sharing the history of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Ottawa. Morgan has been performing across the country for the past two years, placing runner up in the Mr Capital Pride 2025 pageant. They are a lifelong Ottawa resident with a passion for history and community building, with over 8 years of experience in public education, working as a program interpreter and tour guide for multiple Ottawa museums and tour companies.

🩵Come meet Morgan Mercury at the Bytown Museum!

Pictured here is a summer house near Bank Street in Ottawa from c.1906. ☀ Similar to a gazebo, summer houses can be fou...
08/19/2026

Pictured here is a summer house near Bank Street in Ottawa from c.1906. ☀

Similar to a gazebo, summer houses can be found in parks or gardens to provide shade or a place to take a break from the heat.

This summer house was part of the Ottawa Improvement Commission's first major project, where they created the scenic tree-lined Queen Elizabeth Driveway along the Rideau Canal. The Commission was founded in 1899 with an annual budget of $60,000 and a mandate to acquire property for public parks, improve public works, and beautify the city. It was the forerunner to today's National Capital Commission.

[Bytown Museum, P3298]

On this day in 1921, the Peace Tower was under construction on Parliament Hill. 🇨🇦🚧During the Fire of Parliament in Febr...
08/17/2026

On this day in 1921, the Peace Tower was under construction on Parliament Hill. 🇨🇦🚧

During the Fire of Parliament in February 1916, flames had destroyed much of Centre Block and began to engulf Victoria Tower by 11pm that evening. At midnight the tower bell was said to have sounded 11 times, crashing down before it could issue its final peal.

Today the Peace Tower stands 92.2 meters high with a four-faced clock that usually chimes every 15 minutes but has been made silent during the Centre Block restoration project.

[Bytown Museum, 2014.004.01.83.01]

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1 Canal Lane
Ottawa, ON
K1P5P6

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6132344570

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