Why You Should visit Ottawa’s ByWard Market

For visitors, a trip to Ottawa is never complete without a walk through the ByWard Market. And for locals, the market is the perfect place to unwind after work. I’m sure most of the locals have toured the ByWard Market. Some of you are probably guilty for mostly seeing it at 1:00 in the morning. Whether you’re a history expert or just someone who likes knowing extra facts to impress people, here is the info about the Byward Market to put you in the know.

Some of you might know that it was in 1826 that Lieutenant Colonel John By led the construction of the Rideau canal system, which was devised to connect the Ottawa River to Kingston. But what you might not know is that just a year later, he built a building with a courthouse behind it on George Street. This was the original market building.

A few years later, hotels, stores, taverns and industrial buildings spread all around the market area. Farmers shipped goods up the Ottawa River to merchants in the Lower Town Market, which eventually became very commercial. During this time most merchants resided above their stores, that’s why most market buildings have apartments on top of commercial businesses.

Today, the market area still retains much of the vision of its past. Some of the most iconic sights in Canada’s capital can be found in this neighbourhood. For example, the first BeaverTails shack that was ever built in Ottawa. The Fish Market is also located here. The famous National Gallery of Canada, which was built across Sussex Drive. And even the main ByWard Market building has attracted people of all over the country. There is even a bakery that sells “Obama cookies”, I don’t think it gets much better than that.

Ottawa is the fourth cleanest city in the world – at least according to Forbes. So it’s no surprise that the Byward Market almost looks staged, restored, clean and well maintained by the city. The Federal Government is the city’s largest employer, since it is the capital of Canada.

With so many great events happening year round, make sure to plan your trip around some of the city’s best events in The ByWard Market. Festivals, concerts, patio gatherings and cook-offs are always popping right and left.

The Market is actually fairly small, roughly four blocks square; but don’t let that fool you. Colonel By himself laid out the street plan of the Market, and specifically designed George Street and York Street to be extra wide to accommodate a public market, knowing it would eventually become a gathering place.

Interesting sights, like the “Our Shepherds” piece can be seen. The statue represents Pinocchio’s famously growing nose, suggesting an underlying discord between the shepherds’. The entire concept revolves around the question of who are the shepherds and who are the sheep. Can you tell?

Even after an era, surrounded by shopping malls, the ByWard Market has still retained its popularity. This may be attributed to the focus on authenticity, somewhat raw marketplace atmosphere, which has barely changed since the Victorian period.

Regardless, every time I go, I feel the rich history come alive. I know travellers came and gone, businesses opened and closed, and ideas came to flourish to grow the community into what it is today. I’m glad I can be part of that history, and to be called an Ottawan.

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To get the full travel guide on Ottawa, you can grab my Ultimate Travel Guide.

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