Thursday, 4 June 2026

City of Ottawa - At your museum - June 2026

 

Happy Doors Open Ottawa!

Doors Open Ottawa returns June 6 and 7 with Billings Estate National Historic Site, Cumberland Heritage Village Museum and Fairfields Heritage House all taking part! Explore the full building list to plan your weekend and check out the shuttle schedule, including free trips between Vanier Museopark (320 Des Pères Blancs Ave) and Cumberland Heritage Village Museum (2940 Old Montreal Road) on Sunday, June 7.


Bonus! Saturday, June 6 is Firefighter Day at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum. Join Ottawa Fire Services to watch and participate in exciting demonstrations of firefighting skills and equipment.  

Celebrate Father’s Day at Billings Estate

Treat your favourite car enthusiast to a special day out at Ottawa’s oldest wood frame house. Community members will have their pre-1999 antique and vintage cars on display alongside the Billings family’s 1959 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. Vote for your favourite car, complete the kid-friendly scavenger hunt and enjoy the museum’s latest special exhibition, Beyond the Brim.
 

Sunday, June 21 from 10 am to 3 pm
Billings Estate National Historic Site

1959 Cadillac Sedan de Ville

Put pen to paper with Ottawa’s former poet laureate

Join Algonquin poet Albert Dumont at Billings Estate for an intimate poetry workshop. Through readings and storytelling, the former Ottawa Poet Laureate will share insights into the inspirations for his works and his approach to composition. Participants will have the opportunity to craft a poem of their own with thoughtful guidance from Dumont. Light refreshments will be served. Ages 16 and up. Advance registration is required.


Saturday, June 27 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Billings Estate National Historic Site

Craft your own quillwork keychain

Learn the cultural significance and foundations of traditional quillwork with Anishinaabe artist Christine Toulouse. Take inspiration from the quillwork featured in Beyond the Brim and relax in the beautiful gardens at Billings Estate while you make a birchbark keychain embellished with a simple quillwork design. Ages 16 and up. Advance registration is required.

Saturday, July 4 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Billings Estate National Historic Site

Animal helpers is back!

Animal helpers played an important role in rural life during the 1920s and 30s. Learn about the heritage breed farm animals who spend their summer at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum then explore how animals continue to help with important jobs and tasks today with special guests including the Ottawa Valley Border Collie Club, Wilhaven Ridge Alpacas, Prettiest Petal Farms, Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue, and more!

Sunday, June 28 from 10 am to 3 pm

Cumberland Heritage Village Museum

Black and white spotted border collie

Can you dig it?

Kids are invited to get their hands dirty this summer at Billings Estate National History Site and Fairfields Heritage House. Uncover a different theme each week and learn to dig for artefacts, identify mysterious objects and use techniques that scientists use every day in our simulated excavation sites. Ages 8 to 11. Advance registration is required.

Explore a piece of railway history

All aboard! Next time you’re at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, pop into the newly updated CN Rail Caboose exhibition to learn about life on the rails. Over the winter, students from Carleton University’s Curatorial Studies program helped bring a fresh perspective to the storytelling and interactive elements in this space. Bonus! The Ottawa Valley Live Steamers and Model Engineers are at the museum on the last Sunday of every month (June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27) demonstrating their large-scale model locomotives in action.

New hours of operation at Cumberland Heritage Village Museum

Parents and early risers alike have shared that extended morning hours help fit a visit to the museum into busy daily schedules. We heard you loud and clear! Cumberland Heritage Village Museum is now open from 9 am to 4 pm (Wednesday to Sunday), with heritage activities and demonstrations offered until 3 pm. Planning your visit? Mornings are a great time to beat the heat and enjoy everything our recreated 1920s and 30s village and working farm has to offer before the warmest hours of the day.

Hats off to Beyond the Brim

In May, we celebrated the opening of Beyond the Brim: Tales Told Through the Hats We Wore at Billings Estate National Historic Site. Beyond the Brim showcases headwear alongside stories about the individuals who wore them, sharing their impact on Ottawa’s history and diverse cultural landscape. It was wonderful to share the exhibition with the many community members and heritage colleagues who contributed headwear to the exhibition! You can visit Beyond the Brim at Billings Estate all summer long. We can’t wait to hear which hat, helmet or head covering captures your imagination.

Stay tuned

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