Dozens of Ottawa festivals, restaurants, shops, concert venues, and attractions have been designated Unofficial Museums by Ottawa Tourism as a way to highlight hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path neighbourhoods around the region.

Launched in June 2022, the campaign builds on the fact that seven of Canada’s nine national museums are found in Ottawa, along with dozens of other notable galleries, performance spaces, and attractions.

The campaign aims to attract travellers to Ottawa by celebrating culture and creativity in Canada’s capital, all year long and in fact, new unofficial museums have been added to the official list as the seasons change.

Newly anointed museums include the Unofficial Museum of Croffles (First Bite Treats), where you can indulge in Ottawa’s first-ever union of waffle and croissant, and the Unofficial Museum of Second-Hand Treasures (Highjinx), an antiques and vintage social enterprise shop where proceeds go towards providing food, clothing, and support to those in need within the community.

Attendees of the TIAC Tourism Congress 2022 will be within easy walking distance of several unofficial museums, including the Unofficial Museum of The Cup (Lord Stanley’s Gift, the Stanley Cup Monument on Sparks Street at Elgin Street); the Unofficial Museum of Giant Bird Cages (Starling restaurant at the corner of York Street and William Street in the ByWard Market neighbourhood); and the Unofficial Museum of Scenic Cardio (the Rideau Canal).

Delegates are encouraged to get out and explore before and after the Tourism Congress and share their discoveries on social media using the #MyOttawa hashtag.