Ottawa youth hostel was once a jail
IAN STALKER
The president of Destination Ontario says what are clearly non-mainstream accommodations are available to those visiting her province.
Lisa LaVecchia told Rendez-vous Canada 2023 delegates in Quebec City in late May that those wanting to spend an unusual night in Ottawa can easily do so.
“If you have any interest in staying in a youth hostel that was a former jail you can do it in Ottawa,” she said of the Saintlo Ottawa Jail hostel.
LaVecchia also praised the nation’s capital for its “vibrant music and food” and noted its Rideau Canal has UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
LaVecchia cited numerous other sides to Ontario she said serve its tourist trade well, including famed Niagara Falls. “We’ve got the icon of this country.”
She also reminded her audience that the Niagara region has a flourishing wine industry. “I know we’re not Napa Valley but we’re pretty darn close.”
Celebrated hockey player Wayne Gretzky has a Niagara vineyard, she continued.
Nearby Toronto’s CN Tower offers adventurous summertime visitors Edgewalk, which has harnessed participants lean over the side of an outdoor ledge that’s 356 meters above ground.
The attraction is “super safe,” LaVecchia added.
Downtown Toronto is also home to Little Canada, which has displays showcasing scenes from different parts of the country in miniature, with LaVecchia stating Little Canada is a “must-see in Toronto.”
Ottawa isn’t alone in allowing people to see what incarcerated people once experienced, with Kingston being home to the Kingston Penitentiary, a one-time maximum security penitentiary in which tours are now available for the public.
LaVecchia also said that much of Ontario’s appeal lies outside urban areas.
“The neat thing about Ontario is you can easily get out of the city,” she said, adding her province is home to 250,000 lakes.
Southernmost Point Pelee is “absolutely beautiful,” LaVecchia said, adding there are different dimensions to Ontario.
“We have great nature,” she continued. “We have rocking cities too.”
