Queen Victoria proclaimed Ottawa Canada’s capital in 1857. The label “Westminster in the Wilderness” stuck—for a while. Photograph by Gail Mooney

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Ottawa, Ontario, capital of Canada, is a small city in what appears to be a constant state of celebration, with over 60 annual festivals and carnivals. February’s beloved Winterlude festival in particular, a frenzy of ice-skating, sled-racing, and snow-sculpting events, attracts more than 700,000 visitors. My own visit coincided with mid-May’s equally popular 11-day Tulip Festival, and the place was packed with people scurrying among displays of three million tulips.

Ottawa’s May 2000 tulip festival will celebrate the blossoming of some 5 million bulbs—2 million more than last year. Photograph by Gail Mooney

“Ottawa’s one of Canada’s best kept secrets,” says Brigitte Beaulne, cultural programs manager for the National Capital Commission. “It has a small-town spirit, but it’s sophisticated, kind of a Cinderella city. Well worth a visit, honestly.”

Ottawa calls itself the Tulip Capital of North America. Each year the tulip festival pays tribute to a foreign country. This May’s festival however, has a special theme marking the new millennium by honoring many countries.

Another reason to visit Ottawa is its distinctly British flavor. Its stately Parliament Buildings, for example, and daily changing of the guard (in summer months) give you an inviting taste of London only 45 miles [72 kilometers] from the U.S. border.

Excerpted from “A Very British Place” by David Yeadon. Read the complete article in the March 2000 issue of TRAVELER.