Sandy Hill & Lowertown: History of our Parks

L’activité se déroulera principalement en anglais, mais nous vous invitons à poser des questions et converser avec nous en français.

We all do it — we walk past a building, or through a park, or over a bridge, every day without really seeing it and without knowing anything about it. Come learn about the history of the Adawe Bridge, Strathcona Park, the Cordon Bleu, and MacDonald Gardens Park with Stéphanie Plante, your city Councillor for Rideau-Vanier! Surprise guests will join us along the way. 

Location
Route

We'll start at near the east end of the Adawe Crossing, at 1 Donald St, in front of the Rideau Sports Centre. From there, we will cross over the Adawe bridge to Strathcona Park, stroll north through the park up to Laurier Ave, and across Laurier to the Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute, where we will step inside for a short visit. Leaving the Cordon Bleu, we will walk north on Charlotte St., crossing Rideau and continuing north to Macdonald Gardens Park, where the walk will end.


The walk will follow city sidewalks and some pathways paved with stone dust.. Note that there is a steep hill from Strathcona Park up to Laurier Ave. and there are a few stairs to negotiate at the Cordon Bleu.


There is public parking at the west end of the Adawe Crossing, as well as street parking in Sandy Hill and on certain streets in Overbrook.

About the walk leader
Stéphanie Plante is the councillor for Rideau-Vanier. She has lived in Rideau-Vanier ward for twenty years, and was elected to City Council in 2022. She thinks that Rideau-Vanier Is the best ward in the city and is eager to share her love of the area with you.
Guide:

Stéphanie Plante

When:
Date:Sat May 4, 2024
Time:2:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Language: English
Where:
Start:1 Donald St. (In front of Rideau Sports Centre)
End:Macdonald Gardens Park
Area:Sandy Hill/Lowertown
Distance:1.5 kms
Accessibility:

The walk will follow city sidewalks and some unpaved pathways. There are a few steps at the Cordon Bleu.

Walker Sign-up

This walk requires you to sign up to attend or join a waitlist if walk is full. Please submit your email and the number of walkers that will be attending with you below.

Gallery
The folly in Strathcona Park is a fun place for children's make-believe games. One of two polished spheres making up the installation piece "A View from Two Sides" by Kenneth Emig.   The spheres  mirror the environment in unexpected ways through a panoramic view of sky, river, shores, bridge, pedestrians and cyclists. The Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute near the eastern end of Laurier Ave., formerly the Munross Mansion. The gazebo in Macdonald Gardens Park
Volunteer to Marshal This Walk