Ottawa is the nation's cultural capital and has evolved into a major centre for the visual and performing arts, with strong French influence. Its easygoing pace encourages creativity and the time to mingle at outdoor festivals, support local theatre, watch native Canadian dancers, attend an opera performance or symphony concert, visit one of the 50 galleries and theatres in the region or explore the many museums, heritage buildings and parks.

Catch Canada's top performing art talent on stage at the National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin Street at Confederation Square (tel: (613) 947 7000; website: www.nac-can.ca). Local theatre productions can be found in English at the Ottawa Little Theatre at 400 King Edward Street (tel: (613) 233 8948; website: www.o-l-t.com), Centrepointe Theatre at101 Centrepointe Drive (tel: (613) 580 2700; website: www.centrepointetheatre.com) and the Great Canadian Theatre at 910 Gladstone Avenue (tel: (613) 236 5192; website: www.gctc.ca), and in French at La Maison de la Culture de Gatineau at 855 Boulevard La Gappe, Gatineau, Québec (tel: (819) 243 2525; website: www.ville.gatineau.qc.ca/mcg), Le Théâtre de la Nouvelle Scène at 333 King Edward Avenue (tel: (613) 241 2727; website: http://nouvellescene.com) and Le Théâtre de l'Ile at 1 Wellington Street, Hull, Québec (tel: (819) 243 8000; website: www.ville.gatineau.qc.ca/theatredelile.htm). Le Groupe Dance Lab, at 2 Daly Avenue (tel: (613) 235 1492; website: www.legroupe.org), pushes the boundaries of artistic expression in innovative ways. See native Aboriginal dancers perform at the Turtle Island Tourism Company's summer village on Victoria Island, under the Portage Bridge (tel: (613) 564 9494; website: www.aboriginalexperiences.com). During the summer the Odyssey Theatre (tel: (613) 232 8407; website: www.odysseytheatre.ca) performs professional outdoor theatre at Strathcona Park, on the west bank of the River Rideau.

The Arts Court at 2 Daly Avenue (tel: (613) 564 7240; website: www.artscourt.ca) is home to four public visual art galleries, and is the region's centre for performing, visual and literary arts. The Ottawa opera company, Opera Lyra (tel: (613) 233 9200; website: www.operalyra.ca), performs at the National Arts Centre. Capital Music Hall at 128 York Street (tel: (613) 789 9922; website: www.capitalmusichall.ca) is a year-round host to live music entertainers.

Check Ottawa's online arts and entertainment guide at The Humm (website: www.thehumm.com).