Caption: Watch sport or play it at Prescotts
Whether you want to get up close and personal with the athletes themselves, or you’re quite content to watch from a comfortable chair in front of a big screen, Ottawa has an enormous selection of sporting venues that will help you to achieve either goal. We’re going to take a tour around some of the biggest stadiums, the best sports bars, and the venues that get you closest to the action. So, if you’re a sports fan, take note, because you might just be about to find your new favorite place.
It only makes sense to start off with one of the most famous sporting venues in Ottawa, TD Place Stadium. This stadium has been open since 1908 and is capable of holding 24,000 sports fans. You’ll find the venue in the center of Landsdowne Park, making it the ideal spot for catching a game and then chilling out in the open air. Of course, being a venue of this size in such a central location, the stadium also plays host to numerous big bands, with AC/DC and the Rolling Stones being some of their most famous guests.
We’re here for the sports though, and the TD Place Stadium delivers sports like nobody else. They’re most famous for being home to the Ottawa Redblacks, a professional football team from the Canadian Football League. They’re the third team from the league to play in Ottawa and have a huge supporting crowd at every home game. If you want to visit then secure yourself a ticket well ahead of time because the stadium fills up quickly!
If you want to get up super close to the action then there’s nowhere quite like the Rideau Carleton Racetrack. This racecourse holds standardbred racing events every Thursday and Sunday on their state-of-the-art course. The all-weather surface means that racing can happen all year round, making it the perfect venue whatever the occasion. Standing by the finish line and listening to the thundering of hooves approaching is a truly exhilarating experience and one that certainly shouldn’t be missed.
Better still, once the horse racing is over there’s no need to stop. This racetrack is built right next to one of Ottawa’s largest casinos, where you can play more than a thousand different slot machines, or unleash your competitive side at the poker table. If you’ve been keeping up with the latest poker news then you’ll know that the WSOP is over for another year, meaning there’s limited time to get your skills up to scratch for next year’s big event. The Rideau is the perfect place to get some practice in, with a table dedicated to lower buy-ins.
Our final choice is one of Ottawa’s most beloved sports bars, The Prescott. This venue has stood in its place since 1934 when it was first established as a bar. Whilst not a whole lot has changed to the outside of the building in that time, the inside has gone extensive refurbishments over the years. Now you can enjoy various live sports games broadcast on huge screens throughout the bar. If you’re visiting during the week then you’re guaranteed a seat, but on Friday and Saturday nights it can get busy, so it it pays to book ahead.
The Prescott is famous for having a great menu for big appetites. They have a broadly Italian menu with homemade focaccia and stuffed sandwiches being two of the most popular menu items. Our suggestion is to order a mixture of dishes from the appetizer section to share with friends as the perfect beer snack.
