Events and Programs

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Part 1): Storybook adventures

Don’t be late! Alice is going on an adventure and you can join her with this two-part program. Meet the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and other beloved characters while you explore Lewis Carol’s classic novel with hands-on activities, excerpt readings, and discussion.

Saturday, March 6 from 2 to 4 pm.

Ages 9 and up.

Cost: $6 per child.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Part 2): Storybook adventures

Come back the next Saturday to finish what you started in Wonderland! More fun activities will help kids understand the novel’s historical context and relevance today.

Saturday, March 13 from 2 to 4 pm.

Ages 9 and up.

Cost: $6 per child.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (Part 1): Storybook adventures

Alice’s adventures didn’t stop with Lewis Carol’s first novel. In this two-part program, explore Alice in Wonderland’s sequel with hands-on activities, excerpt readings, and discussions as you continue Alice’s grand adventure.

Saturday, March 20 from 2 to 4 pm.

Ages 9 and up.

Cost: $6 per child.

Alice Through the Looking Glass (Part 2): Storybook adventures

Come back the following Saturday to continue learning about Lewis Carol’s well-loved novel. More fun activities will help kids understand the novel’s historical context and relevance today.

Saturday, March 27 from 2 to 4 pm.

Ages 9 and up.

Cost: $6 per child.

Easter at the Estate

Ring in the new season with a fun day of Easter egg hunts, egg dyeing, crafts and chocolate making. Don’t miss this chance to meet the Easter Bunny in person, or to explore the estate for the first sign of spring flowers.

Saturday, April 3 from 11 am to 4 pm.

Cost: $6/person, $10/pair, $15/family.

Mother’s Day Tea and Fashion Show

Help us open for the season and celebrate Mother's Day at the same time. Enjoy our take on a traditional Victorian tea service in the garden with live music, tours, crafts and a Victorian fashion show.

Sunday, May 9 from 11 am to 4 pm.

Regular admission applies.

Tea costs are extra.

Doors Open Ottawa

Tour the house from basement to attic during this citywide event that celebrates local architecture. Discover how the Billings built their house, the materials they used, and how the house has changed over time.

Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6 from 10am to 4pm.

Admission: Free

Father’s Day Car Show

Polish up your chrome and put on your driving cap, because it’s antique auto season again at Billings Estate! Discover a variety of old-fashioned cars while spending some quality time with dad this Father’s Day. Enjoy live music and a barbeque before having your picture taken with the Billings’ 1959 Cadillac!

Sunday, June 20 from 11 am to 4 pm.

Dominion Day

It’s Canada’s birthday! Enjoy old-fashioned games, races, and party food, and learn some historic songs and dances. Dress in costume to take a Victorian family photo. Bring a picnic or enjoy a barbeque!

Thursday, July 1 from 11 am to 4 pm.

Cost: $6/person, $10/pair, $15/family.

Cultivating the Past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, July 2 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Intro to archaeology:

Can you dig it?

Indiana Jones had to get his start somewhere! In this weekly program, kids can learn basic archaeological skills while digging up artefacts on the Billings property. This week’s mock dig will prepare them for more in-depth weekly topics to come.

Sunday, July 4 and Wednesday, July 7 from 2 to 4 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Little Critters

Can you find any bugs hiding in the Billings garden, or lurking in the lawn? Explore the museum grounds every Thursday morning for the critters that live in our back yard. Learn about their life cycles, diets and habitats before making a bug-inspired craft and then giving them back their freedom!

July 8 from 10 am to 11:30 am.

Cost: $6 per child. Ages 3 to 6.

Advanced registration required.

Concert by Candlelight

Who says moonlight serenades are a thing of the past? At Billings Estate, spend the evening under the stars, enchanted by music from when the Billings family lived in their stately 1820s house. Accompanying dancers will also entertain, and refreshments will be served at intermission.

Friday, July 9 from 8pm to 10pm.

Cost: $20/adult, $45/family.

Cultivating the past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, July 9 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Identify your finds: Can you dig it?

Every object that turns up in an archaeological dig has a story behind it. Learn how to identify the objects you find and try to understand their stories.

Sunday, July 11 and Wednesday, July 14 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Little Critters

Can you find any bugs hiding in the Billings garden, or lurking in the lawn? Explore the museum grounds every Thursday morning for the critters that live in our back yard. Learn about their life cycles, diets and habitats before making a bug-inspired craft and then giving them back their freedom!

Thursday, July 15 from 10 am to 11:30 am.

Cost: $6 per child. Ages 3 to 6.

Advanced registration required.

Cultivating the past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, July 16 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Dating without dates: Can you dig it?

Just because something looks old doesn’t mean it actually is! Use some tricks of the trade to learn how archaeologists determine the age of the artefacts they uncover.

Sunday, July 18 and Wednesday, July 21 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Little Critters

Can you find any bugs hiding in the Billings garden, or lurking in the lawn? Explore the museum grounds every Thursday morning for the critters that live in our back yard. Learn about their life cycles, diets and habitats before making a bug-inspired craft and then giving them back their freedom!

Thursday, July 22 from 10 am to 11:30 am.

Cost: $6 per child. Ages 3 to 6.

Advanced registration required.

Concert by Candlelight

Who says moonlight serenades are a thing of the past? At Billings Estate, spend the evening under the stars, enchanted by music from when the Billings family lived in their stately 1820s house. Accompanying dancers will also entertain, and refreshments will be served at intermission.

Friday, July 23 from 8pm to 10pm.

Cost: $20/adult, $45/family.

Cultivating the Past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, July 23 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Displaying your discoveries: Can you dig it?

Discover the journey artefacts travel, from digging up to displaying! Make your own exhibit to display the artefacts you’ve found throughout July.

Sunday, July 25 and Wednesday, July 28 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Little Critters

Can you find any bugs hiding in the Billings garden, or lurking in the lawn? Explore the museum grounds every Thursday morning for the critters that live in our back yard. Learn about their life cycles, diets and habitats before making a bug-inspired craft and then giving them back their freedom!

Thursday, July 29 from 10 am to 11:30 am.

Cost: $6 per child. Ages 3 to 6.

Advanced registration required.

Cultivating the past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, July 30 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Victorian Medical Show

Learn about the medical arts of the 19th century during this evening performance. Witness the pains that patients experienced to treat toothaches, headaches, amputations and more. Decide for yourself whether or not these treatments solved the problems or just made them worse!

Friday, July 30 from 8 to 10 pm.

Cost: $20 per person. Ages 14 and up.

Advanced registration required.

Pickles and Preserves: Savouring Sunday

Discover the sweetest and most savoury aspect of pioneer life – food! Every Sunday, visitors can learn food preparation skills from a time gone by. Discover why they were important and how they can be adapted to modern day cooking.

This week, immortalize your favourite foods through the art of pickling and preserving!

Sunday, August 1 from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Cost: $10 per person

Advanced registration required.

Intro to Insects:

Bug Hunt!

With bug nets and jars in hand, kids can hunt for bugs every Sunday and Wednesday in August. This week, they will learn how to identify different types of insects, where to find them and why they are important to the world around us!

Sunday, August 1 and Wednesday, August 4 from 2 to 4 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Cultivating the Past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, August 6 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Campfires and Storytelling

Every Friday in August, join the Ottawa Storytellers around the campfire to hear exciting Ottawa tales – some true and some tall! Come at 7 to roast marshmallows before the stories start at 7:30.

Friday, August 6 from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Jellies and Jams: Savouring Sunday

Discover the sweetest and most savoury aspect of pioneer life – food! This week, learn how to turn your backyard berries into delicious jellies and jams.

Sunday, August 8 from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Cost: $10 per person

Advanced registration required.

Butterflies and Moths: Bug Hunt!

What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth? Through crafts, games and hands-on activities – and, of course, a bug hunt - find out how to tell these two species apart and how to attract them to your yard (and why you should!).

Sunday, August 8 and Wednesday, August 11 from 2 to 4 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Cultivating the Past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, August 13 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Campfires and Storytelling

Join the Ottawa Storytellers around the campfire to hear exciting Ottawa tales – some true and some tall! Come at 7 to roast marshmallows before the stories start at 7:30..

Friday, August 13 from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Cost: $6 per person, $10 per pair or $15 per family.

Edible Ornaments: Savouring Sunday

Discover the sweetest and most savoury aspect of pioneer life – food! This week, make edible ornaments to decorate your dishes.

Sunday, August 15 from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Cost: $10 per person

Advanced registration required.

‘Ard Working Ants: Bug Hunt!

Ants are pretty tough for their size. Find some ‘ard working ants on the Billings property and build your own ant farm to see just what they are capable of!

Sunday, August 15 and Wednesday, August 18 from 2 to 4 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Cultivating the Past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, August 20 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Campfires and Storytelling

Join the Ottawa Storytellers around the campfire to hear exciting Ottawa tales – some true and some tall! Come at 7 to roast marshmallows before the stories start at 7:30.

Friday, August 20 from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Cost: $6 per person, $10 per pair or $15 per family.

Brewing Beer: Savouring Sunday

Discover the sweetest and most savoury aspect of pioneer life – food! This week, discover how the old boys did it with a lesson in heritage brewing and beer making.

Sunday, August 20 from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Cost: $10 per person

Advanced registration required.

Searching for Spiders: Bug Hunt!

How do spiders spin their webs? How do they eat their food? Discover more about these amazing arachnids through a series of crafts, activities and games.

Sunday, August 22 and Wednesday, August 25 from 2 to 4 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 6+.

Advanced registration required.

Cultivating the Past

Watch our vegetables grow all summer long! Every Friday in July and August, tend to the Billings veggie garden. Plant some seeds, tend to weeds, and nurture your greens into full-grown vegetables. Take home the fruits – or veggies! – of your labour when they ripen up.

Friday, August 27 from 1:30 to 3 pm.

Cost: $6 per child, ages 4+.

Advanced registration required.

Campfires and Storytelling

Join the Ottawa Storytellers around the campfire to hear exciting Ottawa tales – some true and some tall! Come at 7 to roast marshmallows before the stories start at 7:30.

Friday, August 27 from 7 to 8:30 pm.

Cost: $6 per person, $10 per pair or $15 per family.

Open Hearth Cooking: Savouring Sunday

Discover the sweetest and most savoury aspect of pioneer life – food! This week, learn how to successfully cook on an open hearth – a unique skill for any modern chef!

Sunday, August 29 from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Cost: $10 per person

Advanced registration required.