I Went to Jail: HI Ottawa Jail

Over the holidays I had discovered that the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa was going to host the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra as they played the music to the Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers. I had recently had the pleasure of experiencing Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone with live music from Symphony Nova Scotia and loved it. I knew I had to find a way to see one of my all time favourite movies with live music. Luckily the timing worked well with my schedule, so I booked the flight. All that was left was to find a place to stay. I knew I did not want to stay in a hotel. They were too pricey. I decided to look up Ottawa on the hostelworld website to see what options I had. When I saw there was a hostel made from an old jail and that I could stay in a real historic solitary confinement cell, I knew I had to stay there. Does staying in a jail not sound fun? I will go over some reasons why on your next trip to Ottawa, you should go to jail at the HI Ottawa Jail…

Number one is without a doubt the experience. This hostel truly offers a one of a kind experience that you can not find anywhere else. This was a real jail that housed real inmates, some of whom were even publicly executed from the gallows attached to the jail itself. I really do recommend the solitary confinement cell, as long as you are not claustrophobic. Though the ceiling is quite high, I did not feel trapped at all. If you can stay in a capsule hotel you should be fine. Just be prepared for no room to walk around in your room! Another part of the experience is the complimentary jail tour they offer for free daily at 11am if you stay at the hostel. I highly recommend this tour as you get to learn more about the history of the jail and get to learn some interesting facts. The 150 year old jail closed in 1972 and six months later, now into 1973 opened as a hostel. While walking up to your room and towards death row on the top floor you may notice the bars across the openings in the stairways. These are called “sucide bars”. During a riot when the jail was open, a prison guard was thrown from the 8th floor to his death. Inmates saw this as a way out of their sentence and jumped to their death. Shortly afterwards the bars were installed so suicides could be prevented. Also along the stair are open holes. This was so guards could see the feet of whoever was walking down and could tell if it was an inmate or a guard. The tour took us to death row and gave us some history of the executions that took place. The gallow doors would open up so the public could watch. One of the most famous executions was of Patrick J Whelan for the assassination of Thomas D’arcy Mcgee where close to half the town went to watch. This was a bit controversial as Whelan continued to plead innocent up until his execution and to this day his family still professes his innocence. Interesting fact I learned on the tour was that he had a one to one guard at all times and that his guard became one of his biggest supporters of innocence. They say his ghost still haunts the jail (if you believe in that kind of thing).

Number two; location. The location is amazing. Right in the downtown of Ottawa and almost directly across from the Rideau centre. This makes transport extremely easy as you are only a few minutes from the line 1 train station: Rideau. From the Jail, anywhere you could want to go in Ottawa was only at most a train ride and one bus away. The Byward Market was just 10 a minute walk, and Parliament only took 10-15 minutes to walk as well. I was so close to the Rideau Canal that on two mild mornings, I woke up and went for a run on the trail alongside the canal. I did not realize until I got there how great the location was. I could not have picked a better place to stay, location wise.

Number three; price. Staying in downtown Ottawa can be pricey. You are probably looking at $110 and up for a hotel room. For a budget traveler, hostels are the way to go. My solitary confinement cell was about $50 a night, which may seem expensive for such a small room, but much better than $110+. If you want a cheaper option there are dorm rooms $30-$40. For four nights it only cost me $240 CAD (tax included).

Number four is the amazing breakfast. Another bonus, free food! The complimentary breakfast runs daily from 0730 to 1030 and is all you can eat. There are cereals, bagels, toast, an assortment of fruit, milk, juice, and a variety of spreads. Just go down to the bottom floor where the kitchen is and you can have your fill of food.

Last but not least is the hospitality. All of the staff I interacted with were super friendly and helpful. The day I arrived my plane came in at 7am, making me way too early to check in. The hostel staff were kind enough to let me store my bigger bag behind the counter until I came back at 1500 for check in. Whenever I went to ask for the new code to the door (another plus: the very secure building with a new code to the door everyday at 1100) the staff member was always very friendly and kind.

In closing, I had a great experience. The cell I stayed in was clean, the bathrooms and showers were clean, learning the history was fascinating especially knowing that 2-3 inmates sometimes shared my tiny cell! I could not have asked for a better location and the complimentary breakfast was great. If I ever return to Ottawa I can definitely see myself staying here again.