Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series on family travel. Parenting Times did not receive any compensation or complimentary goods or services in connection with this story.

Little Parliament Hill during a tiny Canada Day celebration in Little Ottawa, Little Canada. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

The nation’s capital, but teeny tiny. A miniscule version of Ottawa is at the centre of this awe-inspiring exhibit

Seeing as much as we can of the country we call home should be on the bucket list of every Canadian, but it’s not always possible due to time, job commitments, kids and budget. And did we mention time?

A Toronto attraction aims to bring Canada — one area at a time and in bite-sized, best-of style — to us.

Little Canada creator Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer credits his embrace of miniatures to his childhood, the Little Canada websites states. He was unpacking his father’s model train set when he got the idea for Little Canada. Further inspired by Miniature Wunderland in Hamburg and Madurodam in the Netherlands, Brenninkmeijer, along with David MacLean from the Toronto Model Railway Club set out to replicate Canada in miniature.

During a recent trip to Toronto, our family of four — plus my dad — dropped in on Little Canada, where we marvelled at how tiny, detailed and accurate everything was.

The author’s father, Frank, takes a long look at a little landscape. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

Some concessions had to be made, of course — it’s not possible to fit all of a region’s key landmarks and attractions in otherwise — but that did not detract from the experience. The website promised, “there is something at Little Canada for everyone to learn and to love” and it delivered. Everyone — from my dad, who arrived in Canada from Hong Kong in the mid-1970s and has a remarkable memory for anything geographical, to my daughters, ages six and 10, who were able to connect the miniature scenes to the five provinces we’d visited to over the last two years — got something different out of it.

The writer’s husband Kyle and daughter Ellie check out a tiny Chateau Laurier in Little Ottawa. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

Little Canada is separated into seven regions. In order of layout, they include Little Niagara, Little Toronto, Little Golden Horseshoe, Little Ottawa, Petit Quebec, Little East Coast and Little West Coast, with the Rockies and Canada’s north coming as soon as later this year.

For me, a northern Ontario-born, Toronto-raised Ottawa resident, Little Canada was a chance for me to recall all the wonderful times I’d had visiting this treasure of a country with loved ones. Perhaps that’s one of Little Canada’s greatest gifts.

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Little Ottawa up close: Here’s a look at some of Little Ottawa’s landmarks and attractions that Little Canada included (and got just right)

Little Parliament Hill in Little Ottawa, Little Canada. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

Parliament Hill

The home of the Parliament of Canada, the Hill (depicted, complete with fireworks on Canada Day in Little Canada) attracts approximately three million visitors each year.

A tiny Chateau Laurier in Little Ottawa. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

Chateau Laurier

Built between 1909 and 1912 in tandem with Ottawa’s downtown Union Station (now the Senate of Canada), Chateau Laurier was designated a national historic site in 1980. Over the years, the iconic hotel’s notable guests have included royalty (King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip), politicians (Pierre Elliott Trudeau and John Diefenbaker), celebrities (Nelson Mandela, Carrie Fisher, James Cagney, Marlene Dietrich, Shirley Temple and Roger Moore) and was home to photographer Yousuf Karsh.

Little ByWard Market in Little Ottawa. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

ByWard Market Square

One of Canada’s oldest and largest public markets, ByWard Market was built in the 1820s as a commercial area for the workers building the Rideau Canal.

Canadian Tulip Festival

Held every May since 1953, the Canadian Tulip Festival is the world’s largest public tulip display. Beginning in 1945 (and every year since), the Dutch royal family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa to show its gratitude for having sheltered Queen Juliana and her family during World War II.

Little Rideau Canal and a very little Bytown Museum in Little Ottawa. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

Rideau Canal

A waterway that links a trail of rivers and lakes, the Rideau Canal was built following the War of 1812 to provide safe water transportation between Montreal and the Great Lakes. Today, the Rideau Canal is used for recreational activities including canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and in the winter, skating. Note the Bytown Museum on the left side of the photo.

Ottawa River

The traditional territory of the Algonquin people. Settlements on the Ottawa River date back 6,500 years. It was a key route for the fur trade and later, for the logging industry.

A model of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau at Little Canada. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

Canadian Museum of History

A national museum on history, anthropology, cultural studies, history and ethnology, the Canadian Museum of History is one of Canada’s oldest public institutions. The museum’s collection includes more than three million artifacts and documents.

The Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival in Little Ottawa, Little Canada. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival

Since 1988, balloonists from all over the world come to Gatineau to launch hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes over Labour Day weekend. This year’s event runs August 27 to 31.

Living in Little Canada

The writer’s daughter Millie gets miniaturized at the Littlization Station. Photo Credit Tracey Tong

We all took turns stepping inside the Littlization Station (funnily enough, reminiscent of the pod that turned Jeff Goldblum into The Fly in the Cronenberg movie of the same name) to get 3D scanned by 128 cameras. Once home, we used the link on the Little Canada website to purchase ¾-inch, 2.5-inch and five-inch versions of ourselves. Although we elected to have ours sent to us, guests can choose one of 45 locations in Little Canada to have their mini-me placed. Staff will email a photo of their guest’s Little Me in Little Canada to share on social media.

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