Parc Omega

At this year-round nature park less than an hour's drive east of Ottawa, you can see a variety of Canadian wildlife on a 12-kilometre (7.5-mile) self-drive safari.

Dazzle your kids with a trip through Parc Omega's 2,200-acre (890-hectare) preserve in Montebello, Quebec. You might see deer, elk, bison, caribou and other animals roaming in their natural habitats. Pick up a bag of carrots at the entrance so you can feed some of the curious animals that come right up to your car.

Before or after your safari, explore the one-kilometre (0.6-mile) hiking/snowshoeing trail that leads past Indigenous totems carved by Algonquin artist Dennis Charette. On certain dates in summer and fall, you can hike an illuminated forest trail, then enjoy singing and storytelling, during Omega by Night.

And if you can't bear to leave, you don't have to—you can stay overnight in a tipi, tent or cabin from spring through fall. Or consider the ultimate experience: a night in one of the special wolf cabins (available year round), with panoramic windows looking directly into the wolf den.