November 23rd, 2022 | Community

Reasons to Make Highland Park/McKellar Park Your Home

McKellar Park and Highland Park are mature tree-lined residential neighbourhoods that have an incredible community feel, which residents fondly refer to as a village within a city, while still enjoying close proximity to the shops and restaurants of Westboro Village and the beautiful scenery of the Ottawa River.

The Stunning Homes

This neighbourhood is very visually appealing; you can see that residents take great care in maintaining their homes and gardens, adding to the aesthetic appeal of the tree-lined streets. The majority of homes are on large lots, which is perfect if you enjoy gardening or having space for family games or a swimming pool, although you will often find kids playing ball in the street or shooting hoops. Whether you are looking for a beautiful mid-century modern home where natural light floods in through its angled windows, a modern infill home with unique finishings or a condo, you can find a home here to match your style, taste and lifestyle needs.

Are you looking for more great Ottawa neighbourhoods? Check out our recent post about the best Ottawa neighbourhoods for commuters here.

You Enjoy a Peaceful Neighbourhood, But Also Want Restaurants Close By

This neighbourhood enjoys the best of both worlds; at home you will feel as if you are in a small community, surrounded by nature and sprawling parks, yet you are close to some excellent restaurants. On a summer evening, you can take a walk around Maplelawn Garden, a designated national historical site, dating back to 1831 before dining at The Keg Manor, which is equally as charming, but cozier, on a winter’s night. If you are craving some French cuisine, head over to The Savoy Brasserie and imagine you are in Paris, with its classic mirrored bar and red banquettes.  

At Gezellig, one of Steven Beckta’s three restaurants, order the best Icelandic cod and melt in the mouth scallops, and browse the incredible wine list, of course. All pasta cravings will be satisfied at Fratelli, a staple of the neighbourhood since 1996. If you don’t feel like cooking, but want to eat at a home cooked meal, grab something from the weekly menu at Thyme and Again and settle in for the evening.


Learn more about our favourite neighbourhoods in Ottawa with these blogs next:


Close to a Shopping Centre for All Your Family Needs

For errands, health and personal care, you can head to Carlingwood Shopping Centre, which has been deliberately designed with families and time-efficient shoppers in mind. Here you will find many health services including a doctor’s office, opticians, pharmacy, and physiotherapy. Other services include a tailor, bank, spa, hairstylist, and don’t forget to pick up some chocolates at Purdys as a reward for all those errands. Next door is Ottawa’s newest Canadian Tire, in case there is anything else you need to knock of your list.

Parks and Recreation

The Dovercourt Recreation Centre is known across Ottawa for its amazing programming and facilities. The impressive list of activities include swimming, swim lessons, art classes, dance classes, an outdoor rink, martial arts, dog training, and valuable afterschool care. For other sports, Highland Park has a tennis court, a baseball diamond, and a soccer field and McKellar Park offers tennis courts, outdoor skating rink and Field House.

The community association raises funds annually to host the Fall Festival, where locals gather to meet, dance, listen to live music, compete at tug of war and make new friends. The most recent event sounds like a blast; they estimated attendees ate over 500 cotton candies, 30 pizzas and drank around 250 cups of coffee! Local favourite Merry Dairy almost sold out, as did the food trucks that kept everyone well fed throughout the day.

Schools:

If schools are important in your home search, this neighbourhood has several well regarded schools; Nepean High School, Notre Dame High School, Broadview Public School, Edelweiss Private Academy , Our Lady of Fatima School, and another three in nearby Westboro/Wellington: Churchill Alternative School, Hilson Avenue Public School and St.George Catholic School

This Could Be Your Weekend….

When choosing a neighbourhood, it’s important to really imagine what your day to day, and your downtime could be like. Whether you want to check out for the day, or mix it up with some shopping, McKellar/Highland Park is ideally situated. After you putter around the garden, you can wander over to Starbucks, grab a brioche at Mamie Clafoutis with some macarons for later, pick up something for the kids, or something for yourself at Lululemon, plan the next camping trip at MEC, maybe get a gift for the fur in the family, then enjoy the rest of your coffee on your porch as you catch up with neighbours.

It’s Easy to Get Around and Connect Across the City

Residents of McKellar/Highland Park can connect across Ottawa using the nearby OC Transpo Transitway, or by using the Trans Canada Trail on foot, by bike, get ready for ski season by Nordic Blading along the pathway, or just wind down with the pup while getting in some fresh air with nice views. What more could you need?

If you want to make McKellar/Highland Park your home, The Chell Team is just a phone call or email away. Contact us to arrange a meeting with Susan Chell, Patti Brown or Sarah Toll today for your free home market evaluation or check out the Chell Team real estate listings.

We Acknowledge

We acknowledge that McKellar Park and Highland Park, Ottawa, was built on un-ceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territory. To learn more about the Algonquin peoples and their history, go to Algonquins of Ontario website.