You may opt for the artificial, and I can respect that, but my family will always have a real Christmas tree. Back when we lived in Vancouver we always bought a live Christmas tree, even when we were in an apartment and I’m pretty sure live trees were banned. In Vancouver we always bought the tree from a lot, or a store nearby. Now that we are here in Ottawa I love how close the city is to so many Christmas tree farms – where you can cut down your own. It’s a new holiday experience for me.

I’ve put together a list of some of the best Christmas tree farms in and around Ottawa for anyone who is looking to buy their real tree and kick off the holiday season!

Ian’s Christmas Adventure Park and Tree Farm

To date, Ian’s Christmas Adventure Park is my favourite Christmas tree farm (keeping in mind I have to visit many more!) The park is around a 30 minute drive from downtown Ottawa. It is run by a lovely family and it offers great Christmas trees as well as many other attractions for your family. For one – there are live reindeer! My kids loved seeing Comet, Blitzen and the rest of the gang.

There are bonfires, free hot chocolate and wagon rides around the property. Santa is also in his workshop every evening.  When there is snow you can bring along a toboggan and use the sledding hill.

Ian’s is one of those places that is worth visiting even if you are not getting a tree. If you buy a tree, you can enjoy everything at the park for free. If you don’t buy a tree, entry into the park is $10 a person, and children 3 years and under are free.

Fallowfield Tree Farm

We got our tree from Fallowfield two years ago. We liked that Fallowfield was only a 15 minute drive from our home. Now, we went on a friday night and so there wasn’t any wagon ride and we didn’t get to cut down our own tree. We chose a pre cut tree and I must admit it is a lovely one.

There was a bonfire and marshmallows for roasting, which my kids (and I) enjoyed. A friend of mine also went to Fallowfield this year. She went on a weekend and got to cut down her own tree. Her review was that Fallowfield was nice and they enjoyed the wagon ride. For more information on Fallowfield visit here.

Thomas Tree Farm

I’ve heard good things about Thomas Tree Farm, and I think this might be one to check out soon. It’s one of the closest farms to Ottawa, located just west of North Gower. It offers wagon rides, a bonfire, hot chocolate and cookies (yum!). Thomas Farm is also known for the beautiful wreaths it sells. Check out Thomas Tree Farm website for prices, directions, hours, etc.

MacGowans Christmas Tree Farm

MacGowans is around a 40 minute drive from downtown Ottawa. It also offers wagon rides, a bonfire and hot chocolate. There are also handmade wreaths and unique ornaments for sale. This farm is only open on the weekends. For more check out here.

Laird’s U-Cut Christmas Tree Farm

Laird’s Tree Farm is in Osgoode, along Manotick Station road. There are not many bells and whistles to this operation. But you can take a wagon ride out to cut down your own tree in a lovely setting, and enjoy a complimentary hot chocolate (seems to be pretty standard for Ottawa area tree operations…I’m not complaining). For more information visit their website here.

Cedar Hill Christmas Tree Farm

Cedar Hill is a well polished operation found 30 minutes from Kanata between Pakenham and Almonte. A tractor or wagon ride will take you out to cut down your own tree. You can sip hot chocolate by a bonfire and if there’s snow you can bring along your sled to go down their sliding hill. Visitors can also warm up by the fire in the cosy shop and grab a bit in the country kitchen. This is another place I really want to hit up soon! For more visit their website.

Blitzen Estate

Blitzen Estate is found in Jasper, about 40 minutes outside of Ottawa. There is 95 acres of “u-cut” trees as well as many pre-cut trees. You won’t find many “extras” at the Blitzen Estate, but their trees are some of the most inexpensive I’ve seen. Check out their website for more.

Hillcrest Tree Farm

Hillcrest is just off the 416, about 25 minutes from downtown Ottawa. They are open throughout the week, but the bonfire,  hot drinks and Wagon rides on the weekends are only on the weekends. If weather is permitting there will also be sleigh rides on the first two weekends of December from 10:30 – 3:00 pm. You can find more on Hillcrest Tree Farm on their website.

Some Other Options for Finding a Tree

For those of you who want a real tree but are not interested in, or don’t have time to hit up a tree farm, here are a few good options. Parkdale Market has beautiful, though fairly pricey, trees for sale. The ByWard Market is another great place to choose a tree, and on the weekends there are horse drawn wagon rides and carollers to add to the festive atmosphere. There are of course a number of stand alone tree lots, and you can’t forget the great tree deal at IKEA. The Christmas trees at Ikea’s tree lot are usually only $20 and you get a $20 coupon for the store. I can personally vouch that the trees are lovely too! Hard to beat that.