Whether your taste runs to astronomy, soul music, pancake breakfasts, dogsledding or snowmobiling, I have a road trip idea that might just inspire you to scrape off the car and set out on an adventure. Wherever you wander, have a great time—and drive carefully!
Enjoy soulful music in Morrisburg
Would some jazzy, soulful R&B warm up your cold winter? Then head to Morrisburg on Saturday, January 19, when Tanika Charles and her band The Wonderfuls will take to the stage at the Upper Canada Playhouse as part of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage series. CBC Music calls Charles, whose songs are often drawn from her own experience, the “most buzzed-about soul singer in Toronto.” She has appeared as a lounge singer on the Global TV series “Bomb Girls,” and her debut full-length album, “Soul Run,” was nominated for a Polaris Music Prize and a 2017 Juno Award.
Enjoy a winter festival in Pakenham, Renfrew, Laurentian Valley, Petawawa or Embrun
It seems we’ve collectively decided that the way to face all this snow and ice is to get outside and play in them. As a result, there are winter festivals galore on the schedule this weekend, many featuring some combination of snowshoeing, hot chocolate, outdoor hockey, pancake breakfasts, spaghetti suppers…well, you get the idea!
Events this weekend include the Pakenham Frost Festival (January 19 to 26), Frewfest in Renfrew (January 18 to 20), the Alice in Winterland Carnival in Laurentian Valley, near Pembroke (January 18 to 25), Cabin Fever in Petawawa (January 19 to 27) and the Embrun Carnival (January 18 to 27). Looking for ideas later in the winter? Check out my list of more than 30 winter festivals.
Browse for local products in Russell
Photo courtesy of the Living Locally Fair.
Some 110 exhibitors—including farmers, food producers, artisans, and representatives of community groups—are expected to be on hand for the Living Locally Fair at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Russell (Saturday, January 19). Don’t forget to bring a food bank donation!
Dream wedding dreams in Kemptville
A Bride and Groom Show is coming to the eQuinelle Golf and Resident Club in Kemptville on Saturday, January 19. Vendors include photographers, caterers, venues, limo companies, wedding planners and more.
Watch the lunar eclipse in Ottawa
On the night of January 20–21, a full lunar eclipse will be visible from Ottawa—and it will be your last chance to see one here until 2022. If you’d like to check it out through a telescope, you can do so at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (check the museum’s link before heading out; if the weather is cloudy, the viewing will be cancelled). Dress warmly!
Enjoy Blues on the Rideau in Westport
Chase away the winter blues…with some blues! Toronto’s Juno-winning Jack de Keyzer Band is coming to the Cove Country Inn in Westport on January 18 and 19 as part of the Blues on the Rideau series.
Satisfy your munchies in Albany
It’s a bit of a drive, but it sounds like fun: The Albany Chefs’ Food and Wine Festival (January 17 to 19, 2019) features 70 restaurants and chefs, and gives you the chance to sample some 250 craft beers, wines and spirits (not all at once, please).
Get home-reno inspiration in Ottawa
Planning some renovations this year? Get inspiration at the Ottawa Home and Remodelling Show at the EY Centre (January 17 to 20). There will be a large roster of speakers, seminars and suppliers, including Canadian home reno TV scions Mike Holmes Jr. and Sherry Holmes. If you buy your tickets online in advance, you’ll save $3.
Check out a family-friendly winter festival in Montreal
Photo of dogsledding at la Fête des Neiges de Montréal © Parc Jean-Drapeau, Gilles Proulx.
This weekend marks the beginning of the four-weekend Fête des Neiges de Montréal (January 19 to February 10). The family-oriented winter festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau features ice slides, dogsledding, ice-sculpting shows and other fun.
Get outdoorsy in Kingston or the Adirondacks
The Best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival showcases award-winning movies from the Alberta festival, which focuses on mountain sports, adventure and the environment. You can catch it in Kingston this week (January 19 to 21). A bit further afield, the Adirondack International Mountaineering Festival in Keene Valley (January 18 to 21) features slideshow presentations, climbing clinics and more.
Hear author Charlotte Gray in Perth
This one is actually next week, but I thought I’d give you an advance heads up, because it’s on a Monday. Ottawa author Charlotte Gray will be speaking to the Canadian Federation of University Women at the Perth Legion on Monday, January 21. She’ll be focusing on her 2017 book, The Promise of Canada: 150 Years—People and Ideas That Have Shaped Our Country.
Dance the night away in Montreal
This Thursday sees the launch of Igloofest, a three-weekend electronic music festival on the Jacques Cartier Quay in the Old Port of Montreal (January 17 to February 2). With DJs and musicians from multiple countries—Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and France, to name a few—you’ll be able to dance yourself warm no matter how far the mercury falls.
Cheer on snowmobile racers in Picton
Snowmobile racers and their fans will be heading to the Isaiah Tubbs Resort in Picton this weekend (January 19 and 20) for two days of fast driving at the Sand Dunes Cup, part of the Ontario Snowmobile Oval Racers circuit.
Want more tips on road trips from Ottawa—including info on hotel discounts, contests, festivals and other cool news? Subscribe to my free weekly e-newsletter! I will never spam you—promise.
Are you promoting an upcoming event you’d like to see in a future weekly road trip roundup? Please email me the details at least two weeks in advance of the event, and I’ll add them to my files. If you have a horizontal photo or two I could use, even better. Thanks!
2 comments
Your newsletter is wonderful! Please keep up the good work!!
You’re most welcome—I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to write.