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March brings all sorts of new things to see and do in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, Montreal and upstate New York. Whether you’d like to enjoy a few more days of skiing or you’re dying to embrace spring with a trip to a sugar bush, read on for day trip and weekend getaway suggestions for March 2019! (And for even more ideas, don’t forget to check out my events calendar, sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter or follow me on Facebook.)
- March 1: See Canadian jazz legend Molly Johnson in concert at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans.
- March 2: Hit the cross-country ski trails at the Ferguson Forest Centre, then warm up with a bowl of soup at TLC Soupfest in Kemptville.
- March 3: Hear three of Haydn’s final symphonies at an afternoon concert by the Kingston Symphony Orchestra at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts.
- March 4: Bring your binoculars and head to Ottawa’s Britannia Beach area for some of the city’s best birdwatching.
Maple sugar bush photo courtesy of Wheeler’s and Lanark County Tourism.
- March 5: Mark Shrove Tuesday with the customary pancakes and maple syrup at Wheeler’s Pancake House, Sugar Camp and Museums in McDonald’s Corners. (For more maple sugar-related ideas, watch my website for an upcoming post.)
- March 6: See the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ new exhibition, Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, featuring 140 garments created by the famed French designer (running until September 8).
- March 7: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day a bit early with Murphy’s Celtic Legacy, a troupe of energetic Irish dancers, at the Grand Theatre in Kingston.
- March 8: Start dreaming about that perfect putt at the Ottawa-Gatineau Golf Expo at the EY Centre (also running on March 9).
- March 9: Enjoy gospel, blues, pop and jazz at a concert by Georgette Fry and Friends, with special guest Shout Sister, at the Firehall Theatre in Gananoque (also on March 10).
- March 10: Rent skis or snowshoes on site and explore the trails at the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ingleside.
- March 11: Set off on a three-hour walking tour of Montreal’s Underground City with Fitz & Follwell Tours.
Photo by Matt Hoffman on Unsplash.
- March 12: Perk up with a flat white or a caramel macchiato from one of these Kingston cafés.
- March 13: Take kids aged 3 to 12 for a day of swimming, skating and bouncy-castle fun at the Hawkibou’s Birthday event in Hawkesbury.
- March 14: Warm up with a concert of Brazilian love songs at Pressed on Gladstone Avenue in Ottawa.
- March 15: Buy a copy of local author/musician Phil Jenkins’s new CD, Noteworthy, at a CD release party at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield.
- March 16: Enjoy a unique concert in Almonte of a new piano work celebrating every province and territory. Audience members will be encouraged to create art inspired by the music during the performance.
Photo by Magdalena Smolnicka on Unsplash.
- March 17: There are LOTS of ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ottawa (watch this website for a post full of ideas soon), but if you’d like an Irish-themed road trip, you could check out the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival in Watertown, New York (March 15 to 17).
- March 18: Bring your little ones to a free morning of stories, crafts and games in French at the National Arts Centre.
- March 19: If we still have snow, sneak in one last day on the hills with a mid-week ski trip to Titus Mountain in Malone, New York.
- March 20: Catch a night of French theatre with Piège pour un seul homme, a rollicking comedy, at Théâtre de l’Ile in Gatineau (running March 13 until April 13).
- March 21: Enjoy a three-course dinner, a silent auction and more at Feed the Fight, a fundraiser in Perth to support second-stage housing for victims of family violence.
- March 22: Rock on two tribute bands—the Blushing Brides (the Rolling Stones) and Green River Revival (Creedence Clearwater Revival)—at the Festival Hall Centre for the Performing Arts in Pembroke.
Pixabay photo.
- March 23: Raise a glass at the Wonderful World of Whisky Show in Cornwall.
- March 24: Sample seven different local brews on a two-hour Beer and Bites tour with Kingston Food Tours.
- March 25: Watch Rock the Casbah, a French-Moroccan co-production about three sisters who get together for a fractious visit after their father dies, in Gatineau as part of the Outaouais Film Festival (which runs from March 21 to 29).
- March 26: Catch a performance of Pride and Prejudice at Syracuse Stage (the show runs from March 20 to April 7).
Photo of Watson’s Mill in Manotick copyright Laura Byrne Paquet.
- March 27: Escape to Manotick for a little retail therapy (I’m partial to the butter tarts at the Gingerbread Man), and fuel up with lunch at the Black Dog Bistro.
- March 28: Hear Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy in concert at the Brockville Arts Centre.
- March 29: Enjoy classic keyboard rock played by Ben Vandergaast at the Cove Country Inn in Westport.
- March 30: It’s the season for soup! This time, it’s the Soup for Thought fundraiser at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte. Tickets include a pottery bowl you can keep. Plan ahead if you want to go; no tickets will be sold on site and the event usually sells out.
- March 31: News hounds and political junkies can hear a talk by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper at the National Arts Centre.
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