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Do you like to plan your road trips in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, Montreal and upstate New York a bit in advance? Whether you’d like to eat breakfast on an island, thrill to a jousting match, explore a cave, hear country or bluegrass tunes, or roller skate down Bank Street, read on for day trip and weekend getaway suggestions for every day of June 2019! (And for even more ideas, don’t forget to check out my events calendar, sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter and follow me on Facebook.)
- June 1: Bring a blanket to stretch out on and enjoy the free Priorpalooza music festival in Arnprior.
- June 2: Shop for art and crafts from local vendors at Art on the Waterfront in Chesterville.
- June 3: Come hear me give a free public talk about local road trips at the Carlingwood branch of the Ottawa Public Library.
Photo courtesy of the New York State Chinese Lantern Festival.
- June 4: Delight in illuminated creations at the New York State Chinese Lantern Festival in Syracuse (open Tuesdays through Sundays until July 1).
- June 5: Admire the first-ever exhibition devoted solely to Paul Gauguin’s portraits at the National Gallery of Canada (running until September 8).
- June 6: Sample craft beers at the Festibière de Gatineau or the Orléans Craft Beer Festival (both events run from June 6 to 8).
- June 7: Cheer on race-car drivers at the Montreal Grand Prix (June 7 to 9).
- June 8: Get a taste of country life during the Antique Days and Tractor Pull Weekend in Ste-Anne-de-Prescott, east of Ottawa (runs June 8 and 9).
- June 9: Ever wished you lived in the age of jousters, archers and falconers? See those and more at the Medieval Festival at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg (June 8 and 9).
- June 10: Watch short documentaries about Italian-Canadians and meet the filmmakers at a screening organized by Italian Week Ottawa (Italian Week itself runs from June 6 to 16).
If you’re checking out the new murals painted for Montreal’s Mural Festival, you can also see this permanent piece (in a theatre’s loading bay) on St. Laurent Boulevard.
- June 11: Take an after-work hike along one of the many woodland and marsh trails meandering through Stony Swamp, an NCC-protected area near Hunt Club Road and Moodie Drive. Free parking!
- June 12: Check out the new murals that artists have painted along St. Laurent Boulevard in Montreal as part of the city’s Mural Festival (events run June 6 to 16, but the murals stay up all year).
- June 13: Catch opening night (and grab a prime camping spot) at the Galop Canal Bluegrass Festival in Iroquois (the festival runs until June 15).
- June 14: DJs, art classes, yoga, vendors, a temporary roller rink—you’ll find all this and much more along 10 downtown blocks of Bank Street during the Glowfair festival (running June 14 and 15).
Photo courtesy of the Lambs Down Park Festival.
- June 15: Celebrate all things sheepish and woolly at the Lambs Down Park Festival in Carleton Place.
- June 16: Shop for sculptures, planters and other decorative items at Art in the Garden at Kiwi Gardens in Perth (also runs on June 15).
- June 17: Enjoy theatre with a twist by checking out one of the 16 Ottawa Fringe Festival performances happening tonight (the festival runs from June 13 to 23).
- June 18: Learn about one of history’s most inventive people at Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius at the Canada Science and Technology Museum (until September 2).
- June 19: Hop aboard a boat in Brockville for a quick trip to Refugee Island for the annual Island Breakfast, a very popular annual fundraiser (until June 22).
- June 20: Dig into some barbecue at the Ottawa Ribfest on Sparks Street (June 19 to 23).
Photo by Andre R. Gagné courtesy of the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival.
- June 21: Learn more about Indigenous music, dance and art at the free Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival in Vincent Massey Park in Ottawa (June 20 to 23).
- June 22: Rev up your wheels at the Thousand Islands River Run Motorcycle Rally in Alexandria Bay, New York (June 21 to 23).
- June 23: Savour a midsummer farm-to-table family feast—including rhubarb-and-spruce-brined chicken, couscous with peas, and strawberry shortcake— at Saunders Farm in Munster.
- June 24: Drop into the new show, Pterosaur: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs, at the Canadian Museum of Nature (June 15 to September 2).
- June 25: See the rollicking musical version of Anne of Green Gables at the 1000 Islands Playhouse in Gananoque (June 21 to July 20).
- June 26: Take a guided tour of Bonnechere Caves in Eganville.
- June 27: Bring the kids to the free Musical Ride Sunset Ceremonies at the RCMP Rockcliffe Stables in Ottawa (June 27 to 30).
- June 28: Enjoy some good ol’ hurtin’ music at the Festival Country Bowman Val-des-Bois (June 26 to 30).
- June 29: Hear Brazilian bossa nova singer Bebel Gilberto, with opening act Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, at the Montreal Jazz Festival (the festival runs from June 26 to July 6).
- June 30: Live music, gourmet food, art workshops, and countless artist and artisan booths are among the attractions of Artfest, a free three-day festival in City Park in Kingston (June 29 to July 1).
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