Whether you’d like to go for a scenic drive, stay close to home or travel virtually, I have lots of ideas for you to try this week! You can paddle an old-fashioned canoe in Gananoque, catch an outdoor country music concert in Cobden, shop for products by local makers in Stittsville or take the kids to a drive-in show in Nepean. Wherever your travels take you, have fun.
Paddle a voyageur canoe in Gananoque
On select dates between now and September 6—including this Friday, August 14—you can sign up to paddle a voyageur-style canoe at the Thousand Islands Boat Museum in Gananoque. Trips in the reproduction 34-foot watercraft, accompanied by a guide costumed like an 18th-century French explorer, are $15 per person. Advance registration required. (Don’t forget to check out the museum while you’re there—it’s a lot of fun.)
Help raise money for hospices
Holes for Hospice is a fundraiser for Hospice Care Ottawa. A few spots remain for their golf tournament at Loch March Golf and Country Club in Kanata on Wednesday, September 2. But if you’re more of a shopper than a golfer, you can try your luck in the related Holes for Hospice online silent auction, which started today and ends on Wednesday, August 26. Money raised supports palliative and end-of-life care.
Have breakfast by the river in Carleton Place
Lately, I’ve been getting lots of requests for recommendations for waterfront restaurant patios. Here’s something I just found out: the Waterfront Gastropub in Carleton Place, overlooking the Mississippi River, is serving up breakfast seven days a week from 8:30am to 11:30am. It’s a pretty extensive morning menu, too, with goodies such as apple-cinnamon crepes, cherry French toast, and many variations on bacon and eggs. (The pub also serves lunch and dinner.)
Buy from local artisans in Stittsville
On Thursdays (5pm to 9pm) and Saturdays (10am to 3pm), The Little Red Spade gift shop in Stittsville is hosting the Canadian Made Outdoor Market, showcasing local makers. The market takes place behind the store.
Enjoy live music in Orleans
On Thursday evenings throughout the summer, the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans is presenting free half-hour outdoor concerts.
Tonight (August 13), you can BYOI (bring your own instrument) and jam along with musician Joel Jacques, who plays a whole lot of different instruments. If you don’t have an instrument, you can borrow a sanitized ukulele to join in the fun.
Next week, on Thursday, August 20, the featured performers will be Oto-wa Taiko, a group of local Japanese-style drummers. Check out the video above (from 2019) to get a taste of their heart-pumping music.
All shows start at 7pm; 100 people can watch live, and the shows will also be live streamed.
Check out a free Arts Court show
Speaking of live streaming: Also on Thursdays, the Ottawa Fringe Festival is presenting free shows in Arts Court’s outdoor courtyard. This week’s entry in the Pop Up Patio series will feature comedy, music, storytelling and spoken word performers, and will stream live on Twitch from 7pm to 8pm.
Visit the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa
Another national museum re-opens its doors this weekend, as the Canada Science and Technology Museum opens to the general public on Friday, August 14. Permanent exhibitions on everything from steam engines to wearable technology will keep science fans of all ages entertained. As at many other museums, you’ll need to buy timed tickets online in advance.
See a drive-in movie or outdoor kids’ show in Nepean
Wesley Clover Parks in Nepean is now a drive-in events venue! The park is currently screening drive-in movies on weekend evenings. Up this weekend: Talladega Nights with Will Ferrell on Friday, Bad Boys II with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith on Saturday, and The Blair Witch Project as part of the Sunday Scaries series on Sunday.
The site is also hosting live drive-in concerts and shows. This weekend, there are two family-oriented shows during the day: Baby Shark with Max and Rudy on Saturday (OMG, now that song will be in my head all day), and Splash N Boots on Sunday.
Meet local authors in the ByWard Market
On Saturday, August 15 (10am to 3pm), you can meet six local authors—and buy their books!—in an outdoor Authors Market on the George Street Plaza of the ByWard Market.
Enjoy fireworks above the Outaouais
Just because the big Sound of Light fireworks festival can’t take place as usual this year doesn’t mean you can’t still ooh and ahh to exploding pyrotechnics overhead. On Saturday, August 15, the skies above eight separate locations across the Outaouais—including Aylmer, Hull, Pointe-Gatineau and Buckingham—will sparkle during the 15-minute Illumination fireworks show. Presented by the Casino Lac-Leamy and the FMG (Gatineau Balloon Festival), the spectacle will be synchronized to a soundtrack broadcast on 94.9 Rouge FM. Maps on the event’s website show you the geographic areas where viewers will be able to see the show, which starts at 9pm.
Catch a free concert in Cobden
As part of the aptly named Music in the Park series, the Country Classics will take to the stage at Cobden Veterans Memorial Park—overlooking Muskrat Lake, just off Highway 17—on Saturday, August 15, starting at 6:30pm.
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