For outdoorsy types, I have hiking trails and a snow tubing hill. If you’d rather stay indoors, you can check out a photography exhibition or the newly reopened Diefenbunker, or send away for craft supplies. And, of course, online adventures abound, including museum talks and escape rooms, a Canadian film festival, and a new series of concerts featuring Ottawa artists.
Note: For the “real world” activities mentioned, please stay within your home community! In this post, I’ve mentioned some outdoor fun in places beyond Ottawa because I have readers across Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais—so I want to give them options. Wherever you go, if you get to a place and it’s too crowded, keep moving or try again another day! (Sadly, I’ve had reports from readers of trails, toboggan hills, parks and other sites that are being overused.)
Catch concerts by Ottawa musicians at home
The Ottawa Music Industry Coalition has partnered with Rogers TV, Apartment613, the Shenkman Arts Centre and Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe to present Encore Ottawa, a series of pre-recorded concerts featuring an all-Ottawa roster of 16 musical acts. They work in all sorts of genres and were chosen for this virtual event by a jury of local arts pros.
The series kicks off on Friday, February 26, with a one-hour broadcast at 8pm that includes one song from each of the showcased performers. After that, there will be a double-header concert each week until April 30. You can watch them on Rogers TV Ottawa or stream them anytime for free on the Rogers YouTube channel. Here’s the complete list of Encore Ottawa performers, along with the dates their shows will be released.
Make plans to attend the Viennese Winter Ball
Every year, I’m intrigued by the publicity for the Viennese Winter Ball, an event that seems tailor made for folks far more glamorous and coordinated than I. In the Before Times, attendees in formal outfits waltzed to live music. (The video above, from the 2017 event, gives you an idea.) This year, though, might be my perfect chance to attend the gala without tripping over my own two feet in front of a roomful of strangers. In 2021, the gala on Saturday, March 13, will be both virtual and free.
So if it’s not happening for a few weeks, why am I mentioning it now? Glad you asked! It’s in this week’s post because there are some steps you can take now to make the experience extra festive. For instance, you can pre-order a fancy dinner from participating restaurants or polish your skills with online lessons from Arthur Murray Dance Ottawa (details are on the gala website).
On the evening itself, you can watch musical performances featuring renowned Canadian tenor Ben Heppner and dance the night away in the privacy of your own living room. While the event is free, it is a fundraiser for the youth programs of Music & Beyond, so there will also be an online auction, and donations are welcome.
Get your maple fix in Edwards, Pakenham, Casselman or l’Ange Gardien
In Edwards, the sugarbush at Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm opens for the season (weekends only) on Saturday, February 27. Visit the animal barn and the taffy shack, enjoy some treats from the “walkabout menu,” and by syrup and take-home meals in the farm shop.
At Fulton’s sugarbush in Pakenham, the pancake house isn’t open this season, but you can explore 8 kilometres of outdoor trails, then drop by the farm store for maple syrup, pepperettes, salad dressing and lots more.
Proulx Farm in Casselman has launched a socially distanced version of its popular Maple Fest. You can enjoy hiking trails, taffy on snow, fire pits and more, as well as buying maple products.
Le Domaine de l’Ange Gardien in the Outaouais is currently taking online bookings for socially distanced fun on its snow tubing hill. And if you think you’ll work up an appetite with all that exercise, here’s good news: You can also pre-order a huge sugar shack meal to reheat at home. It’s packed with every traditional treat you can think of, from pea soup and baked beans to ham, sausages, pancakes and sugar pie.
P.S.: Looking for more maple syrup options? Check out my comprehensive new post about local sugarbushes.
Order supplies for Ukrainian Easter eggs
Sure, Ukrainian Easter isn’t happening until May 2 this year, but it’s never too early to plan ahead, right? (Given how slowly Canada Post is delivering these days, it really isn’t too early.) You can order all the gear you need to make your own pysanky (intricately decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs) from the Folk Shop. Revenues support the shop’s summer folk arts craft in Grafton, Ontario.
Go underground in Carp
The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum reopens on Friday, February 26. To visit this fascinating underground bunker—built to shelter VIPs in the event of a nuclear attack—you must buy online tickets in advance. The amusing, 1950-style video above outlines the COVID-19 safety protocols the museum is following and highlight the new, self-guided audio tour of the facility.
See new films online at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival
In its first-ever digital incarnation, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival (February 26 to March 7) is screening all of its movies online. Features, shorts and documentaries on the program include My Salinger Year (based on a memoir about book publishing in 1990s New York), The Kid Detective (a dark comedy about a washed-up P.I.) and Call Me Human (a documentary about Innu elder Josephine Bacon).
Stroll the grounds of Rideau Hall
Did you know that more than 150 commemorative trees are planted around Rideau Hall? The gates have now reopened and you can check out the Rideau Hall website to download a free self-guided walking tour of the sweeping grounds. Note that the skating rink and the house itself are still closed to the public.
Hear stories from Gulf War veterans
On Friday, February 26, at 1pm, the Canadian War Museum is presenting a free Zoom discussion with three Canadian veterans of the Gulf War. They’ll discuss their experiences in that conflict, which began 30 years ago when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Hit a trail in North Grenville
Just south of Ottawa, the North Grenville Trail system features some 150 kilometres of outdoor routes to explore—many of them open year round. They include loops through the Ferguson Forest Centre in Kemptville and the Tip to Tip Trail in Burritts Rapids.
Engage with contemporary photography at SPAO
This week and next are your last chance to catch Undergrowth, an exhibition by photographic artist Sara Angelucci, at the SPAO Centre Gallery in Ottawa. Images in the show intimately reflect the landscapes of a provincial park near Angelucci’s home and explore the relationship between photography and Western science.
Delve into local history online
Over the past year (and even before that), local museums have found all sorts of creative ways to showcase their exhibitions and expertise online. Here are just a few of the cool sites you can explore from your home computer.
- The Brockville Museum has recorded its virtual Talk & Tea lectures, which highlight topics such as the intriguing history of patent medicines in Brockville.
- The Cornwall Community Museum has a long, photo-packed post that serves as a digital tour of the museum.
- The Goulbourn Museum has created a history-themed digital escape room.
- The Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault has a 12-minute video (see above) telling the story of the communities that were purposely flooded to create the St. Lawrence Seaway.
- In Montreal, the McCord Museum is offering real-time Zoom tours of several of its shows, including Wearing Our Identity: The First Peoples Collection, that give you the chance to start a conversation with the curators.
- The Mississippi Mills Textile Museum has online versions of several exhibitions, including an of-the-moment photography show called Faces and Fabric: Mississippi Mills During a Pandemic.
- In Kingston, the PumpHouse Museum and the MacLachlan Woodworking Museum have PDFs outlining science and technology-themed activities that kids of all ages can do at home.
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