If you love the great outdoors, Renfrew, Ontario, is the ideal day trip destination from Ottawa. You can spend some of the day hiking, fishing, snowmobiling or cycling, and the other half noshing, shopping and learning about local history. It’s the best of both worlds!
Several rail-to-trail routes for hikers, cyclists and others run through Renfrew, including the K&P Trail, which takes you to Calabogie, and the still-expanding Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail, which is known as the Algonquin Trail in Renfrew County.
If you’re new to fishing, don’t want to haul your boat and gear, or just want the fun of going out with a guide, Irish Creek Outfitters (2014 Thompson Road) offers fishing charters, ice-hut rentals and more.
Kayakers and canoeists might enjoy a scenic paddle along the Bonnechere River from its Second Chute (waterfall) in O’Brien Park in downtown Renfrew. Be careful in spring, when the river can be quite fast. Keep your binoculars handy to spot blue herons, kingfishers, eagles and beavers.
And for golfers, the Renfrew Golf Club (1108 Golf Course Road) is an 18-hole course just 10 minutes northwest of town. If you want to make a weekend of your trip, ask the course whether it’s currently offering any stay-and-play hotel packages.
Renfrew shopping and restaurants
Ready for some retail therapy? Pick It Fence (190 Raglan Street South) is a pretty place to browse for jewellery, women’s fashions, linens, wine glasses, planters, throw pillows, mugs, towels, chocolate and other items.
As well as picking up paints, canvases, brushes and other supplies, you can sign up for classes, check out art exhibitions and attend special events at the Art Factory (11 Bridge Street).
You’re probably hungry by this point, and it’s always fun to drop by the Bonnechere Bakery and Bistro (258 Raglan Street South) to see what’s new and fresh. The baked goodies are divine (try the photo-perfect cupcakes), but there’s also an ever-changing menu of sandwiches, soups and salads. The huge shop offers lots of sunny spots to relax, beneath a pressed-tin ceiling dotted with chandeliers.
Down the street, Sweet Tooths (166 Raglan Street South) sells fresh-baked treats like cookies and tarts, as well as ice cream, fudge and retro-style candy. You can shop for table linens, t-shirts, socks and other gifts here, too.
Worked up a big appetite after a day outdoors? Try the hearty portions of schnitzel, ribs, steak, fish and chips, pasta, and more at the Rocky Mountain House (409 Stewart Street). Many dishes come with heaps of buttered spätzle or “RCMP” (real Canadian mashed potatoes) on the side. Breakfast is served on weekends.
Nearby, Odi’s Kingburger (546 Stewart Street) is the real deal—a drive-in burger joint that’s been in business since 1971. The menu is simple and classic: hamburgers, chicken burgers, fries, poutine, onion rings, milkshakes and pogos comprise most of it.
Local history and a hockey haven
The McDougall Mill Museum (65 Arthur Street) has a picturesque location in O’Brien Park, beside the Second Chute (waterfall) of the Bonnechere River.
Inside the old mill, built in 1855, my favourite exhibits include a display dedicated to fiery former Ottawa mayor Charlotte Whitton, who was born in Renfrew in 1896; an 1899 quilt decorated with locals’ hand-embroidered autographs; and a hilarious-looking contraption of cables and clamps once used to perm hair. The exhibits of items once made in local, long-closed factories—like wood stoves, irons and ice boxes—makes me a bit wistful for the economic stability those companies once provided.
Is sports history more your style? Renfrew bills itself as the birthplace of the National Hockey League, because the National Hockey Association (forerunner of the NHL) was launched here in 1909. You can learn more at the NHA/NHL Birthplace Museum (1 Ma-Te-Way Park Drive).
The Renfrew Swinging Bridge
Next to the McDougall Mill Museum, pedestrians and cyclists can cross the river on the Renfrew Swinging Bridge, a wood-and-cable suspension bridge that’s been replaced and updated several times since the first such structure was built here in 1885. Kids will love the way it sways and bounces (adults, maybe not so much). Do keep the young ‘uns from jumping up and down on it, though!
If you go
Renfrew is 95 kilometres from Parliament Hill. To drive there, head west on Highway 417 and continue westbound after it becomes Highway 17. Turn left onto Highway 60 (O’Brien Road). This would be a long and challenging ride for cyclists, and there is no public transportation between Ottawa and Renfrew.
You’ll find a summer-only visitor information centre at 190 Mask Road. Tourist information is available year round at the Renfrew and Area Chamber of Commerce Office (161 Raglan Street South). Online, see the websites of the Town of Renfrew, Ottawa Valley Tourist Association and Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization.
Want to make a weekend of it? Use the map below to find accommodation in the Renfrew area. Disclosure: I’ll receive a small commission if you book a place to stay in Renfrew using this map (and you’ll receive my thanks for supporting this website!).
Looking for more ideas for day trips and weekend getaways from Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter and buy my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100km Getaway Guide, from which this post was adapted.
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[…] Go kayaking on the Madawaska River, pick up some treats at Bonnechere Bakery and Bistro, and check out the extensive collection of local historical artifacts at the McDougall Mill Museum. For more ideas, see my Renfrew day tripping guide. […]
[…] you know that Charlotte Whitton was Ottawa’s first female mayor, but where was she born? In this Ottawa Valley town’s McDougall Mill Museum, you’ll find a display related to Whitton’s life and […]