Kemptville and North Grenville: Day tripping tips

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For a place that’s just a 40-minute drive from Parliament Hill (without traffic), Kemptville feels worlds away. The compact downtown dates back to the early 1800s and is easy to explore on foot. There’s a town clock on a square overlooking Kemptville Creek, and a pretty bridge lined with flower baskets.

If you’re visiting with a pooch, don’t miss the off-leash Ferguson Forest Dog Park (parking lot on Honour Way). If your kids want to cool off, try the outdoor Kemptville Pool at Riverside Park (29 Reuben Street). And if you’d like to paddle but don’t feel like bringing your gear, you can rent canoes, kayaks and standup paddleboards from Drifters Outdoors (286 Riverview Lane, Kemptville), right on the Rideau River.

Annual events include the Kemptville Youth Musical Theatre Company’s show (April), the Kemptville Farmers’ Market (Sundays, May to October), plays by the North Grenville Community Theatre, Kemptville Ribfest (June) and the Kemptville Live! Music Festival (July). But Kemptville and the surrounding area of North Grenville is a great place to visit any time. Here’s why.

Shopping in Kemptville

As you’re heading into Kemptville from Ottawa, stop by Jac’s Boutique (2727 County Road 43) for stylish clothes for the whole family (in a wide range of sizes), as well as housewares and bath products. You’ll find all sorts of unique things here, including summery dresses from Australia, hypoallergenic jewellery from Vancouver and Swedish-designed bags made from recycled sugarcane.

In the same complex, Tanda Shoes (2727 County Road 43)—the Kemptville location of an Ottawa-based chain—specializes in high-quality, high-comfort brands like Birkenstock, Taos, Clarks and Vionic.

If you’re looking for custom-designed jewellery, drop by Sugold Jewellers and Giftware (107 Prescott Street) to chat with owner Su Ouellette, who has been crafting unique rings, bracelets, necklaces and more for over 30 years. Ready-made pieces are available, too.

Kemptville restaurants

Not surprisingly for a town surrounded by farms, Kemptville is a wonderful place for food.

Lovers of baked goods might make a beeline to Grahame’s Bakery (115 Clothier Street East) for butter tarts, bread and more. The building, which dates back to 1820, has been a bakery since 1855 and has a huge wood-fired oven. There’s also The Crusty Baker (16 Prescott Street), where the scones, pies, cookies, quiches and more are made with local flour; you can get soups and sandwiches, too.

Coffee shop fans have at least two great places to choose from. Pop into Brewed Awakenings (2868 County Road 43) for tea, fair-trade coffee, wraps, sandwiches, scones, oatmeal and other goodies. There’s also Bubba and Bugs Coffee Bar (146 Prescott Street), where you can nibble on baked goodies, sip a latte or enjoy a light lunch (quinoa bowls, sandwiches) while admiring local artwork on the exposed-brick walls.

Downtown, Salamanders (28 Clothier Street East) serves up creole and Cajun specialties, and has a pretty patio overlooking Kemptville Creek. Beyond downtown, Nakhon Thai (2820 County Road 43)—yes, run by the same family that once ran a popular restaurant of the same name in Ottawa—serves up delicious spring rolls, cashew chicken and other Thai fare. The Long Reach Bar and Grill (116 County Road 44, Kemptville) is renowned for its breakfasts. If you’re visiting in warmer months, seasonal treats include burgers, fries, poutine and other casual snacks at Jeff’s Fat Les’s Chip Stand (272 County Road 44) and ice cream, shakes, hot dogs and more at the Kemptville Dairy Barn (312 King Street). In the mood for a surprise? Check out the website and social media of Curbalicious, a gourmet food truck that does pop-up events featuring chefs from across the region.

And you brought a cooler, right? If so, swing by B&H Your Community Grocer (301 Rideau Street) for a huge variety of locally produced items, including fresh grass-fed beef, milk from Upper Canada Creamery in Iroquois, sunflower oil from Kricklewood Farm in Franktown and more. (There’s a good selection of imported specialty foods, too.)

With some advance planning, you could also place an online order with My Local Markets (mylocalmarkets.ca), a Kemptville-based business that sells products—fudge, salsa, flour, eggs, vegan mustard, you name it—from small companies across the region. Then, on your day trip, you could pick up your order from the firm’s location on the Kemptville Campus (75 Campus Drive).

A scenic drive through North Grenville

You can’t really get a true feeling for Kemptville without exploring the surrounding farmlands and villages of North Grenville. So, after seeing the town, hop back in the car for a 70-kilometre scenic drive. (Note that many of the businesses mentioned below are highly seasonal, so please check their websites for hours before heading out.)

The first stop is BerryGood Farms (2295 County Road 43, Kemptville), where you can pick haskap berries or Romeo and Juliet dwarf cherries. In the fall, the farm hosts craft markets.

Your next destination is the village of Oxford Mills, where the biggest attraction is the Brigadoon Restaurant (9 Bridge Street, Oxford Mills), housed in a former general store. Like the namesake movie, this much-loved spot—with its antique teacups, wood paneling, window boxes and lace curtains—seems like a place out of time. Try classic dishes like French onion soup or crème caramel, or lighter fare, such as salmon with mango-chili relish.

Next, head southwest to Alpaca Tracks T(h)read Lightly (820 County Road 18, Oxford Station), where Kathy Enright and Corinne Côté raise Peruvian alpacas, run workshops, and sell yarn, socks, scarves, toys, blankets and other items, made locally or by Peruvian crafters.

After that stop, head east through the pretty village of Oxford Station and past Highway 416 to Country Side Antiques (895 County Road 44, Kemptville). There, three heritage buildings—including a log cabin—display all sorts of vintage goods, from dishes to daybeds.

From the antiques shop, it’s a short drive to Saunders Country Critters and Garden Centre (1058 County Road 44, Oxford Station). In the animal sanctuary, you can see raccoons, sheep, macaws, monkeys and more; the garden centre is a fun place to browse for annuals, perennials, veggies and herbs.

Less than a kilometre away, you can sip and shop for a variety of grape and fruit wines at Green Gables Vines (1600 Porter Road, Oxford Station). And a 10-minute drive from Green Gables will bring you to Smokie Ridge Vineyard (10090 Cameron Road, Mountain), where the LeBlanc family planted the first of thousands of grapevines in 2007. Today, they sell cabernet-merlot, chardonnay and other wines.

Another family business nearby is Mountain Orchards (10175 Clark Road, Mountain), where you can pick your own apples, take a wagon ride, let the kids loose in a corn maze, buy baked goodies and enjoy other country fun.

And here’s one last stop for animal lovers: Big Sky Ranch Animal Sanctuary (810 Pelton Road, Kemptville) is a refuge for abandoned domestic animals of all sorts, including cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, llamas, chickens and cows. Many are available for adoption or sponsorship.

From there, it’s a six-kilometre drive back to downtown Kemptville.

Take a hike

Did you know that North Grenville is home to 150 kilometres of trails?

Since this is farming country, you’re unlikely to encounter many steep hills or rocky outcrops—but that could be a selling point for beginners, families and others who aren’t necessarily looking for a challenging outing. Leashed dogs are allowed on all of the following trails.

A stone’s throw from the North Grenville Municipal Centre, you’ll find Ferguson Forest (275 County Road 44, North Grenville). Its 22 kilometres (14 miles) of trails are open to hikers, cyclists, horseback riders and cross-country skiers, and there’s a picnic shelter and a dock on Kemptville Creek, too.

On the west side of Kemptville there’s the short Libby Island Trail, accessible via a causeway off River Road and popular with birders. Another possibility is the seven-kilometre (4.2 mile) North Grenville Rail Trail, a flat route that cuts across the southeast side of town through the Kemptville Campus and several suburban neighbourhoods (so it’s not really a nature trail, as such).

Kemptville Campus

In 2018, the Municipality of North Grenville bought the Kemptville Campus (40 Campus Drive) from the University of Guelph, which was discontinuing its agricultural programs there. Today, the 255-hectare (630 acre) campus has lots to offer day trippers, including a working sugarbush, hiking trails, greenhouses you can visit, and public events ranging from night markets and yoga classes to horticultural workshops and the Kemptville Live! Music Festival.

If you go

Kemptville is 58 kilometres from Parliament Hill. To get there by car, drive south on Highway 416 and take exit 34, then follow County Road 43 west to Kemptville.

Cyclists can travel 20.5 kilometres of the route from Ottawa to Kemptville along the Osgoode Link Pathway, which connects the OC Transpo Leitrim station (just south of Ottawa International Airport) to the village of Osgoode. Other than that stretch, though, you’ll be cycling on roads.

If you’d like to stay longer, you can book the Abbott Road Suites or other Kemptville accommodations using the map below. (Disclosure: If you do book a place to stay in Kemptville using the map or the Abbott Road Suites link, I’ll receive a small commission.)

For more visitor information, see Explore North Grenville or South Eastern Ontario, or drop by the North Grenville Municipal Centre (285 County Road 44, Kemptville). 

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in the Ottawa area? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or buy my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide, from which this post is adapted.

Ottawa Road Trips acknowledges that its office, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg Nation.