A dozen things to do over the holidays: Art, comedy, lights and hikes

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As this crazy year comes to an end, we’re all looking at new public-health restrictions again. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still fun things you and your family can enjoy in the Ottawa area over the holiday break!

In this, my last road trip roundup post of 2021, I’m going to focus mainly on things you can do outdoors, from your car or online (although I do have a few suggestions for indoor activities that, as of December 21, are still permitted). Before heading out, please check the linked websites for the latest information, as things can change on a dime these days. And enjoy!

Admire outdoor art in Westboro, Hull, Pembroke and Vankleek Hill

Want to combine an artistic outing with a brisk walk or a scenic drive? Here are five options for doing just that.

Walk around Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood to view murals and sculptures.

Follow the signs through the Hull sector of Gatineau to see public art on the Sentier Culturel.

In the Ottawa Valley, admire some 30 murals highlighting the region’s history in downtown Pembroke.

Alternatively, head east of Ottawa to Vankleek Hill to see other eye-catching murals. The pretty village is nicknamed the Gingerbread Capital of Ontario, due to its many Victorian buildings festooned with gingerbread-style woodwork.

See the lights in Ottawa and elsewhere

Outdoor holiday light installations were already popular before the pandemic, but they seem to have become even more numerous and creative in the last two years. Depending on the show, you can enjoy them on foot or from your car. And they dispel the winter darkness! What’s not to like?

Check out my Christmas lights post for the scoop on light displays across our region, which range from an illuminated waterfall in the Pontiac region of the Outaouais and a new installation at Saunders Farm in Munster to a light show with a soundtrack in Brockville and the ever-popular Alight at Night display at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg (and that’s just the tip of the lightbulb).

Catch a live comedy show

As I write this on December 21, the following shows had not been cancelled. All the usual COVID-19 protocols will be in place. However, DO check the websites for the latest information, and please don’t attend if you’re feeling ill.

• The traditional New Year’s Eve Comedy Night at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans will feature standup comics Andrew Chapman, Chris Locke and Jackie Pirico.
• Yuk Yuk’s Ottawa, located on the lower level of the Marriott Hotel (100 Kent Street), is also presenting several comedy shows over the holidays, including new talent nights on December 22 and 29, and a show featuring Graham Kay on New Year’s Eve.

Enjoy a musical performance online

Prefer to see a play or festive concert from the comfort of home? Here are a few worth checking out.

• The National Arts Centre is offering a video-on-demand screening of a holiday concert by folk music trio The Good Lovelies (December 22 to 30).
• You can also buy video-on-demand access to the NAC Orchestra’s performance of Handel’s Messiah; the video will be available until January 6.
• If you’ve ever wanted to see the annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, check out this free YouTube compilation of past performances (featuring the high-kicking Rockettes, of course).

See a new art exhibition in Ottawa

A couple of weeks ago, I had the good fortune to see the new show Shadowland at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this exhibition of 15 drawings by Montreal artist Lorraine Simms, but I was totally captivated. She captures the shadows cast by museum specimens, such as the skeleton of a pheasant or the vertebra of a North Atlantic right whale, and I could not stop looking at them. For more details, see my post about the show. Shadowland runs until April 18.

Get out in nature

If you’re eager to go walking, hiking, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the fresh winter air, here are just a few of the many options. Bring your woollies and your binoculars—and don’t forget water!

• This NCC website provides information and maps on the four-season trails in the Greenbelt, which include Stony Swamp in the west end, Pine Grove in the south and Mer Bleue in the east. Two things of note: Many of these trails are shared with cross-country skiers, so please don’t walk in the groomed tracks; and dogs aren’t permitted on any Greenbelt trails in winter.
• Thirty-one Ontario provincial parks are open in winter, including Murphys Point near Perth and Voyageur Provincial Park near Chute-à-Blondeau. The Ontario Parks website has details.
• In Ottawa, the Kìchì Sìbì Winter Trail (formerly the SJAM Winter Trail) runs between the Canadian War Museum and Westboro Beach; the Britannia Winter Trail stretches between Lincoln Heights and Andrew Haydon Park; and the Rideau Winter Trail hugs the eastern shore of the Rideau River between Overbrook and Billings Bridge. That’s not the full list of urban winter trails in Ottawa, though; this NCC page lists these trails and others.
• For more inspiration, see my post Three easy winter hiking trails near Ottawa. Many of the trails in my longer post, Hiking and walking in and around Ottawa, are also open year round.

Try some new-to-you recipes

OK, this isn’t technically a road trip; it’s a virtual trip around the world via your kitchen. If you’re tired of turkey and sick of sourdough, perhaps the quiet period between Christmas and New Year’s is the perfect time to try your hand at cooking cuisines from other countries. Here are a few great online sources of inspiration.

• My Moroccan Food
• Japanese Cooking 101
• My Colombian Recipes
• Temple of Thai

And to find any unusual ingredients you might require, check out my list of local shops for international groceries.

And finally, a few end-of-the-year words from me

Running this website—and writing a local guidebook!—during this tumultuous year has been a roller-coaster ride, and I just wanted to thank all of you for your support. Your emails, comments, social media shares and book purchases have meant the world to me. I’m truly lucky to have such a kind and adventurous audience. ❤️

All the best to you and yours for a safe, healthy and peaceful holiday. I hope it’s filled with as much feasting and fun as circumstances allow.

As usual, I’m taking the week off between Christmas and New Year’s. I’ll be back again with another road trip roundup post and another newsletter in early January 2022!

For more tips on things to see and do in the Ottawa area, please subscribe to my weekly newsletter or pick up a copy of my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.