10 more ideas for lockdown fun: Film fest, birdwatching and gourmet takeout

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Cabin fever getting to you? I have 10 ideas for shaking off the January blahs in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais! Go tubing in the Outaouais, birdwatching in Cornwall, cross-country skiing in Ottawa or winter camping in the Haliburton Highlands, or stream movies, TV shows and cultural celebrations from the comfort of home. Wherever your real or virtual travels take you this week, enjoy!

Enjoy a virtual LGBTQ2S+ film festival

Based in Kingston, this year’s ReelOutario Virtual Queer Film Festival (January 27 to February 7) is accessible to home viewers across Ontario. You can buy individual tickets, packages or all-access passes to the more than 60 films on the schedule, which include documentaries, non-documentary movies and shorts. (This article from Visit Kingston covers a lot of the highlights.) The video above is the trailer for Down in Paris, a feature about an anxious director who walks off the set of a movie he’s shooting to spend an eventful night wandering through Paris.

Mark the start of Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and local organizations are getting the ball rolling a few days early with virtual launches this week. There’s a Gatineau kickoff on Facebook on Friday, January 28, starting at 6pm. The next day, Black History Ottawa marks the beginning of its activities with an event on Facebook and YouTube that includes the unveiling of a Canada Post stamp and an awards ceremony; it starts at 2pm. Other events are scheduled throughout February, too. (The video above, from the federal government, encapsulates a few highlights of Black history in Canada.)

Try a takeout deal in Kingston

Sure, indoor dining at Ontario restaurants is closed until next week, but that hasn’t stopped the folks at Kingstonlicious from rolling out an impressive slate of $45 prix-fixe takeout menus—everything from brunch to three-course dinners. Trinidadian chicken, a wine-and-charcuterie combo and lamb tacos are just a few of the options available from participating Kingston restaurants.

Go tubing in the Outaouais

Tourisme Outaouais has created this list of its top 5 places in West Quebec to fling yourself down a snowy hill in a souped-up inner tube, including spots in Gatineau, Ripon and Duhamel.

Celebrate Robbie Burns Day

Once again this year, the Scottish Society of Ottawa is marking Robbie Burns Day virtually. You can watch the celebration online for free on Tuesday, January 25, starting at 6pm. The program will include toasts, poetry recitations, dancing, pipe-and-drum music and more. To make an evening of it, you can also order a special Burns Day takeout dinner from The Glen Scottish Pub & Restaurant in Stittsville or the Montgomery Scotch Lounge in Centretown. The video above, from last year’s virtual event, gives you a taste of what to expect this year.

Enjoy a “snowventure” west of Ottawa

The Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization has written a fun itinerary for a four-day “snowventure” you could take through Haliburton, Bancroft, Sharbot Lake and other communities a few hours west of Ottawa. Winter camping, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing—it’s all there. There’s even a stop at a spa.

Travel the world (via your kitchen and your TV)

It’s possible but still a bit complicated to travel internationally these days—but you can get a “taste” of the world by trying out some new international dishes, paired with a movie or TV show from the same country. You’d be amazed what’s lurking in the depths of Netflix, Crave, CBC Gem and other streaming services these days (and, believe me, I’ve dug deeply into most of them over the last two years). Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

• Try one or more of these 11 easy Japanese recipes from The Kitchn, followed by one or more episodes of Joanna Lumley’s Japan, a charming three-part travel documentary now available for free on CBC Gem.
• Learn about Mexico’s culinary history and try related recipes at Mexico in My Kitchen. Next, dive into the Netflix dark comedy series La Casa de las Flores (The House of Flowers), about a rich but scandal-ridden family in Mexico City. It’s in Spanish with English subtitles.
• Meander around the “Irish food” section of the website of Easy Food, an Irish cooking magazine. Later, fire up one of my all-time favourite Irish series, Derry Girls (Netflix). The comedy revolves around a group of hilarious high schoolers growing up in Derry during The Troubles, but it’s the school’s headmistress (Sister Michael) who routinely steals every scene she’s in.

Wondering where to find some unfamiliar ingredients for those new recipes? Check out my gigantic list of places to buy international groceries in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais.

Explore the Kìchì Sìbì Winter Trail

The recent snowfall is one good reason to check out the Kìchì Sìbì Winter Trail, a groomed multi-use route that winds along the shore of the Ottawa River from LeBreton Flats to Dominion Station in central Ottawa. But here’s another: If the stars align, the Remic Rapids Bistro will be opening this weekend for its winter season (everything is hard to confirm these days, but the bistro manager was hopeful when we traded emails late last week). Skiers, snowshoers and other outdoor trail users will be able to warm up with food and drink on the outdoor patio overlooking the river just west of the Champlain Bridge.

Check out this recently updated post about the Kìchì Sìbì Winter Trail for the latest trail info, and this post about the Remic Rapids Park Bistro from last summer for some warm-weather sunset photos of the site.

View a challenging photography exhibition

Until February 20, Ottawa’s SPAO Gallery is presenting an online version of its latest show, Innominate Nature. The avant-garde exhibition features challenging works by four Canadian photographic artists, based on their six-month SPAO residency and exploring questions about how our identities will have changed once the pandemic recedes.

Go birdwatching or geocaching near Cornwall

Just east of Cornwall, Gray’s Creek Conservation Area features five kilometres of nature trails and 10 geocaches. (Not sure what a geocache is? Ask your adventurous kids about this fun pastime, which requires only a smartphone, an app and some problem-solving skills.) Bring your binoculars to look for blue jays, cardinals and other winter birds, as well as some sunflower seeds for the local black-capped chickadees (according to this post from Cornwall Tourism, the friendly little birds might eat right out of your hand).

Check out some of my other winter fun ideas

All month, I’ve been drumming up ideas for things you can enjoy even when the weather is frosty and some sites are locked down. If you haven’t seen them, why not check out these posts for more inspiration?

• Seven fun things to do during lockdown (January 4), such as forest skating trails and winter hiking ideas.
• Six more things to do during lockdown (January 11), featuring tubing, online yoga and a drive-through animal park.
• Eight more things to do during lockdown (January 18), including fat biking, patio dining, outdoor art, scenic drives and livestreamed tours.

Looking for even more ideas for things to see and do? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or pick up a copy of my local road trip guidebook!

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.