A mountain-themed escape room in Brockville, a new tide pool exhibit in Ottawa, fat biking at Tremblant, movies in Kingston…this week is packed with things to see and do around our region! Read on for details.
Catch a concert in Ottawa, Almonte or Morrisburg
Toronto duo Whitehorse are hard to pigeonhole—they’ve been nominated for five JUNOs in four different categories. Blues, pop, folk, country…you name it, you’ll probably hear a bit of it in their March 5 show with special guest John Muirhood at the Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg. (Check out the trippy video above, if you don’t believe me.) The show is part of the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage series.
Also on Saturday, March 5, you can enjoy a concert by the sibling duo of Silvie (piano) and Bryan (cello) Cheng—in person or via livestream—at the Almonte Old Town Hall. Part of the Almonte in Concert series, this show by Cheng2 will feature works by Beethoven, Britten, Brahms and Hindemith.
The following afternoon (Sunday, March 6), the Ottawa Choral Society is presenting a concert of pieces by James Whitbourn evoking the life of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl whose Second World War diary and tragic death have touched millions of people around the world. The afternoon presentation of Annelies will take place at St. Francois d’Assise Church in Ottawa’s Hintonburg neighbourhood.
Get gardening inspiration in Ottawa or Brockville
The seed-sharing events known as Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday are gearing up across Canada. Some are virtual this year and some are in person, and all of them give keen gardeners a chance to trade seeds and know-how with their fellow green thumbs. This week, you can join in-person events on Saturday, March 5, at the Brockville Public Library and at the Ron Kolbus Centre at Lakeside Gardens in Ottawa. For details on other events across Canada, see the Seedy Saturday/Seedy Sunday website.
Try something besides skiing at Tremblant
OK, this post from Tremblant is aimed at families coming to the popular Laurentians resort for Quebec’s March Break this week, but the tips in it are equally valid anytime. If you think winter at Tremblant is only for downhill skiers, you may be pleasantly surprised to find out you can also enjoy snowshoeing, tubing, fat biking or skating, among many other activities.
Learn to self-publish a book in Merrickville
Ever wanted to self-publish a book—perhaps a family history or a memoir? Bruce Kemp of Waypoint Custom Publishing is giving a free self-publishing seminar at the Merrickville Public Library on Thursday, March 3. Register in advance, as seating is limited.
Learn about tide pools at the Canadian Museum of Nature
Perhaps you’ve walked along a beach and walked right by those shallow puddles of water that form in the rocks. Did you know there’s a whole world to discover in those pools? In the Pacific Discovery Tank, a new permanent exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, you can see live sea cucumbers, spiky urchins and other sea life, and learn more about them.
Enjoy movies from the Kingston Canadian Film Festival
The Kingston Canadian Film Festival (March 3 to 13) will be a hybrid event this year, with some movies showing in theatres and others available to stream at home. The lineup of all-Canadian dramas, comedies, documentaries and other movies includes All My Puny Sorrows, a dramatization of Miriam Toews’ award-winning novel about a family dealing with suicide; Scarborough, a coming-of-age story set in the titular Toronto suburb; and Peace by Chocolate, based on the real-life story of a family of Syrian refugees who established a chocolate-making business in Nova Scotia.
Have a laugh in Orleans
In the mood for a little stand-up comedy? Ali Hassan will be hosting a live recording of the CBC Radio show Laugh Out Loud at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans on Thursday, March 3. Joining him will be stand-up comics David Pryde, Rick Currie, Jen Grant, Don Kelly and Derek Seguin.
Try an escape room in Brockville, Kingston, Laval or Ottawa
This is your last weekend to test your problem-solving skills against Escape Mount Neverest, an escape room adventure with a mountain-climbing theme. Try to solve riddles and puzzles before a virtual storm traps you on the peak. You can try it on March 4, 5 or 6 at the Aquatarium in Brockville.
If escape rooms are your thing, companies offering escape rooms in other cities (not just this weekend) include the following:
- Improbable Escapes in Kingston (virtual, indoor and outdoor adventures on themes such as zombies, Mayans and wizards)
- Immersia Escape Game in Laval, which reopened for business on February 24 (scenarios include a 1930s London cabaret and a modern game show)
- Escape Manor, which runs a wide variety of games in downtown Ottawa, Hintonburg and Nepean, as well as at the Diefenbunker in Carp
Shop for one-of-a-kind items in Ottawa
This week’s edition of 613flea, the large and always-changing flea market/artisan show at Lansdowne Park, will feature some 125 vendors. It takes place on Saturday, March 5, at the Aberdeen Pavilion.
Don’t forget about the maple syrup
Last week, I wrote a post updating everyone on local sugar bushes that are opening to visitors this spring. If you can’t get enough of the sweet stuff, check out the list and start planning your sugar shack road trip!
Looking for more ideas for things to see and do in our region? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or pick up a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide, from which this post is adapted.
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.