33 road trips this week: New Ottawa cheese fest, makers’ market in Merrickville, balloons in NY

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It’s a great week to hit the road in and around Ottawa. You can cycle. You can shop. You can go to a fair. You can even meet a cave diver. And, if you like good food and local beverages, you will be incredibly spoiled for choice, with harvest festivals, food truck gatherings and winery events galore. Happy travels!

Eat well in Ottawa, Pembroke or the Adirondacks

Can’t wait for the weekend? Feast of Fields (Tuesday, September 17) could be a fun weeknight outing. Fifteen local chefs—including Stephen La Salle of Feast + Revel, Ric Watson of the Ottawa Mission and Sarah Allen of Café Urban—will be cooking up dishes made with sustainable ingredients from local farms. The fundraiser for Carefor health and community services takes place at Ottawa City Hall from 5:30pm to 9pm.

Food lovers will be heading to Taste of Wellington West on Saturday, September 21. Along Wellington Street in Hintonburg and Wellington Village, you’ll find food samples, kids’ activities, sidewalk sales, a pottery-making demonstration, a pop-up spa and more. Proceeds go to support the Parkdale Food Centre.

Saturday is also the date of Laurentian Valley’s Fall Flavours Festival at the Alice & Fraser Recreation Centre in Pembroke. This fundraiser for recreational programs will feature food trucks, culinary contests, craft beer and entertainment.

Want a longer road trip? Also on Saturday, the Adirondack Harvest Festival in Westport, New York, is a day-long festival of food and drink.

Have fun at a fair

Fall fair season is in full roar this weekend.

Dating back to 1844, the Richmond Fair (September 19 to 22) is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. It’s a major agricultural event but also offers a parade, a display of 175 quilts, a demolition derby, helicopter rides, and concerts by Aaron Goodvin, Wayne Rostad and more.

The Lyndhurst Turkey Fair (Saturday, September 21) serves up a craft show, a 5K walk/run, bouncy castles, a petting zoo, a car show, voyageur canoe rides and the chance to paddle a St. Lawrence River skiff.

The Mohawk Fair in Tyendinaga (September 20 to 22) offers a car show, a baby pageant, a garden contest, a demolition derby, horse pulls and live music.

Looking for more ideas? Check out my big list of local fairs.

Discover lost villages in Long Sault

The Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault is running a guided bus tour focusing on the history of the communities that were intentionally flooded during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway (Sunday, September 22).

See a hot air balloon festival in the Adirondacks

Along with up to 100 hot air balloons, the Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival in Glens Falls and Queensbury, New York, will offer live music, a craft show, food vendors, kids’ activities and more, from September 19 to 22. The adjacent communities are about 4.5 hours from Ottawa by car.

Check out the Fifty-Five Plus Lifestyle Show in Ottawa

Looking for ideas for your next long-distance vacation? Travel agencies and tourist boards are among the many exhibitors at this weekend’s Fifty-Five Plus Lifestyle Show at the EY Centre in Ottawa (September 20 and 21). You can also catch a show by Wayne Rostad (he’s a busy guy this weekend!), see fiddlers and more.

Celebrate apples in Iroquois

The first annual Iroquois Apple Festival on Saturday, September 21, promises something for the whole family, including a sidewalk sale, an apple pie contest, a magic show, pony rides and an illuminated evening parade.

Shop for unique products in Merrickville

Looking for something one-of-a-kind for your home or closet? You could check out Merrickville’s Fall Home and Fashion Makers Market on Saturday, September 21, and shop for art, jewellery, bath products, clothing, home décor items and more.

Cycle scenic routes near Bath or in upstate New York

The Discover L&A Ride on Saturday, September 21, is a 58K bike ride through Lennox and Addington County. The loop starts and finishes at the MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Company in Bath and winds along the shore of Lake Ontario, and through apple orchards and vineyards, and includes stops at parks and historic sites. En route snacks include ice cream, apple cider donuts and cookies, and there will be lots of live music and food at MacKinnon Brothers.

Also this weekend, the Harvester is a series of supported long-distance rides in St. Lawrence County in upstate New York. Most of the action is happening on Sunday, September 22. You can choose from 48K, 79K or 96K routes, and the post-ride party includes a barbecue, craft beers and live music.

Look behind closed doors in Carleton Place or Belleville

Two communities are giving visitors a peek into some unusual or historic buildings on Saturday, September 21. Doors Open Carleton Place showcases 17 sites, including the town hall and a reputedly haunted former general store. Further afield, Doors Open Belleville features 18 locations, such as a TV station and a national historic site.

Groove to jazz in Clayton, New York

The sixth annual Clayton Jazz Festival (September 20 to 22) is set to light up this town on the New York side of the St. Lawrence River. Performers include the Jerry Vivino Quartet.

Sample cheese in Ottawa

Canada’s Coolest Curds is a fancy cheese fest making its debut on Saturday, September 21, at the Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum in Ottawa. You can taste test a wide range of Canadian cheeses from more than a dozen exhibitors. No tickets will be sold at the door; you must buy them in advance.

Kick back in a vineyard in Mountain

Sure, it’s not quite time to harvest the grapes yet, but that’s not stopping Smokie Ridge Vineyard in Mountain from holding a party. Fun at the Pre-Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 21, will include live music, vineyard tours, wine tastings, a bouncy castle and face painting.

See modern dance in Ottawa

Dance fans will be in heaven this week, when Cinédanse (September 17 to 22) comes to Arts Court and nearby venues. Dance performances, film screenings, workshops and lunch with a DJ are just some of the events on offer.

Get artsy with four studio tours

Didn’t get your fix of artists’ studio tours last weekend? Well, here’s good news: there are four to choose from this weekend. All of them take place on Saturday, September 21, and Sunday, September 22, unless otherwise noted.

If you love paintings, pottery, jewellery, sculptures and all sorts of other creative works, you can drive the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour, southwest of Bancroft.

To the west, it’s the first weekend of the Bancroft Studio Tour.

The Prince Edward County Studio Tour also runs on Friday, in addition to the weekend.

And if you want an in-town adventure, it’s the first weekend of the West End Studio Tour in Westboro and Wellington West.

Planning ahead? Check out my omnibus list of local studio tours.

Shop for local foods in Renfrew

This weekend, the popular Taste of the Valley food festival comes to Ma-te-Way Park in Renfrew on Saturday, September 21, from 8am to 3pm. It’s a great opportunity to buy local food products from Renfrew County vendors. If you can’t be there this weekend, you’ll have another chance to catch Taste of the Valley on Sunday, October 6, in Arnprior, or on Saturday, October 19 in Cobden.

Shop for yarn and other fibres in Kemptville

Weavers, spinners, felters, rug hookers, knitters and other crafters, take note: The Leeds Grenville Fibre Extravaganza is coming to the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville on Saturday, September 21. Shop for supplies and equipment, learn from skilled crafters, and enjoy a bite at the on-site canteen.

Enjoy a dinner-dance in Lombardy

Put on your dancing shoes and bring your appetite! The Barn Dance and BBQ at the Lombardy Agricultural Barn in Lombardy (Saturday, September 21) includes a hip of beef dinner, an auction and live music by Doubleback. There’s a shuttle service between the Smiths Falls Giant Tiger and Lombardy.

Get your maple fix in Mirabel

The Mirabel Fête l’Erable du Québec (September 21 and 22) is a family-friendly event that celebrates all things maple flavoured, with tastings, a vendors’ market, food trucks and demonstrations.

Say “Cheers!” in Vankleek Hill or Montreal

Even though it’s not October yet, it’s time for the ever-popular Beau’s Oktoberfest in Vankleek Hill (September 20 and 21). Try your luck at stein holding, keg tossing, sausage eating and other contests, and kick back to music by The New Pornographers, Shad, Jenn Grant, Walter Ostanek and more.

Further afield, the Montreal Oktoberfest on Friday, September 20, will be bringing beery cheer to the Old Port.

Looking for more reasons to yell “Prost!” this fall? Check out my list of 10+ Oktoberfests within easy reach of Ottawa.

Celebrate cream cheese in Lowville, New York

Never heard of Lowville, New York? I hadn’t, either, until an alert friend made me aware of the Lowville Cream Cheese Festival (Saturday, September 21). If you’ve ever dreamed of painting a mural with coloured cream cheese or testing your abilities in a cream cheese-eating contest, this family-friendly event may well be your only chance. You can also check out a cream-cheese sculpting contest, live bands, a children’s park and, of course, cheesecake (the festival made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2013 for producing the world’s largest cheesecake). Lowville is about 2 hours and 45 minutes south of Ottawa; cross the St. Lawrence River at Ogdensburg.

Browse a flea market in Ottawa

Flea market fans can look for handmade items and vintage goodies at the 613 Night Market on Friday night and the 613Flea event on Saturday (10am to 3pm) at Lansdowne Park.

Want more tips on road trips from Ottawa—including info on hotel discounts, contests, festivals and other cool news? Subscribe to my free weekly e-newsletter! I will never spam you—promise.

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