Fun day trips and weekend getaways from Ottawa for every day of September 2019!

Looking for some great road trips that will let you enjoy the last days of summer and the first days of fall in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais and upstate New York? Whether you’d like to play pinball, eat tacos, or learn about Neanderthals or ikebana, read on for day trip and weekend getaway suggestions for every day of September 2019! (For more ideas, please sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter or follow me on Facebook.)

• September 1: Enjoy sultry tunes by the St. Lawrence River at Blues in the Bay in Alexandria Bay, New York (until September 2).
• September 2: Indulge your inner equestrian during the last day of Horse Lovers’ Weekend at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg (August 31 to September 2).

• September 3: After seeing the kids off to their first day back at school, treat yourself to breakfast at a cozy bakery or café—maybe Black Walnut Bakery in Cumberland or the Cottage Coffee House in Westport.
• September 4: Hear authors Ted Barris and Terry Fallis read from their new books at the Gananoque Legion.
• September 5: Enjoy a show by folk-rock singer-songwriter Ben Caplan at the Neat Coffee House in Burnstown.

A path at Rideau Woodland Ramble in Burritts Rapids, near Kemptville.

• September 6: Take advantage of your last chance to see Gauguin: Portraits at the National Gallery of Canada; it closes on September 8. 
• September 7: Dance in the street on Beechwood Avenue in Ottawa during BeechFest, or tap your toes to the music of fiddler Cindy Thompson in Middleville.
• September 8: Eat your way along Vankleek Hill’s main street during the outdoor Festival of Flavours.
• September 9: In Montreal, you can learn to make pizza, vegan breakfast treats, Caribbean munchies and more in workshops tonight that are part of the weeklong YUL Eat culinary festival.
• September 10: Take some photos of an atmospheric ruin—perhaps the Carbide Willson Ruins in Gatineau Park or St. Raphael’s Ruins in Glengarry.

St. Raphael’s Ruins in Glengarry, Ontario, is a National Historic Site.

• September 11: See the opening night of The Unnatural and Accidental Women, a play that is the first production in the National Arts Centre’s Indigenous Arts Festival, Mòshkamo. (The play runs until September 21 and the festival continues until September 29.)
• September 12: Enjoy the free sound-and-light show in the Brockville Railway Tunnel.
• September 13: Raise a glass at a scotch tasting at Watson’s Mill in Manotick or go to a drag show in Merrickville.

Photo of Watson’s Mill in Manotick copyright Laura Byrne Paquet.

• September 14: Cheer for arm-wrestlers, strongmen and strongwomen, and eat baked beans, at the Festival de la Bine in Plantagenet (September 13 to 15).
• September 15: Nosh on barbecue and BeaverTails at the Orléans Ribfest (September 13 to 15).
• September 16: Plan a road trip along the Trans-Canada Highway to check out some of the roughly 80 movies screening at Cinéfest Sudbury, an international film festival (September 14 to 22).
• September 17: See Le Cri (The Scream), a duet by Algerian choreographer and dancer Nacera Belaza that opens Cinédance Ottawa 2019. Le Cri runs on September 17 and 18, and the dance festival runs from September 17 to 22.
• September 18: Delve into history in Smiths Falls at the Heritage House Museum, the Rideau Canal Visitor Centre and the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario.

• September 19: Weather permitting, check out the first flight of the four-day Adirondack Balloon Festival in Glens Falls, New York.
• September 20: Catch Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys in concert in Athens as part of the Ontario Festival of Small Halls (which runs from September 12 to 29).
• September 21: Eat your way through the Laurentian Valley Fall Flavours Festival in Pembroke or enjoy live music, vineyard tours and family fun at Smokie Ridge Vineyard’s Pre-Harvest Festival in Mountain.
• September 22: Learn about underwater caves at a talk by author/photographer Jill Heinerth in Almonte, or join The Harvester, a 48- to 96-kilometre cycling tour through upstate New York’s St. Lawrence County.

A path at Rideau Woodland Ramble in Burritts Rapids, near Kemptville.

• September 23: Stroll a woodsy trail dotted with garden art at Rideau Woodland Ramble in Burritts Rapids.
• September 24: Learn about ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, at a demonstration and reception at the Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe in Nepean.
• September 25: Bike along all or part of the Cycloparc PPJ, a bike trail running more than 90 kilometres through the Pontiac sector of the Outaouais.
• September 26: Play pinball, eat perogies and catch a show featuring Excuses Excuses, Rebelle and the Riot Police at House of Targ in Old Ottawa South.

Signs highlight some of the birds you might spot at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory.

• September 27: Look for migratory birds at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory near Picton.
• September 28: Celebrate the 100 years of education at the Kemptville Campus with free tours, fun and cake.
• September 29: Stroll the streets of Gananoque, which will be transformed into an open-air art gallery during the one-day Art BOMB Festival, or learn about the history, culture and arts of the Outaouais at the West Quebec Heritage Fair at Fairbairn House Heritage Centre in Wakefield.
• September 30: Learn about humankind’s ancient forebears at the Neanderthal exhibition at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau (until January 26, 2020).

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