With every week that goes by, I have a few more “real world” road trip ideas to suggest. And if you’d rather stay inside, don’t worry—I have some virtual adventures for you this weekend, too. From farmers’ markets to jazz, there’s no shortage of fun available this weekend in Ottawa, Gatineau, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais.
Enjoy, stay cool (it’s going to be a scorcher) and stay safe.
Bungee jumping, biplane rides and more
This post is a bit shorter than my usual weekly road trip roundup because I spent the better part of two days (!) compiling a big list of re-opening dates for nearby tourist spots—outdoor attractions, hotels, museums and more. Among the places on that list that are already open: Great Canadian Bungee in Wakefield, Parc Oméga in Montebello, the Terrasse at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and NCC Greenbelt trails. Also, did you know you can take a ride in a vintage biplane at the Rockcliffe Flying Club? The post has info on all of these and much more.
(Also, don’t forget my other huge recent post, 25 great Eastern Ontario road trips you can do right now.)
Attend a virtual pow wow
This year, the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival has taken its competitions online—and you can watch the Social Distance Pow Wow from home this weekend! Hoop dancing, jingle dancing, singing contests and more are slated throughout the weekend. (The website has great descriptions of each type of performance.) It all culminates with finals and awards on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 4pm. You’ll be in a huge virtual crowd; the event’s Facebook group currently has almost 190,000 members!
Eat outside, perhaps win a prize
The Baldachin Inn in Merrickville is giving potential customers some extra incentive to eat on its courtyard patio. For the next three weekends (June 19 to July 5), diners will have the chance to win a charcuterie board and gift certificates from local businesses.
Shop at a farmers’ market
The Barrhaven Farmers’ Market is back at the Log Farm on Cedarview Road on Saturday, June 20, from 9am to 2pm. As well as fresh produce, you can shop for strawberry wine, felt flowers, hot sauce and much more, all from local producers.
The ever-popular Carp Farmers’ Market is re-opening on Saturday, June 20 (8:30am to 1pm). Pre-ordering and mask-wearing are encouraged, and the number of people on the site will be controlled.
At Lansdowne Park, the Ottawa Farmers’ Market (Sunday, June 21, 9am to 3pm) no longer requires you to register in advance or to pre-pay for your purchases. However, the number of people in the market at a time will be capped at 100, and the first hour of the market is reserved for seniors and immunocompromised visitors.
Here are a few other farmer’s markets around the region that are up and running:
- Almonte (Saturdays, 8:30am to 12:30pm)
- Old Aylmer (Sundays)
- Chelsea (Thursdays, 4pm to 7pm; it has moved to the Meredith Centre’s side parking lot)
- Old Hull (Thursdays, 9:30am to 2:30pm)
- Kemptville (Sundays, noon to 4pm)
- Metcalfe (Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, starting June 27)
If you’re wondering about other nearby farmers’ markets, I’ll be updating my regional farmers’ markets list sometime in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
Check out the Ottawa Jazz Festival’s online incarnation
If this were a “normal” year, the Ottawa Jazz Festival would be lighting up Confederation Park right around now. Due to the COVID-19 limitations, the festival organizers have taken things online this year with a virtual festival called Tenacity (June 19 to 28). I’m really intrigued by a number of the livestreaming options, including a performance by Tin Men and the Telephone (above) on Saturday, June 20, that will incorporate audience feedback via a custom app. And on Sunday, musicians from across Canada will perform Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, which sounds like just what we need at the minute.
Shows throughout the next 10 days feature 85 artists, including many leading lights from Ottawa’s jazz scene—and all the shows are free! They’re available on Facebook and YouTube. An added bonus: When you listen at home, you can sit in a lawn chair (or not) and not have to defend your choice. ????
Looking for more ideas for things to do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly e-newsletter! I’ll never spam you—promise.