History, music, food and frights—this week’s list of ideas for day trips in and around Ottawa has a little something for everyone! You can drive through the Outaouais in search of gourmet treats, learn about military history in Perth, catch a drive-in concert in Spencerville, or nosh on momos and beer in Ottawa (and if you don’t know what momos are, read on).
P.S.: Long-time readers will know that this weekly “road trip roundup” post used to go up on a Monday or Tuesday. When the pandemic hit and time seemed to become more or less meaningless, my discipline slipped a bit. The post started going up later and later in the week. When I finally hit “publish” on last week’s post on Friday, I thought, “This is getting ridiculous! People need to be able to plan their weekends in advance.” So this week’s post marks a return, I hope, to my traditional publishing schedule.
Take a self-guided gourmet drive in the Outaouais
If you like shopping for food from local producers while enjoying a scenic drive, do I have a tip for you! For the next three weekends, you can enjoy special gourmet scenic routes developed by three partners in the Outaouais—Loisir sport Outaouais, Croquez l’Outaouais and Tourisme Outaouais. The first one, this weekend, focuses on Gatineau and Petite Nation. Next week’s will take you to Wakefield and Vallée-de-la-Gatineau. And on Thanksgiving weekend, you can explore the Pontiac, including Bristol and Campbell’s Bay. Depending on the route, you can buy apples and wine, see a waterfall, and more. Note: Even though they’re called Fall Strolls, you’ll need a vehicle.
Learn about military history in Perth
The Perth Museum is hosting a free veterans’ heritage walking tour on Saturday, September 26. The 50-minute tour will focus on the 101 banners celebrating veterans that are on display throughout downtown, but it will also talk about other elements of Perth’s past. The town crier will be on hand to mark the beginning of the tour when it leaves the museum at 11am. (Later that day, there will also be a motorcycle drive-past by veterans in Perth at 2pm.)
Nibble on Nepali dumplings in Ottawa
I’ll admit it: I had to look up what a “momo” was. But now that I know, I want to try them! They are Nepali-style dumplings, and you can enjoy them on Saturday when Momo Spot hosts a pop-up event at Spark Beer on Somerset Street West from 1pm to 9pm. Advance reservations advised; see the link for details.
Get a good scare in Crysler
Cannamore Orchard in Crysler is opening its popular Acres of Terror this weekend for visitors in search of some Halloween frights. The event features four scary attractions: a spooky wagon ride, the house of terror, a spooky village and a fog maze. You’ll need to buy timed tickets in advance and masks are required. The event starts on Friday, September 25, and there’s a discount on tickets for opening weekend. Daytime activities on weekends are more family friendly (the scariness is toned down a bit), so reserve a different time if you’re a dedicated thrill seeker. Acres of Terror runs on various dates between now and Saturday, October 31; check the website for details.
Shop for garlic in Cornwall
The Eastern Ontario Garlic Market is coming to Lamoureux Park in Cornwall on Sunday, September 27, from 10am to 3pm. The waterfront park will be a scenic setting to buy fresh garlic and prepared garlic products from local vendors. Since a limited number of people will be allowed in at one time to comply with social-distancing rules, you’ll need to register in advance on the event’s Facebook page to let them know you’re coming. A $5 donation at the door will go to a community food program, and donations of non-perishable items for the Agape Food Bank are also welcome.
Sketch outdoors in Ottawa
Attention, artists: If you’re up for some plein air drawing, here’s an event that might be of interest. An art school called Atelier Denu is holding an outdoor sketching session on Saturday, September 26, in a small park behind the Supreme Court. A live costumed model will be doing short poses. Attendance is limited to 14 people for social-distancing reasons. You can sign up on the event’s Facebook page.
Enjoy music and comedy in Spencerville
Tickets are still available for the Spencerville Fair’s drive-in tailgate show on Saturday, September 26. Ottawa comedian Jenn Hayward will be the opening act for the Amanda Keeley Band—a folk/rock duo featuring singer-songwriter Keeley and multi-instrumentalist Mark Lloyd (see video above). You can pre-order food from the local restaurants listed on the event site.
Stroll around Beechwood Cemetery
It might sound odd, but Beechwood Cemetery—a national historic site—is a fascinating place to walk around. Not only are many famous Canadians buried there, but the cemetery also has gorgeous gardens. On the last Sunday of every month, volunteers run free 90-minute walking tours of the cemetery, so there’s one happening on Sunday, September 27, starting at 1pm. The tours are family friendly, leisurely paced and wheelchair accessible. A limited number of spaces are available, so you’ll need to sign up in advance on the Beechwood website. (To register, scroll down to the bottom of the linked page and click “Sign up for this tour”—don’t, as I did, email the address given further up the page!)
By the way, if you’re interested in historic tours and/or cemetery walks, check out Katharine Fletcher’s post describing four history-related walking and driving tours—including some twilight tours happening at the settlers’ cemetery at the Billings Estate over the next few weeks, and a DIFFERENT, once-a-year costumed walk happening at Beechwood in early October.
See Parliament Hill’s sound-and-light show…at home
If going to see the free, multimedia show projected onto the Parliament Buildings is usually a highlight of your summer, I have good news for you: You can watch this year’s version at home on your home computer. As usual, Northern Lights brings to life major moments in Canada’s history, including the War of 1812, Confederation and the 1916 Parliament Hill fire. To watch the 34-minute show, just click the video link above.
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2 comments
As usual, lots of great ideas Laura. 2 friends and I went to the Spencerville tailgate concert Sept. 26th and the Amanda Keeley Band way exceeded my expectations! (Not that my expectations were low, just that I checked them out ahead of time and they were much more impressive live. They playedabout 2 dozen songs over 2 hours, including an original that will be on their upcoming album. They did an amazing job with virtually every song they covered. My friends agreed that we would look them up again. I posted a video of them doing Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” because I was so impressed. And to start everything off, we pre-ordered our suppers from Little Sisterz and they were yum! Happy to see so many people show up for this event, which was easy to manage with COVID precautions since we all sat by our own cars, trucks or trailers. Luckily the weather cooperated and it was a fun combination tailgate/redneck dining event!
Hi Susan,
It sounds like it was a GREAT night! I’m so glad you had fun. I think I will look up the band’s album, too–just the little clip on YouTube was wonderful. Thanks for writing!
Cheers,
Laura