19+ ideas for fun this week in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais

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Hop on your bike to explore Frontenac County or Lanark County. Check out one of Ottawa’s newly re-opened museums and galleries. Enjoy concerts online or on Stittsville porches. Tour artists’ studios in the Madawaska Valley. Do yoga in a Carp vineyard. Take a scenic 1000 Islands cruise. Or just discover a great new-to-you town! This week’s post is packed with ideas for getting out and exploring safely. Have fun wherever the road leads you.

Visit artists’ studios in the Madawaska Valley

The Madawaska Valley Studio Tour (July 16 to 18) features more than a dozen artists scattered across an area stretching roughly from Eganville to Barry’s Bay and Combermere. They include Algonquin artist Sylvia Tennisco of Pikwakanagan, featured in the video above. Drive yourself from studio to studio to meet the artists and check out their works for sale.

Do yoga in a vineyard in Carp

KIN Vineyards in Carp is launching a series of outdoor yoga classes, starting with sunset yoga on Wednesday, July 14. The $30 ticket includes a one-hour class and a tasting flight of three wines. Space is limited to 15 participants. (Look under the “Taste & Tour” tab in the vineyard’s online shop to book.)

Come back to a museum or gallery

As you’ve likely heard by now, Ontario enters Step 3 of its re-opening plan on Friday, July 16. That means museums and galleries are now permitted to open again, with capacity restrictions. Here’s what’s happening at some of the cultural institutions in Ottawa and Gatineau.

• At the National Gallery of Canada, Rembrandt in Amsterdam: Creativity and Competition features 100 works by the Dutch master and his contemporaries. In addition, two large works by modern Black artists—Capsule, a pyramidal steel structure by New York-based artist Rashid Johnson, and Symphony, created with reclaimed clothing and fabrics by Jamaican-Canadian artist Tau Lewis—are new additions to the gallery. Admission is now free for Indigenous people and for people accompanying someone with disabilities. As of July 16, the gallery is open daily except Tuesdays from 10am to 5pm (until 8pm on Thursdays). Timed tickets required.
• At the Canadian Museum of Nature, you can see dinosaur skeletons, visit the Arctic galleries, check out the boutique and try the brand-new Sound Scavenger Hunt (following clues to find animals in different galleries that make cool sounds). Starting July 16, the museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm, as well as a free admission period on Thursdays from 4pm to 7pm. Advance tickets required for all visits, including Thursday nights.
• The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum re-opens on July 16. Hours are 9:10am to 4:30pm daily and all statutory holidays except for December 25 (free admission from 3:30pm to 4:30pm). Advance tickets required.
• The Canada Science and Technology Museum also re-opens on July 16. Its hours are 10am to 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday, and all statutory holidays except for December 25 (free admission from 3pm to 4pm). Advance tickets required.
• The Canada Aviation and Space Museum re-opens on Saturday, July 17. Its hours are 10am to 4pm, Thursday to Monday, and all statutory holidays except for December 25 (free admission from 3pm to 4pm). Advance tickets required.
• The Canadian War Museum re-opens on Saturday, July 17. The main exhibition, Forever Changed: Stories from the Second World War, runs until September 6. The museum will be open from Wednesdays through Sundays from 10am to 4pm (until 7pm on Thursdays). Timed tickets will be available online starting July 13.
• You can take an outdoor, self-guided tour of the vintage buildings at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum (the interiors of the buildings are still off limits). The museum is now open from Wednesday through Sunday, and timed tickets are available online.
• The Ottawa Art Gallery will re-open next week, on Wednesday, July 21. Admission is free, but there are timed tickets. The current show, Sheltered in Place: Portraits of Self, Family and Community, primarily features works by artists from the Ottawa-Gatineau area and runs until November 7.
• The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum will also re-open on July 21. It will be open Wednesdays through Fridays from 10am to 4pm, and weekends from 10am to 3pm. Buy timed tickets online in advance.
• In Gatineau, the Canadian Museum of History (which re-opened on June 2) has the Queens of Egypt special exhibition running until August 22. The museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm (until 7pm on Thursdays). Timed tickets required.

Go cycling in Lanark County or Frontenac County

Local blogger Hans Moors recently posted his itinerary for a 32-kilometre cycling loop between Almonte and Carleton Place. You’ll find tips on places to eat and park, as well. Mississippi Mills (of which Almonte is a part) promotes itself as a cycling destination, so don’t be surprised if you find lots of other people on bikes out enjoying the sights. And if hiking is more your style, the post also includes information on the Crazy Horse Trail in the Carp Hills.

A little further afield, writer Amy Hogue and her daughter did a two-day cycling trip in the Sharbot Lake area to explore part of the K&P Trail in Frontenac County. Her post for the Ontario Highlands Tourism Organization includes tips on a B&B, cafés and more.

Take a 1000 Islands boat cruise

Yes, boat cruises are up and running in the 1000 Islands—and, according to this recent CBC report, they could really use some local customers. Since the pretty region along the St. Lawrence River hugs the Canada–U.S. border, tour operators there have been particularly hard hit by the border closure and the resulting drop in American visitors. So could this be the year you finally take that scenic trip to check out some of the many islands? (Fun trivia fact: There are actually 1,864 islands in all.) Companies currently offering cruises include Kingston 1000 Island Cruises, Gananoque Boat Line, Rockport Cruises and 1000 Islands & Seaway Cruises (Brockville).

Catch an online concert

The Encore Ottawa 2 series of virtual concerts by local artists continues this week with performances on Friday, July 16, by popular swamp roots blues rock bank MonkeyJunk (see video above) and singer/songwriter Rory Taillon. You can watch both shows for free on Rogers TV Channel 22 or online. All the shows were recorded in socially distanced conditions at the Shenkman Arts Centre in winter 2021.

Eat a burger in a Rideau Canal community…

Le Boat, the luxury houseboat company, has published its recommendations for the best burgers along the Rideau Canal. It features restaurants in Ottawa, Smiths Falls, Perth (OK, that’s technically on the Tay Canal, but you can get there from the Rideau Canal), Merrickville and more. How many have you tried?

…or have dinner on a scenic Outaouais patio

Tourisme Outaouais has rounded up a list of eight restaurant patios with lovely views across the region, including spots in the Pontiac, Wakefield and Gatineau. It includes a winery, a microbrewery and a historic mill, among other sites. Bring on the sunshine!

Enjoy a porch concert in Stittsville

On Thursday, July 15, from 6pm to 9pm, Stittsville residents will be entertaining their neighbours with free live music during the Stittsville Front Porch Concert Series. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some tunes while you’re out for your evening walk. The shows are free, but organizers hope to raise $8,000 for the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa; here’s the donation page. (P.S.: This event was originally scheduled for July 8 but was postponed due to rain.)

Drive to a cute town within an hour of Ottawa

Last week, I wrote a post about 14+ cute towns within an hour’s drive of Ottawa and it’s gone a bit bonkers. OK, seriously bonkers. Due to this post, the Ottawa Road Trips website set a one-day record for hits and traffic—more than I’ve ever had in a single day in the seven years I’ve run the website! Whether you’re looking for nice boutiques (Perth and Merrickville), family-friendly beaches (Morrisburg and Aylmer), picnics and hiking trails (Smiths Falls and Chelsea), or cheese curds and painted silos (Casselman), I’ve got a tip for you. So check it out to see how many of my recommendations you’ve visited and whether there are any others that should be on your day trip list this summer.

Looking for more tips for things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter and/or buy my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.