Whether you want to enjoy jazz at a farm in Gatineau, eat ice cream on a beach in Kars, tour a cave near Eganville, try a pop-up restaurant in Perth or photograph hot-air balloons southeast of Montreal, there’s something for you in this week’s road trip roundup. And if you’re the plan-ahead type, make sure to read my tip regarding next weekend’s Upper Gatineau Whitewater Festival. Wherever your travels take you, have fun—and don’t forget your water bottle and sunscreen!
Shop for local art and food in Old Ottawa East
The second annual Old Ottawa East Outdoor Art Tour is happening on Saturday, August 21, from 11am to 3pm. There’s not much information online about it (at least, not that I could find!), but the map above will point you in the right direction. Meet artists and shop for works to brighten up your home. (Aren’t we all getting a bit tired of our interior decoration by now?) The rain date is Sunday, August 22, same times.
While you’re in the neighbourhood, you could also drop by the Main Farmers’ Market, which runs in a parking lot at 210 Main Street (next to Singing Pebble Books) from 9am to noon on Saturdays.
Enjoy tacos by the Tay in Perth
Starting this Thursday, August 19, Perth restaurant Michael’s Table will take over the pop-up tent next to the Tay River in Stewart Park for a few weeks of outdoor dining (in addition to service at the restaurant’s usual location on Gore Street). Michael’s on the Tay will serve tacos, paninis, salads and, on Fridays and Saturdays, pizza! Check the website or the restaurant’s Instagram feed for hours and for that day’s menu.
Head to the Russell Fair
Yes, it’s an honest-to-goodness in-person fair! Sure, there are a few changes (no midway, alas), but the folks at the Russell Fair (August 20 to 22) have lots of other family fun in store. On Friday night, there’s a concert by Ottawa Valley country-rock group Timber Line ($20 per ticket, advance purchase required). On Saturday, activities include Super Dogs shows, BMX demonstrations, sheep shearing, the chance to see baby animals and more. On Sunday, the fairgrounds will host the Shilo Gymkhana Western Games. Except for the Friday concert, admission to the fairgrounds is free for the weekend.
Tip of the hat to reader and CJRO radio host Candice Vetter, who alerted me to this event. You can hear Candice’s interview with Russell Agricultural Society president Mhairi Rowland on the CJRO website (look for the Local First podcast about the Russell Fair).
Catch a play outdoors in Prescott
For my money, the Kinsmen Amphitheatre in Prescott has one of the most scenic locations of any theatre venue in Eastern Ontario, as it overlooks the St. Lawrence River. This week, it will be the site of six performances of David French’s perennially popular play, Salt-Water Moon (August 18 to 22, nightly at 7pm, along with a matinee at 1pm on Saturday). The play tells the tale of two sweethearts in a Newfoundland village in 1926. It’s a production of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival. If you’ve been to the festival’s shows before, there are some new procedures this year (for instance, you can’t bring your own chair), so be sure to check the festival’s website for info.
Groove to jazz in Ottawa and Gatineau
The TD Ottawa Jazz Festival is bringing dozens of jazz concerts to local fans this week (August 18 to 22) in three different formats. The TD Summer Virtual Festival is a paid series of online concerts. There are also two free in-person series: OLG Free the Jazz, taking place in half a dozen indoor and outdoor downtown venues, including Confederation Park and the NAC Fourth Stage; and the Getaway Jazz Experience in the Barn at Moore Farm in Gatineau. The Commotions, featured in the video above, will play a free show in Confederation Park on Friday, August 20.
For the free series, you still need to have a ticket (so the festival can keep track of numbers for physical distancing purposes). Reserve those tickets online in advance to avoid disappointment.
Visit endangered ponies near Perth
On Saturday, August 21, Willow Creek Stables near Perth (2351 Christie Lake Road) will be holding an Open Farm Day from noon until 4pm, when you can meet and pet the farm’s 16 rescued Newfoundland ponies. There are only a few hundred breeding ponies left in the world, from among the thousands that once worked hard on Newfoundland farms. On Saturday at the farm, you can also bid in a silent auction, nosh on cotton candy and barbecue, shop for swag, and more. Rain date is Sunday, August 22. If you can’t make it this weekend, check out the farm’s Facebook page, as you can also make advance arrangements for a farm visit at another time.
Eat ice cream on the beach in Kars
How did I not know about this? There’s an ice cream stand on a boat—called, naturally enough, the Ice Cream Float—that zips across the Rideau River near Kars, frequently pulling up to the beach at the Baxter Conservation Area to dole out frosty, creamy goodness to the kids and adults on shore. Sounds like a fun way to cool off on a sultry afternoon. This article from CTV News Ottawa has the scoop. (Sorry—couldn’t resist.)
Sign up for whitewater paddling in the Outaouais
Festival d’eau vive de la Haute-Gatineau from Action Plein-Air Haute-Gatineau on Vimeo.
This event is actually next weekend, but I’m mentioning it now because organizers are asking participants to register by Sunday, August 22, if possible. The Upper Gatineau Whitewater Festival in Maniwaki (August 27 to 29) is a celebration of river adventures. The main attraction is intermediate/advanced whitewater paddling on the Gatineau River, with shuttles, but you can also enjoy whitewater rafting, campfires and screenings of paddling-related movies. You can come for the day or for the weekend (campsites and meals are included with certain packages). The event raises funds to preserve local rivers. The video above was shot two years ago but gives you a sense of the event.
Enjoy even more music in Ottawa
From August 20 to September 5, City Sounds/Sons de la ville will present 24 free outdoor concerts by about 100 musicians in venues across the city. First up is a double bill near the Chinatown Entrance Gate on Friday, August 20, featuring Unsociably High at 6pm (see video above), followed by the Powergoats at 7pm. There are also shows in Westboro, the Glebe and back in Chinatown throughout the weekend.
Or maybe you’d like a concert near a cave in Eganville?
In the latest show in its Cavestock series, Bonnechere Caves near Eganville is presenting Local Ladies Who Rock in the Rock—a show featuring musicians Daniella Bell, Heather Inwood Montrose and Julie Larocque—on Thursday, August 19. Normally, the shows take place in the cave itself, but this year, concerts will be staged in the caves’ picnic area due to physical-distancing restrictions. Tickets are first come, first served. (There’s also a different Cavestock show coming up on Thursday, August 26.)
Note that the caves are also open for bubbled, self-guided tours—again, on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are on sale from 9am to 3pm daily, and the place is so popular that the wait can be up to two hours for cave tours, so I’d advise going early in the day. (P.S.: The caves’ Facebook page has details on the closure of the Fourth Chute Bridge and how it affects traffic to and from Bonnechere Caves.)
Watch a first-ever synchronized dive from hot-air balloons
OK, folks, do NOT attempt this at home! (It would be a bit difficult, in any case, unless you happen to have two hot-air balloons and a river in your backyard.)
Sometime this month during Ciel en Fête—AKA the International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu—extreme divers Lysanne Richard and Yves Milord will attempt to do the first-ever synchronized dive from balloons floating 20 to 25 metres above the Richelieu River. The actual date will depend on weather conditions, and no spectators will be permitted to watch the dive live. However, the festival promises to post video of the dive on its YouTube channel. Yikes, it gives me shivers just thinking about it!
Even though you can’t see the extreme dive, you can participate in all sorts of other fun at the festival, which runs every weekend until the end of August. Activities include picnics, air shows and passenger flights. Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is about 40 minutes southeast of Montreal.
Looking for more ideas for fun in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or buy my new guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100km Getaway Guide.