Why day trippers love Carp and Richmond, Ontario

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I’ve always felt a bit sorry for Carp. It’s a lovely little village saddled with a name that makes many people think of (a) an ugly fish or (b) an old-timey synonym for “complaining.” It doesn’t have the melodiousness of, say, Montebello or Mississippi Mills. It’s just plain old … Carp.

Don’t let the name fool you, though. Carp, Ontario, is a perfect destination for a quick day trip. It has cute shops, craft beer, tasty food, a winery and an uber-cool underground museum, all within the Ottawa city limits. It’s a wonderful starting point for several scenic drives. And if all that isn’t enough, it may even have UFOs.

Popular events include the Carp Farmers’ Market (Saturdays, May to October) and the large Carp Fair (September).

Shopping in Carp

Carp is home to a number of independent shops worth a visit.

The Hive (3775 Carp Road) shelters multiple vendors in one vintage house, so you can shop for jewellery, handbags, books, consignment clothing, vintage vinyl, local art, décor items, hipster-style radios, honey and more under one roof.

If you love all things rustic and cottage-like, you’ll adore The Carp Cabin (107 Falldown Lane), packed with treats like stoneware coffee pots, Farmhouse Paints, moose-emblazoned place mats, decorated paddles and antiques of all sorts.

There’s a little bit of everything at Moonstone’s Gallery and Marketplace (416 Donald B. Munro Drive). You might find terrariums, jewellery, chocolate, sculptures, bath bombs, mobiles, mugs, candles, crystals and stained glass, and many items are locally made.

Green thumbs can check out the Carp Garden Centre (153 Donald B. Munro Drive) for annuals, perennials, seeds, bird baths, statuary and other garden essentials. And the greenhouse at the Aquatopia Water Garden Conservatory (2710 March Road) is a lovely place to browse for tropical and water plants, especially in the depths of winter.

Carp food, beer and wine

You certainly won’t go hungry in Carp. If you’re of the “have dessert first” persuasion, head directly to the Carp Custom Creamery (3763 Carp Road) for ice cream and sorbet in dozens of flavours—loaded butter tart or sea salt dark chocolate, anyone?—in traditional or vegan styles.

The Swan at Carp (108 Falldown Lane) has a wide-ranging menu that features everything from spicy fried udon noodles and jerk chicken wings to steak frites and pork schnitzel. For coffee, baked goodies, sandwiches, flatbreads or a beer, pop into Alice’s Village Café (3773 Carp Road).

At the Cheshire Cat Pub (2193 Richardson Side Road), British-style favourites include fish and chips, cheddar-bacon-and-ale soup, and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding (there’s a big beer list, too). 

Speaking of beer, you’ll find the Ridge Rock Brewing Company (421 Donald B. Munro Drive) in a heritage building dating back to 1893. At the massive, rough-hewn bar—made from local wood and an old railway spur—barkeeps serve beers in styles ranging from familiar (amber, blonde, IPA) to unusual (late harvest altbier, tiramisu pastry stout). The restaurant menu includes wraps, pretzels, nachos and other casual dishes, and you can pick up house-made condiments like bacon jam and beer ketchup to bring home.

Down the road, Willy’s Pizza (461 Donald B Munro Drive) is a local favourite, serving pies on both regular and gluten-free crusts. Pastas, burgers, subs and other items are available, too.

Just north of Carp village, KIN Vineyards (2225 Craig’s Side Road) makes a range of wines, including Gamay, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Sample the vintages in the tasting room or on the expansive patio, with a sweeping view of the 19-hectare (47 acre) vineyard, or arrange a private vineyard tour.

Side trips from Carp

From Carp, you have lots of choices for side trips.

Option one: A 23-kilometre drive northwest will bring you to Fitzroy Provincial Park (5201 Canon Smith Drive, Fitzroy Harbour). In warm weather, you can swim (from two beaches), paddle, fish for bass and walleye, or hike along two short trails. In winter, there are 20 kilometres (12 miles) of groomed cross-country ski trails.

From the park, you could travel home through Quebec by hopping onto the nearby Quyon Ferry (5692 Ferry Road, Fitzroy Harbour), then enjoying a scenic drive beside the Ottawa River along Quebec Highway 148 to downtown Ottawa-Gatineau. (Note that the ferry doesn’t run in winter.)

Option two: Drive 19 kilometres east from Carp to NCC parking lot P1 at Shirleys Bay. The parking lot is at the end of Rifle Road, off Carling Avenue. From there, you can go for a 4.2-kilometre (2.6 mile) easy hike along NCC Trail 10 through the Greenbelt. You can also access the trail from the smaller P2 lot off Carling Avenue, between Davidson’s Side Road and Moodie Drive. This trail is very popular with birders; if that’s you, make this an early-morning stop on your way to Carp instead of on your way home, as birds are more active first thing in the day.

Option three (pick a designated driver for this one): Head south from Carp for 28 kilometres to the village of Ashton to enjoy a pub meal and a refreshing beverage at the Ashton Brewing Company (113 Old Mill Road, Ashton).

Next, drop into Saunders Farm (7893 Bleeks Road, Munster) for all kinds of country fun—depending on the season, anything from a massive corn maze to a gourmet campfire outing, a haunted Hallowe’en event or a holiday artisans’ market.

Round out your visit to this area of Ottawa with a stop at Jabulani Vineyard and Winery (8005 Jock Trail, Richmond) to sample and buy a wide range of beverages, including red, white and rose wines, a white wine-strawberry blend, a ruby port-style wine, and several apple ciders.

The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum

If you’ve lived in Ottawa for any length of time, the existence of The Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum (3929 Carp Road) probably isn’t a secret to you. But if you’re in Canada’s capital region as a visitor, you may be surprised to learn you can visit a four-level, 9,300-square-metre (100,000 square foot) underground Cold War bunker that includes everything from a miniature CBC station to a vault built to store gold bars.

Then-prime minister John Diefenbaker commissioned the bunker in 1959 to keep government ministers and other VIPs safe in the event of a nuclear attack on Ottawa. It opened in 1961 and was a Canadian Forces Station until 1994. Throughout that time, it was always kept stocked with enough food to feed more than 500 people for a month.

After it was decommissioned, it became a museum in 1997. Today, you can see the perfectly preserved (or carefully restored) situation room, prime minister’s office, cafeteria, infirmary and more—all perfect settings for channelling your inner Dr. Strangelove. The museum is known for its quirky special events, including escape rooms, kids’ spy camps and “interactive zombie adventures.”

Did you know? Carp’s UFO tale

Some people believe that a UFO crash-landed in a field near Manion Corners, southwest of Carp, in 1989. Further, they’re convinced the Canadian military hastily retrieved alien spaceship bits and little green body parts to cover up the incident. The U.S. television show Unsolved Mysteries was convinced enough to feature the story—including a videotape purportedly recorded by a secret eyewitness—and a legend was born.

Over three decades later, the tale refuses to die, no matter how many skeptics argue vigorously that it was all an elaborate hoax. In March 2021, CBC News Network aired a new documentary about the affair, UFO Town. Is the truth out there? You be the judge.

If you go

Carp is 37 kilometres from Parliament Hill, and driving is the easiest way to get there. Head west on Highway 417 and take exit 144, then follow Carp Road north into the village.

If you want to cycle to Carp, you can follow the Ottawa River Pathway and the Watts Creek Pathway west to the intersection of Corkstown Road and March Road in Kanata. From that point, you have multiple options for cycling through Kanata to reach Carp, depending on your tolerance for busy roads. That last leg of the trip is approximately 16 kilometres.

OC Transpo only provides weekday commuter bus service from the Carp park-and-ride lot, which is actually much closer to Stittsville than to Carp.

Looking for more ideas for fun in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or buy a copy of my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide, from which this post is adapted.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land.