Test your local trivia knowledge with this quiz and you could win a $10 gift card!

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Welcome to the first-ever, stay-at-home Ottawa Road Trips trivia quiz!

As some of you know, my husband Paul runs the Ottawa Trivia League, which hosts trivia games in bars all over Ottawa. As a result, I’m pretty immersed in the world of arcane knowledge.

So it only seemed natural, when I was casting around for ideas for posts in these unusual times, that I’d come up with the idea of an Ottawa Road Trips trivia game. (Note that I wrote the questions, not Paul, and I’m very much the amateur quizzer in this house!)

Here’s how it will work. Every week, I’ll post a 10-question quiz. Don’t worry if you’re not Ken Jennings—this is supposed to be fun! In fact, I’ll put a link in every question pointing you to a page where you can find the answer. So you’ll get the chance to learn a bit about our region and points beyond as you play.

At the bottom of the post, there will be a link where you can email me your answers. If you send them in by the following Monday at noon Eastern, and you have all the answers right, I’ll enter you in a draw for a $10 gift card. For this week’s game, please email your answers by noon on Monday, March 30.

NOTE: This week’s game has closed in terms of being able to win the prize, but you’re welcome to play for fun! I’ve updated the post to include the answers at the very bottom. And I’ll be in touch with the winner shortly.

Also, it goes without saying that any restaurant, museum, park or other site that I mention in these games is likely closed at the minute due to the coronavirus emergency—so please don’t take this post as encouragement to go out and visit! Stay home and stay safe.

And now, as Alex Trebek would say, “Let’s begin our game.”

Question 1: Otters and a railroad tunnel

In which city along the St. Lawrence Seaway can you visit otters at the Aquatarium and take a stroll through Canada’s oldest railway tunnel?

Question 2: Taking the train to New York City

Named for the mountain chain through which it runs for part of its route, what is the name of the Amtrak train that connects Montreal to New York City?

Question 3: House-made sausages and gourmet crepes

In which Lanark County community, part of the Town of Mississippi Mills, can you buy house-made sausages at Don’s Meat Market and crepes topped with fresh herbs at Mill Street Crepes?

Question 4: Hockey legends of the Ottawa Valley

In which Ottawa Valley town did a millionaire named M.J. O’Brien, who owned a local hockey team called the Creamery Kings, help found an association that eventually became the National Hockey League? (Here’s a hint: The town is now home to the NHA/NHL Birthplace Museum.)

Question 5: Eye-catching silos

In Prescott-Russell, east of Ottawa, you can keep an eye out for colourfully painted silos depicting local themes. What is the one-word name given to this Canada 150 public art project?

Question 6: Messing about in boats

In which Eastern Ontario town can you enjoy a show at the Thousand Islands Playhouse and see vintage watercraft at the Thousand Islands Boat Museum?

Question 7: Lunching in the Outaouais

Which formerly independent city (now part of Gatineau) is home to the charming Café British (pictured above), as well as the Symmes Inn Museum?

Question 8: Skydiving without a plane

In which city just north of Montreal can you enjoy the feeling of skydiving without a plane at SkyVenture?

Question 9: Sentimental prime ministers

Which future prime minister spearheaded a fundraising campaign to erect this statue of Sir Galahad in front of Parliament Hill, in memory of a friend who died trying to save a woman who had fallen through the ice on the Ottawa River?

Question 10: Learn about the Kashubs

In which village near Barry’s Bay can you visit an open-air museum dedicated to the Kashubs, Eastern Europeans who emigrated to the region in the 19th century?

And here are the answers….

1. Brockville
2. The Adirondack
3. Almonte
4. Renfrew
5. Popsilos
6. Gananoque
7. Aylmer
8. Laval
9. Mackenzie King
10. Wilno

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