Day tripping from Ottawa to Vankleek Hill

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Ever wondered what lies beyond Trim Road in Orleans, where Highway 174 suddenly morphs from a four-lane freeway into the narrower Highway 17? A great bakery, historic churches, a pretty riverside park, a bright-blue tower and some fine ice cream were among the few things my friend Stephanie and I discovered (or, in some cases, rediscovered) on an afternoon drive east from Ottawa to Vankleek Hill earlier this month.

Black Walnut Bakery in Cumberland

Our first stop was Black Walnut Bakery (979 Cameron Street, Cumberland), which my friend Vanessa at Turnipseed Travel has been raving to me about for, like, years. The menu is shorter than it was in the Before Times, but there is still a good selection of baked goodies, along with Equator coffee, Shanti tea and lemonade.

We both chose turnovers (apple for Stephanie, mixed berry for me) and sat at a picnic table on the front lawn to enjoy them.

There’s also a quiet backyard with more picnic tables.

When we visited, Black Walnut was open Wednesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm for takeout only, but please check the link above to confirm the current hours. The bakery is at the corner of Cameron and Highway 17.

Also in Cumberland…

We didn’t stop at either of these nearby places that day, but I’ve visited and enjoyed them both on previous trips.

You can hike through woods studded with sculptures from around the world at Humanics Sanctuary and Sculpture Park (3468 Old Montreal Road, Cumberland). For more details, see my recent post about seven off-the-beaten-path road trip destinations.

Alternatively, you might choose to travel back in time to the 1920s and 1930s at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum (2940 Old Montreal Road, Cumberland), where you can try outdoor activities and wander among vintage buildings.

More heritage buildings: Clarence-Rockland

After leaving Cumberland, we took Highway 17 (properly known as County Road 17, once you leave Ottawa) along the northern edge of Clarence-Rockland. We didn’t stop this time, but I’ve strolled around the old section of Rockland on previous trips out this way. It’s home to quite a few lovely heritage buildings, including the town hall (1560 Laurier Street, Clarence-Rockland), which was built in 1905 as a high school.

Not far from the town hall, Très-Sainte-Trinité Church (2178 Laurier Street, Clarence-Rockland) dates back to 1917. It stands on a site where two other churches previously burned down. The interior is pretty jaw dropping.

Follow this link to the Wayfaring site for more information on some of Clarence-Rockland’s other notable sites. (Not all are historical—you’ll also find information on the local Tim Hortons and Walmart!)

Jessups Falls Conservation Area

This is another spot that popped up on my off-the-beaten-track post. Jessups Falls Conservation Area (6675 County Road 17, Plantagenet) is a tranquil place to fish or have a picnic. Overlooking the South Nation River, it also has a boat launch, a dock, open washrooms and parking, and there’s no admission fee.

Stephanie and I looked in vain for the namesake “falls,” but apparently they’re hidden under the water, below the Highway 17 bridge. This page about Jessups Falls—which was once a separate community—provides more details.

Also in Plantagenet…

Before leaving Plantagenet, you could also check out Mariposa Farm (6468 County Road 17, Plantagenet). Well known for its duck products, Mariposa also sells turkey, rabbit, eggs, pork chops and much more, raised either on site or by other local producers. The farm store is currently open for curbside service only; call ahead or check the website for hours.

Between Plantagenet and Vankleek Hill

OK, this is where things get a little murky. I’ve been to Vankleek Hill several times before, but I’ve always driven there via Highway 417. This time, I thought it would be fun to take the scenic route.

Boy, did we take the scenic route.

A word to the wise: Don’t just type “Vankleek Hill” into your smartphone map app if you want to get to VKH (as the locals call it) quickly. That will take you on a rather roundabout route through half of the United Counties of Prescott-Russell. Granted, that roundabout route took us past another beautiful church—St. Bernard Church (5142 Regional Road 10, Fournier).

I snapped a few photos just because I thought the building was striking. When I did a little research later at home, I learned that the church found out last year—when it was marking its 150th birthday and trying to get a heritage designation for the building—that the local diocese wants to shut it down.

After leaving Fournier, I kept rather blindly listening to the GPS telling me what to do. Eventually, it directed us to a high point of farmland somewhere south of Highway 417, and insisted that we had “arrived.” However, we were still about a 10-minute drive from the actual town of Vankleek Hill. No worries—it wasn’t hard to redirect ourselves north along Highway 34.

A good address to plug into your GPS would be that of the Vankleek Hill Museum (95 Main Street East, Vankleek Hill). That’s where we started our explorations, when we finally found the town.

Vankleek Hill: Loyalists, a tower and ice cream

The Vankleek Hill Museum provides a fascinating glimpse into the community’s long history. Founded by United Empire Loyalist Simeon Van Kleeck and his family in the late 1700s or early 1800s (reports vary), the community soon became a popular stopping point for people travelling between Montreal and Eastern Ontario. A short distance to the west, a 100-room hotel opened in Caledonia Springs in 1836, attracting health seekers who came to bathe in water from the natural hot springs. By the late 1890s, VKH had hotels, churches, a collegiate institute, a train station and more.

The museum is home to a typical small-town collection of historical items, including a wooden washing machine from the 1850s, a heavy knitted hockey sweater from the 1920s, quilts, photographs, military uniforms and more. I can spend ages in these kinds of museums, but I know not everyone shares my interest in all things old, so I’ll content myself with just putting a few photos here.

The museum doubles as the community’s visitor centre, so we were able to pick up a free self-guided VKH walking tour brochure. The tour features many of the gingerbread-trimmed homes and shops for which the town is famous. (In non-COVID-19 times, the annual Christmas Home Tour is so popular that the organizers provide shuttle buses between sites.)

If you’re looking for more details on VKH’s historic buildings, download this free visitor map.

On Main Street, we darted into a few shops, including the Vankleek Cottage gift shop (105 Main Street East, Vankleek Hill). The large old house was packed with kitchen goodies, jewellery, home decor pieces and other items—you could spend ages browsing here.

All that history and browsing made us hungry, so Stephanie and I made a quick stop at the Broken Kettle Bakery and Barkery (52 Main Street East, Vankleek Hill) for ice cream. If you are planning a picnic on your trip, you could also pick up to-go salads, sandwiches, wraps, soft drinks, juices, pies, cookies and squares, including gluten-free and keto options.

Thus fortified, we had one more stop to make to satisfy our curiosity. We wanted to see Higginson Tower, which we’d glimpsed from Main Street. (It’s on Higginson Street, just north of the intersection of Highway 34 and Main Street.)

Thomas Higginson built the tower in 1836 as a windmill to grind corn and wheat, but that business failed. His son William had a grander vision: He removed the windmill fans, added a wooden top to the tower, brought in a telescope and created what was billed as “the first private observatory in Eastern Ontario,” which he generously opened to kids studying astronomy at the local high school. In non-COVID times, you can take a peek inside the tower, but we had to make do with photographing the exterior.

Also in Vankleek Hill…

We didn’t have time to get to a few other places in VKH that I had seen before. All of these are worth a visit.

• Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company (10 Terry Fox Drive, Vankleek Hill): As I write this in late August, the popular brewery is open six days a week (closed Mondays) for beer sales and patio dining. A full menu is available from Friday through Sunday, and light snacks are served from Tuesday through Thursday. Check the website for the latest information.
• Garden Path Homemade Soap (284 Pleasant Corners Road East, Vankleek Hill): Stroll around the gardens, where owner Tara MacWhirter grows aromatic plants for her lovely soaps and bath products, which can be purchased at the boutique. You can also order online or by phone for contactless pickup. Currently open from Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
• Popsilos: Yes, I’ve mentioned these before! They’re one of my favourite attractions in Prescott-Russell. You can drive yourself around to view these painted silos from the road, using the map on the Popsilos site.
• Vankleek Hill Vineyard (3725 Dandy Road (County Road 12), Vankleek Hill): Pick up a bottle of local wine! Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm. [NOTE: The original version of this post initially said the vineyard was closed due to COVID–my apologies for the incorrect info.] 

And the route home?

When you’re not taking the scenic route, just take Highway 34 south from VKH to Highway 417. It’s a straight shot back to Ottawa—but not nearly as interesting.

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