Day tripping to Kemptville and North Grenville

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For a place that’s just a 40-minute drive from Parliament Hill (without traffic), Kemptville feels worlds away. The compact downtown dates back to the early 1800s and is easy to explore on foot. There’s a town clock on a square overlooking Kemptville Creek, and a pretty bridge lined with flower baskets.

If you’re visiting with a pooch, don’t miss the off-leash Ferguson Forest Dog Park (parking lot on Honour Way). If your kids want to cool off, try the outdoor Kemptville Pool at Riverside Park (29 Reuben Street). And if you’d like to paddle but don’t feel like bringing your gear, you can rent canoes, kayaks and standup paddleboards from Drifters Outdoors (286 Riverview Lane, Kemptville), right on the Rideau River.

Annual events include the Kemptville Youth Musical Theatre Company’s show (April), the Kemptville Farmers’ Market (Sundays, May to October), plays by the North Grenville Community Theatre, the Kemptville Live! Music Festival (July) and Kemptville Poutine Feast (August). But Kemptville and the surrounding area of North Grenville is a great place to visit any time. Here’s why.

Shopping in Kemptville

As you’re heading into Kemptville from Ottawa, stop by Jac’s Boutique (2727 County Road 43) for stylish clothes for the whole family (in a wide range of sizes), as well as housewares and bath products. You’ll find all sorts of unique things here, including flattering dresses, hypoallergenic jewellery and sleek handbags.

In the same complex, Tanda Shoes (2727 County Road 43)—the Kemptville location of an Ottawa-based chain—specializes in high-quality, high-comfort brands like Birkenstock, Taos, Clarks and Vionic.

And on the opposite side of the highway, Kemptville Bed and Bath (2600 County Road 43) offers good deals on sheets, comforters, pillows, blankets, towels and PJs, including some bamboo items. Recently here, I scored a really nice six-piece bedding set (four pillowcases, and top and bottom sheets) for less than $40.

Downtown, if you’re looking for custom-designed jewellery, drop by Sugold Jewellers and Giftware (107 Prescott Street) to chat with owner Su Ouellette, who has been crafting unique rings, bracelets, necklaces and more for over 30 years. Ready-made pieces are available, too. The shop also sells purses, socks and other accessories, and a wide range of gift items.

If browsing for used books is one of your favourite ways to spend an afternoon, you’re in luck, as you can drop into the Book Market Kemptville (142 Prescott Street) or the smaller but jam-packed MM Books (4 Asa Street).

Speaking of quality used items: To Be Continued Family Consignment (207 Sanders Street) has a big selection of used children’s clothing and toys, as well as items for adults (including purses and maternity wear). You’ll also find lots of new kids’ games and toys.

And tucked away where you might not expect it—in the former library of an old high school—is Home and Beyond (304 Prescott Street), a very pleasant place to browse for mugs, lawn ornaments, scarves, jams, sauces and other gift items.

Kemptville restaurants

Not surprisingly for a town surrounded by farms, Kemptville is a wonderful place for food.

Lovers of baked goods might make a beeline to Grahame’s Bakery (115 Clothier Street East) for butter tarts, bread and more. The building, which dates back to 1820, has been a bakery since 1855 and has a huge wood-fired oven. There’s also The Crusty Baker (16 Prescott Street), where the scones, pies, cookies, quiches and more are made with local flour; you can get soups and sandwiches, too.

Coffee shop fans have at least two great places to choose from. Pop into Brewed Awakenings (2868 County Road 43) for tea, fair-trade coffee, wraps, sandwiches, scones, oatmeal and other goodies. There’s also Bubba and Bugs Coffee Bar (146 Prescott Street), where you can nibble on baked goodies, sip a latte or enjoy a light lunch (quinoa bowls, sandwiches) while admiring local artwork on the exposed-brick walls.

Downtown, Salamanders (28 Clothier Street East) cooks up creole and Cajun specialties, and has a pretty patio overlooking Kemptville Creek. Across the street, O’Heaphy’s Irish Pub (27 Clothier Street East) serves nachos, wings, burgers, fish and chips, and other casual fare. Beyond downtown, Nakhon Thai (2820 County Road 43)—yes, run by the same family that once ran a popular restaurant of the same name in Ottawa—serves up delicious spring rolls, cashew chicken and other Thai fare. The Long Reach Bar and Grill (116 County Road 44, Kemptville) is renowned for its breakfasts. If you’re visiting in warmer months, seasonal treats include burgers, fries, poutine and other casual snacks at Jeff’s Fat Les’s Chip Stand (639 Van Buren Street) and ice cream, shakes, hot dogs and more at the Kemptville Dairy Barn (312 King Street).

And you brought a cooler, right? If so, swing by B&H Your Community Grocer (301 Rideau Street) for a huge variety of locally produced items, including fresh grass-fed beef, milk from Upper Canada Creamery in Iroquois, sunflower oil from Kricklewood Farm in Franktown and more. (There’s a good selection of imported specialty foods, too.)

If you like shopping local, you could also place an online order with My Local Markets, a Kemptville-based business that sells products—fudge, salsa, flour, eggs, vegan mustard, you name it—from small companies across the region and delivers them.

A scenic drive through North Grenville

You can’t really get a true feeling for Kemptville without exploring the surrounding farmlands and villages of North Grenville. So, after seeing the town, hop back in the car for a 70-kilometre scenic drive. (Note that many of the businesses mentioned below are highly seasonal, so please check their websites for hours before heading out.)

The first stop is BerryGood Farms (2295 County Road 43, Kemptville), where you can pick haskap berries or Romeo and Juliet dwarf cherries. In the fall, the farm sometimes hosts craft markets (check their Facebook site for dates).

Your next destination is the village of Oxford Mills, where the biggest attraction is the Brigadoon Restaurant (9 Bridge Street, Oxford Mills), housed in a former general store. Like the namesake movie, this much-loved spot—with its antique teacups, wood paneling, window boxes and lace curtains—seems like a place out of time. Try classic dishes like French onion soup or crème caramel, or lighter fare, such as salmon with mango-chili relish.

Next, head southwest to Alpaca Tracks T(h)read Lightly (820 County Road 18, Oxford Station), where Kathy Enright and Corinne Côté raise Peruvian alpacas, run workshops, and sell yarn, socks, scarves, toys, blankets and other items, made locally or by Peruvian crafters.

After that stop, head east through the pretty village of Oxford Station and past Highway 416 to Country Side Antiques (895 County Road 44, Kemptville). There, three heritage buildings—including a log cabin—display all sorts of vintage goods, from dishes to daybeds.

From the antiques shop, it’s a short drive to Saunders Country Critters and Garden Centre (1058 County Road 44, Oxford Station). In the animal sanctuary, you can see raccoons, sheep, macaws, monkeys and more; the garden centre is a fun place to browse for annuals, perennials, veggies and herbs.

Less than a kilometre away, you can sip and shop for a variety of grape and fruit wines at Green Gables Vines (1600 Porter Road, Oxford Station). And a 10-minute drive from Green Gables will bring you to Smokie Ridge Vineyard (10090 Cameron Road, Mountain), where the LeBlanc family planted the first of thousands of grapevines in 2007. Today, they sell cabernet-merlot, chardonnay and other wines.

Another family business nearby is Mountain Orchards (10175 Clark Road, Mountain), where you can pick your own apples, take a wagon ride, let the kids loose in a corn maze, buy baked goodies and enjoy other country fun.

Take a hike

Did you know that North Grenville is home to 150 kilometres of trails?

Since this is farming country, you’re unlikely to encounter many steep hills or rocky outcrops—but that could be a selling point for beginners, families and others who aren’t necessarily looking for a challenging outing. Leashed dogs are allowed on all of the following trails.

A stone’s throw from the North Grenville Municipal Centre, you’ll find Ferguson Forest (275 County Road 44, North Grenville). Its 22 kilometres (14 miles) of trails are open to hikers, cyclists, horseback riders and cross-country skiers, and there’s a picnic shelter and a dock on Kemptville Creek, too.

On the west side of Kemptville there’s the short Libby Island Trail, accessible via a causeway off River Road and popular with birders. Another possibility is the seven-kilometre (4.2 mile) North Grenville Rail Trail, a flat route that cuts across the southeast side of town through the Kemptville Campus and several suburban neighbourhoods (so it’s not really a nature trail, as such).

Kemptville Campus

In 2018, the Municipality of North Grenville bought the Kemptville Campus (40 Campus Drive) from the University of Guelph, which was discontinuing its agricultural programs there. Today, the 255-hectare (630 acre) campus has lots to offer day trippers, including a working sugarbush, hiking trails, greenhouses you can visit, and public events ranging from night markets and yoga classes to horticultural workshops and the Kemptville Live! Music Festival.

If you go

Kemptville is 58 kilometres from Parliament Hill. To get there by car, drive south on Highway 416 and take exit 34, then follow County Road 43 west to Kemptville.

Cyclists can travel 20.5 kilometres of the route from Ottawa to Kemptville along the Osgoode Link Pathway, which connects the OC Transpo Leitrim station (just south of Ottawa International Airport) to the village of Osgoode. Other than that stretch, though, you’ll be cycling on roads.

If you’d like to stay longer, you can book Kemptville accommodations using the map below. (Disclosure: If you do book a place to stay in Kemptville using the map, I’ll receive a small commission.)

For more visitor information, see Explore North Grenville or South Eastern Ontario, or drop by the North Grenville Municipal Centre (285 County Road 44, Kemptville). 

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in the Ottawa area? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or buy 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 Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.