Thanks so much to the 126 newsletter subscribers who filled out my reader survey last week! I really appreciate the feedback, as it can be tricky to sit here at my computer screen and guess what you’d like to read.
I thought you might be interested some of the results.
Note: I snapped the photo at the top of this article at the Pastry King’s Princess, a bakery just outside Brockville. Since food and Leeds-Grenville were among the top favourites in the survey, I thought you’d like it. 😊
Activities you enjoy
Interestingly, the top three activities for both question 5 (activities you enjoy) and question 6 (activities you’d like to read more about on Ottawa Road Trips) were identical—so that will really help me focus!
For both questions, going to restaurants, farmers’ markets and other food-related places came out on top, with a whopping 77% of you listing it as a favourite road trip activity and 68% requesting more posts about it.
For both questions, 63% of you said you like going to festivals and events.
And 60% of you said you like going to museums and historic sites, while 50% wanted more content on those topics.
Here’s the raw data for both questions. Note that the “Participating in non-winter…” and “Participating in winter…” questions both related to sports.
In the “other” section of both questions, you shared lots of great ideas that I will try to pursue. Among the activities and destinations you mentioned were the following. (In a few cases, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a bit of content on the site already—which I’ve linked to—and I’ll try to expand it!)
- spas
- art tours and craft shows
- gardens
- theatre
- beaches
- places that are great to photograph
- waterfalls
- children’s activities and family-friendly trips
- main streets
- architecture
- equestrian events
- snowshoeing trails
- neighbourhood walks
- birdwatching
- brunch and afternoon tea spots
- music
- picnic spots
- pet-friendly places
- weekend retreats
Destinations you like
It turns out that Lanark County (70%), Leeds-Grenville (63%) and the Outaouais (60%) are your top three favourite destinations to visit.
In terms of places you’d like to read more about on Ottawa Road Trips, the results differed a little. Prince Edward County came out on top (50%), followed by Ottawa (46%) and Kingston and Frontenac County (43%).
The “other” option for both questions gave me lots of inspiration for places I haven’t covered frequently on the website before. Here are just a few of the great ideas you passed along.
- northern areas of the Outaouais
- the Laurentians
- Ivy Lea and Rockport
- Westport
- Lancaster
- the Kawarthas
- Haliburton
- Niagara region
- Lanaudière
- Southern and Southwestern Ontario
- the Finger Lakes
- Vermont
To sum up
A surprising number of you used the “other” sections to send me lovely comments along the lines of “keep doing what you’re doing,” which made my day! So I’ll keep providing the kinds of content I’ve always written, while also working to cover as many of your new ideas as I can.
Here’s to a 2024 filled with new adventures for all of us! Thanks again.
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.