In this week’s Heads Up post, learn how you can save money in New York City, book a VIP gourmet dinner and fireworks package this summer, get a free map of Rideau Lakes, cycle for prizes, and save 50% on tickets to a family pantomime. I also have the scoop on a whole bunch of new flights coming to the Ottawa airport.
June is Let’s Bike Ottawa Month—and you could win prizes!
Whether you are already an avid cyclist or you’re looking for an incentive to bike more, you might be interested in signing up for Let’s Bike Ottawa Month. Throughout June, registered cyclists will be eligible to win all sorts of prizes, such as gift cards for local coffee shops and stores. You only have to bike once in the month to be eligible!
New info on how to save money on an NYC trip
New York City Tourism + Conventions, the city’s official promotional agency, has just launched a new hub on its website focusing on free or inexpensive things to do in the Big Apple. NYC on a Budget includes tips on free concerts in Central Park, free admission to museums across the city, and movies under the stars in Brooklyn.
You can dine well with your fireworks this August
Les Grands Feux Casino Lac-Leamy—a fireworks show which, confusingly, takes place at the Canadian Museum of History and NOT at the casino—is offering gourmet dining packages this year. On Saturday, August 3, you can enjoy a three-course dinner and VIP seating for China’s show; on Saturday, August 10, the three-course dinner and VIP seating will be for the show created by a team from Barbados. (This might be your splurge of the summer, as tickets are $150 per person.)
Rideau Lakes has an updated free map
The Township of Rideau Lakes has released an updated local map with new roads, renamed roads, and updated amenities and historic sites. You can download the free map at the link above, or pick up a paper copy at more than 100 locations, including visitor information centres and Rideau Lakes library branches.
Ottawa’s airport is getting more flights
According to this CBC story, Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is poised to get a lot more flights soon. Air Canada and its codeshare partner, United Airlines, are adding or expanding service from Ottawa to a long list of destinations, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Halifax, Chicago, New York, Washington, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Cancun and Punta Cana.
Arnprior is a fun day trip…or a nice place to live
I’ve written a couple of freelance stories about Arnprior recently. For the Ottawa Business Journal, I wrote about day tripping to Arnprior, while for the Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Sun, I looked into aspects of moving to Arnprior. Yummy baked goods, a nice local museum, crepes, an indie bookstore and indie cinema, and a spruced-up bowling alley—what’s not to like?
Save 50% on pantomime tickets
It isn’t even officially summer yet, so it might feel very early to start thinking about holiday pantomimes. But if you like to plan ahead, you can save 50% on tickets to Cinderella, Kanata Theatre’s family pantomime, which will be on stage from December 27 to 30. If you buy your tickets before October 1, you’ll pay just $10 a ticket (instead of the full price of $15).
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.
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.