It’s a short-and-sweet Heads Up this week, as I know many folks (myself included) are a bit distracted at the moment by making lists and checking them twice. But I do have some fun news to share—including the return of a beloved Outaouais music venue after an almost five-year absence! So here we go.
P.S.: I’m not above using a cute animal photo to illustrate the concept of “heads up” when I’m short on actual pictures for a post!
Cover photo by Steve Crowhurst from Pixabay.
Wakefield’s Black Sheep Inn is back
For fans of live music, this will be a wonderful Christmas present. The Black Sheep Inn, the legendary live music venue in Wakefield that shuttered in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, is reopening its doors on January 11, 2025. New owner Christina Stobert is no stranger to the Gatineau Hills hospitality scene, having been a co-owner of Le Hibou and the Motel Chelsea. You can find out all the news in this story in The Low Down to Hull and Back News. (Side note: That is one of my favourite names for a newspaper ever.)
The O-Train’s Trillium Line and Airport Extension are almost open
I’m almost afraid to write this for fear of jinxing it, but it looks like all systems are finally “go” for the opening of the O-Train’s Trillium Line and Airport Extension (AKA Line 2 and Line 4, respectively). According to OC Transpo, the new lines will be open for weekday service starting Monday, January 6. Saturday service will be added next, followed by Sunday service later. This Ottawa Citizen story has lots of details from the media preview this week, as does the Citizen video above.
A gourmet cycling route stretches from Montreal to Sherbrooke
lf you enjoy good food and good cycling, and you’re planning ahead for 2025, you’ll probably be intrigued by this BBC Travel piece about the Véloroute Gourmande. The 235-kilometre cycling route between Montreal and Sherbrooke takes you to vineyards, restaurants, farmers’ markets and other places to enjoy hyper-local food. I dare you not to be hungry by the time you get to the end of this article!
OK, that’s it from me this week. I have to go and track down the super-cute hat I bought my grand-niece at the Ottawa Christmas Market last weekend. I need to wrap it, and I know it’s in this house somewhere … 🤣
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.
