Read this week’s Heads Up post to find out which local museums are closing for maintenance this month, what you need to know about the O-Train’s reopened Trillium Line, which Pembroke bakery is under new ownership, where you can go for pizza in the Outaouais and why Travel + Leisure loves the Chateau Laurier.
Some local museums will close briefly for annual maintenance
Planning on checking out one of Ottawa-Gatineau’s national museums in January? Make sure to check their websites before heading out, as several will be closed briefly this month for annual maintenance. Closures include the following:
- Bank of Canada Museum: January 11 and 12, and January 20 to 24
- Canada Aviation and Space Museum: January 6 to 10
- Canadian Museum of History and Canadian Children’s Museum: January 13 to 17
- Canadian Museum of Nature: January 6 to 16
- Canadian War Museum: January 6 to 10
P.S.: Read my new museum exhibitions post to learn about temporary shows at museums and galleries in Ottawa, the Outaouais, Eastern Ontario and Montreal.
Tickets are available for January events
Tickets are on sale now for the Big Impact Charity Ball, a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville. The gala at the Aquatarium in Brockville on Saturday, January 25, includes dinner, dancing, VIP access to the Aquatarium and more.
Tickets are also on sale for two Robert Burns events: a Robbie Burns Night at the Kemptville Legion on Friday, January 24; and the Scottish Society of Ottawa’s Robbie Burns Supper at the NDHQ Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess on Saturday, January 25.
The O-Train’s Trillium Line has reopened (cross your fingers)
Believe it or not, the O-Train’s Trillium Line, also known as Line 2, is up and running again. Now stretching from Bayview Station in the north to Limebank Station south of the Ottawa International Airport—along with a separate spur from South Keys Station to the airport, known as Line 4—the line began Monday-to-Friday service on January 6. If all goes well, Saturday service will be added later in January, with Sunday service to follow after that. Do you have questions about the new O-Train service? Check out the Ottawa Sun video above, as well as these other media stories:
- CBC: The north-south O-Train reopens: 7 questions you might have as you ride
- Ottawa Citizen: Here’s what to expect after the LRT’s Trillium Line opens Monday
- CTV Ottawa: All aboard Ottawa’s new LRT line: What you need to know about the new north-south Line 2 and Line 4
Province of Ontario takes over maintenance of Thousand Islands Parkway
Good news for the St. Lawrence Parks Commission: the Province of Ontario has agreed to take over maintenance of the 40-kilometre Thousand Islands Parkway. The scenic route stretches along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River from Butternut Bay (west of Brockville) to Gananoque. The provincial funding means that the commission should have more money to spend on campsites, trails and similar amenities.
Pizza places abound in the Outaouais
Tourisme Outaouais’ list of great pizza places in the Outaouais includes two of my faves—Roberto Pizza Romano in Chelsea and Piz’za-Za in the Hull sector of Gatineau. The post also includes shoutouts to the pizzas at two other places I don’t usually think of for pizza: Boulangerie aux Deux-Frères in Aylmer and Biscotti & Cie in Chelsea. Plus, there are lots of places I haven’t tried yet at all! A pizza-themed tour of the Outaouais sounds like a great excuse for a January road trip…
Ottawa cracks down on idling
To reduce carbon emissions, the City of Ottawa has approved a new anti-idling by-law, which took effect on January 1, 2025. If you’re in the car, you can idle for up to three minutes per hour when the temperature is between 0C and 27C, and up to 10 minutes when the temperature is colder than 0C or warmer than 27C. If there’s no one in the car, idling time at any temperature is limited to one minute per hour. And if you go beyond these limits and someone complains, you could face a $500 ticket.
Travel + Leisure raves about the Fairmont Chateau Laurier
A writer for Travel + Leisure recently reviewed Ottawa’s own Fairmont Chateau Laurier and had lots of praise for the hotel, calling it a “soaring castle” that “looked like something out of a storybook.” High points included afternoon tea, spacious guest rooms and the views from the La Terrasse restaurant; quibbles included a non-working outlet and an indoor pool that “borders on beautifully gloomy.”
Popular Pembroke bakery under new ownership
Schmecken Bakery, launched by twin sisters Maureen Hicks and Marie Schruder in 2022, is under new ownership. The sisters announced on Facebook that January 6 was their last day and that they had sold the business due to Maureen’s health issues, adding that the new owner would continue to uphold the bakery’s European traditions.
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.
