This week’s Heads Up post is packed with ideas for saving money and getting the most from your summer vacation—whether you want to enjoy high tea in Cornwall, ride your bike on a vehicle-free parkway in Ottawa or check out a board game café in Gatineau. And looking forward to the fall, you can save money on tickets to one of the capital’s most popular fundraising galas if you buy now.
Cover image of the Thousand Islands by Celia Spenard-Ko for Visit Kingston.
Writer has super tips for the Thousand Islands and Gananoque
Earlier this month, I spent a few days birdwatching in Saskatchewan with a wonderful group of fellow travel writers. One of them was the lovely Stephanie Mayo, who runs a website and a very popular Facebook group on the theme of Ontario Hidden Gems. Check out her posts 13 Hidden Gems in the Thousand Islands and 21+ Great Things to Do in Gananoque for lots of excellent tips!
Early-bird tickets are now available for Habitat gala
The Steel Toes and Stilettos Gala, a major fundraiser for Greater Ottawa Habitat for Humanity, is often a hot-ticket evening. It’s happening this year on Saturday, November 8, at the Infinity Centre, and you can save $50 per ticket if you purchase by September 1.
VIA Rail is offering more discounts … until Canada Day
Along with the Canada Strong discounts for children and youth I told you about last week, VIA Rail is also offering a whole week of discounts when you buy your tickets online. Use the discount code TUESDAY until Tuesday, July 1.
Handy post outlines when parkways are open for active transportation only
Having trouble keeping track which local parkways are closed to vehicles at which times on which days? You’re not alone—it’s a bit confusing! Fortunately, Hans at the great website Hans on the Bike has created a handy-dandy chart that outlines the summer closures of the Kichi Zībī Mikan (formerly the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway), the Queen Elizabeth Driveway, the Eastern Parkway (AKA the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway) and the parkways in Gatineau Park. Get out those bikes, inline skates and other forms of non-motorized transport!
Post offers 75 ideas for summer fun in the Outaouais
Now, I’ve been writing about West Quebec for many years, but this Tourisme Outaouais post listing 75 ideas for summer fun in the Outaouais alerted me to a few things I didn’t know about! Did you know that there’s a board game café in Gatineau, for instance, or that there are 25 kilometres of hiking trails and a 12-metre observation tower at Parc des Montagnes Noires in Ripon? Check out the Tourisme Outaouais post for these and many other ideas (such as Chutes Coulonge, above).
New Cornwall café serves up a few surprises
Along with all the usual goodies you’d expect in a coffee shop—banana Nutella loaf, anyone?—Craftsman’s Café (35A Second Street, Cornwall) is cooking up a few treats you might not anticipate! The café, which officially opened on May 31, also serves Indian-style street snacks, lunches like pesto-chicken flatbread, and high tea. (I haven’t made it there yet, but it’s on my list for my next trip to Cornwall! This tip comes courtesy of the always-informative Off the Hook newsletter.)
Visit Ottawa Pass offers lots of discounts
If you’re planning a staycation this summer, check out the Visit Ottawa Pass. Announced last week, the $100 pass offers admission to your choice of five museums and galleries, plus discounts at restaurants and shops and deals on activities. And if you buy an adult pass, you get a free pass for a child or youth aged 17 or younger.
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.