It’s a short-but-sweet Heads Up post this week, with tips on nabbing camping spots in Quebec or tickets to a train-themed Santa event in Smiths Falls, as well as details about a songwriting retreat in Brockville and the Snowsuit Fund’s popular Dinner Party in a Box.
Sépaq 2026 camping reservations will open soon
The Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq) will open 2026 reservations for campsites and ready-to-camp units in its 23 national parks, as well as several other Sépaq sites, on a staggered schedule on November 8 and 9. For instance, bookings for Oka National Park open at 2pm on Saturday; Mont-Tremblant National Park at 8am on Sunday; and Plaisance National Park and Lac-Simon Tourist Centre at 11am on Sunday.
Learn to write songs in Brockville
Singer-songwriters Lynne Hanson (pictured) and Amanda Keeley are hosting an all-day Soulful Songcraft Sessions Retreat in Brockville on Saturday, November 29. The retreat is open to all levels, from beginners to advanced. You’ll learn about the foundations of songwriting (such as song structure and rhyming schemes), techniques for writing and collaborating, and more. Wellness activities such as meditation and movement will help foster your creativity. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Dine well at home for the Snowsuit Fund
Once again this year, the Snowsuit Fund is selling a Dinner Party in a Box to raise enough money to buy warm winter outwear for 600 Ottawa kids. Order in advance and you’ll get a three-course meal that you can prepare at home in 20 minutes, delivered to your door (within 25 kilometres of downtown Ottawa, or you can pick up downtown). The all-Canadian menu features gourmet twists on classics such as split-pea soup and Nanaimo bars, and there are vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The box also includes cocktails, wine, beer, focaccia, spices and even a musical playlist! You can add kids’ meals, too. The dinner is designed for you to enjoy on Saturday, November 29.
Get tickets to see Santa on a vintage train
Tickets to the North Pole Express event at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in Smiths Falls are always hot commodities! So you might want to grab some soon if you want to take the little ones to the event on November 29, December 6 or December 13. Note that the event does not include train rides, but it does include photos with Santa in the 1899 Dining Car and the chance to send wish lists to the North Pole via the museum’s telegraph office. Visitors will also enjoy carollers, warm refreshments, face-painting, reindeer games, vendors and more.
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.