Did you know you can sign up for a January yoga-and-art retreat in Richmond? Or that you can start your year with a frosty swim in Perth? Or that you can reserve a new mini-chalet for winter camping at Philippe Lake? Or that Canada’s top skaters will be in Gatineau in January? Read this week’s Heads Up post for details on all that and more.
New dining gondolas are unveiled in Westboro
These look really cool (although they are heated)! The new location of Grand Pizzeria at Westboro Beach has converted a few ski gondolas into private, enclosed tables for four overlooking the Ottawa River. Note that there’s a cover charge of $20 per person for lunch and $25 per person for dinner. Nice views aren’t cheap! (Alternatively, tables inside the restaurant have no cover charge.)
Tremblant music festival tickets go on sale December 10
Tremblant is hosting the second annual Bloomafest music festival on May 8 and 9, 2026. Confirmed acts include The Beaches, Walk Off the Earth and Half Moon Run. Two-day passes start at $119 and go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, December 10.
Reservations for new mini-chalets at Philippe Lake also open on December 10
Is glamping more your speed? Then set an alarm for 9am on Wednesday, December 10. That’s when winter reservations open for the new mini-chalets at Philippe Lake in Gatineau Park.
You can sign up for a yoga-and-art retreat in Richmond
Anticipating that you’ll need a pick-me-up by late January, after the holiday rush is done and winter has really set in? Then you might be interested in a day-long retreat in Richmond on Sunday, January 25. The event includes breakfast, lunch, meditation, yoga with Jas Bhandal and a neurographic art session with artist Janet Beath, all facilitated by Willow Wellness co-founder Chris Clapp.
Top skaters are coming to Gatineau
Attention, figure skating fans: The Canadian National Skating Championships are coming to the Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau from January 5 to 11, and tickets are available now. Top skaters from across the country will be competing in singles, pairs, ice dance and synchronized skating events at junior and senior levels. Some of the winners will go on to represent Canada at the international level, including the Winter Olympic Games. Expected competitors include Lia Cho, whose 2025 championship performance in the junior women’s singles category is captured in the video above.
Apple Hill sugarbush makes maple wine
Here’s something a bit different: Maple Ridge Farm in Apple Hill makes maple wine and maple spirits. You can buy them at the farm or online. Apple Hill is about an hour southeast of Ottawa and about half an hour northeast of Cornwall.
Local books are available from local publishers
And another possible hyper-local gift idea: Books from local publishers! I’ll give a shoutout to Manotick-based Ottawa Press and Publishing, which published my latest two local guidebooks and has a big catalogue of fiction and non-fiction by Ottawa writers. Further afield, Burnstown Publishing House has a long history of producing books about the Ottawa Valley by Eastern Ontario authors.
Speaking of books…
Tickets are available now for an afternoon with journalist, broadcaster and author Gillian Deacon. She’ll be discussing her new book, A Love Affair with the Unknown: Leaning Into the Uncertainty of Modern Life with journalist Lucy van Oldenbarneveld on Sunday, February 1, at the Motel Chelsea in Chelsea, Quebec.
Sign up now for the Perth Polar Bear Plunge
I will go on record as saying that I think polar bear swims are CRAZY. Then again, I’m usually freezing cold just in my house from October until April, so perhaps I’m not the best judge. Clearly, some folks relish the idea of jumping through a hole in the ice into some frigid body of water, so you do you! And if you’d like to raise funds for the Perth Branch 244 of the Royal Canadian Legion by leaping into the Tay River on Thursday, January 1, here’s where you can sign up. (Note: No actual polar bears will be involved. It’s not THAT crazy.)
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.