Even though it isn’t officially summer until June 21, it really feels like summer is swinging into high gear already—especially if you’re planning ahead. Read on to find out about a Kingston event that’s a hot ticket, an elegant tea at an Ottawa historic site, bike routes in the Outaouais, a rural poker run, season passes at Calypso Waterpark, a new arrival at a Smiths Falls museum and much, much more.
Events
A dessert tray served during tea on the veranda at Laurier House.
Wow—tickets to the Fort Henry Tattoo in Kingston (Saturday, July 25) just went on sale last Thursday, and premium balcony seats are already sold out! So if you want to snag any of the remaining seats to this always-popular event, you might want to hurry.
Laurier House National Historic Site in Ottawa will once again be offering tea on the veranda this summer, beginning June 4. If you’d like to see what it’s like (complete with LOTS of photos), here’s my review from my 2025 visit.
Tickets are available for The Festival of Small Halls, a series of concerts taking place in small venues (usually in small communities) across Eastern Ontario between October 2 and December 5. (Most of the shows are in October, but there’s a small flurry in late November and early December.)
You can sign up now for the Open Fields Poker Run, a self-driving event in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry on Sunday, June 28. You’ll drive to rural sites throughout SDG collecting cards in the hopes of getting a winning poker hand—and taking home a $500 prize. Register by June 13 to be entered in a draw for a free night at the Cornwall Hampton Inn.
You can register now for a poetry workshop with Algonquin Elder Albert Dumont, taking place at the Billings Estate National Historic Site in Ottawa on Saturday, June 27. He will share insights into the inspirations for his works and his approach to composition, and help participants write a poem.
Registration is open for a workshop to make miniature vegetable baskets from polymer clay. It’s happening at the Osgoode Township Museum in Vernon on Saturday, July 18.
Plan ahead if you’d like to enjoy a fancy meal on a Prince Edward County farm, as they tend to sell out a few weeks in advance. Options include lunches and dinners at Littlejohn Farm, and hill tribe dinners at Paper Kite Farm.
And if you’re planning really far ahead, you could buy a package at Fairmont Le Château Montebello for the Autumn Harvest food and wine event on Friday, November 6.
Discounts and deals
Heading to Toronto this summer? Destination Toronto has a range of discount passes it will happily sell you, including passes that offer savings on museum admissions and craft beer tastings.
Is someone in your family a waterpark and amusement park fan? The new Calypso Gold Pass gives the bearer unlimited visits to the Calypso Waterpark in Limoges, La Ronde amusement park in Montreal, the Village Vacances Valcartier outdoor waterpark near Quebec City, and Wet’n’Wild Toronto.
Other news
The vintage streetcar arrives at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. Photo courtesy of the museum.
After a restoration project lasting more than two decades, a 109-year-old Ottawa streetcar has been brought back to its former glory. It was recently transported to its new home at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario in Smiths Falls.
Itching to get out on your bike? Tourisme Outaouais has just published a post with all sorts of cycling routes you can try throughout the Outaouais.
Seven Willows Tolley Gardens, a 7.5-acre garden in Williamsburg, opened for the season on June 1. It will be open until September 5, and visits are by appointment only. Admission is free.
The Kenhte:ke Language and Cultural Centre opened in late May on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory near Deseronto. The primary focus will be on activities for the Mohawk community, but programming may also be offered in future for non-Indigenous people who would like to learn about Mohawk culture.
My friend Janet Uren has written a fascinating-looking book, The Villagers: History of the People and Life of New Edinburgh. Drawing on 13 years of research, she tells the story of this community, which was founded as a mill village in 1829; became the home of Canadian governors general in 1864; and was absorbed into the neighbouring city of Ottawa in 1887. You can buy the book at Books on Beechwood in, naturally, New Edinburgh.
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.
