Don’t miss your chance to see the Sunset Ceremony in Kingston, take a cooking class in Carleton Place, tour gardens in Perth or book a camper at a bird sanctuary! All of these likely hot tickets are taking reservations now, as you’ll read in this post.
This week’s Heads Up also has details on hotel packages in Gatineau and Montreal, archeological digs for kids in Ottawa, alpaca walks at Parc Oméga in Montebello, an award for the Great Lakes Museum in Kingston, and much more.
Events
Photo of the Sunset Ceremony at Fort Henry courtesy of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.
Tickets are available now for the popular Sunset Ceremony at Fort Henry in Kingston. The schedule has been expanded this year; the event will take place every Wednesday evening from July 29 through September 2.
If you have a budding Indiana Jones in the family, you can sign them up to dig in a simulated archeology site at two City of Ottawa museums: Billings Estate in Alta Vista and Fairfields Heritage House in the Bayshore neighbourhood. The digs are open to kids aged 8 to 11 and will take place on various dates in July and August.
Registration is open now for a pétanque tournament at the Vanier Museopark on Saturday, July 11. Your registration fee for the French-style sporting event includes a drink and a buffet.
One of the gardens on this year’s tour. Photo courtesy of the CFUW Perth & District Home and Garden Tour.
Also available are tickets for the CFUW Perth & District Home and Garden Tour, taking place on Saturday, July 11. As well as eight gardens and four homes, the tour will feature live music, art and a raffle. You can also pre-order a picnic for an extra fee (supplies of picnic lunches are limited). Funds raised support educational causes, including bursaries for Perth women to pursue post-secondary education.
I suspect this will be a hot ticket: On Thursday, August 6, two-time Pulitzer-winning author Colson Whitehead will be discussing his new novel Cool Machine at Knox Presbyterian Church in Ottawa.
Attention, Tragically Hip fans: Kingston is planning a weekend-long celebration of the hometown band and its music from August 20 to 22.
There are still a few spaces left in a Parisian flavours cooking class at Blue Spoon Atelier in Carleton Place on Friday, June 26.
Discounts and deals
The Quality Hotel and Suites at 111 Bellehumeur in Gatineau is currently offering a golf package that includes one night’s accommodation, continental breakfast, a round of golf with a cart at Club Técumseh and more, starting at $300, double occupancy.
At the W Montreal hotel, you can stay two nights and get the third one free until October 31 (restrictions apply).
Other news
Recently, I learned something cool: Almonte has a wood-fired oven that the whole community can use. Dubbed the Almonte Friendship Oven, it was built on the location of the town’s old train station. CityNews has the scoop (see the video above, too). Almonte residents are invited to gather there on Wednesday, June 17, for a pizza night called A Slice of Paradise.
Parc Oméga in Montebello is offering a new walk with alpacas experience. The price for the half-hour walk is $30 for a group of up to four people (including no more than two adults), in addition to your park admission.
On December 12, Porter Airlines will launch a new, non-stop connection between Ottawa and the sunny Turks and Caicos islands. The service will run twice weekly throughout the winter.
No camper? No problem! You can now book a camper for an overnight stay at the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary Campground in Ingleside.
If you’re looking for Father’s Day ideas, Tourisme Outaouais has a bunch, ranging from boat rentals and golf to ziplining and pastries.
The restored SS Keewatin at the Great Lakes Museum in Kingston.
The Great Lakes Museum in Kingston recently won an award as Ontario’s best small museum, as voted on by the public.
Black Tartan Kitchen in Carleton Place has converted the space above the restaurant into a two-bedroom Airbnb. You can even arrange a catered dinner in the apartment for up to 20 guests.
Here’s something cool: Quebec City is the first urban area in the world to be designated a UNESCO Biosphere Region. So what’s a Biosphere Region? From UNESCO: “UNESCO biosphere reserves are territories of outstanding ecological value where people and nature grow harmoniously alongside each other, conserving biological and cultural diversity, advancing sustainable development, and connecting communities across a global network.”
OK, so the headline (“I went to the ‘most boring city’—I’m telling everyone to visit immediately”) is pretty much the dictionary definition of a backhanded compliment. But this story about Ottawa in Britain’s Express newspaper manages to enthusiastically cover a lot of ground in the city and beyond, including the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Saunders Farm, tulips, Parc Omega and Nordik Spa Nature.
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.
