If you’re looking for an easy day trip from Ottawa, the eastern part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is a great place to explore. Read on for two detailed driving itineraries that will take you through this pretty region of small towns and rolling farmland. But first, I’ll answer the question that has probably popped into your head.
Where are the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville?
The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville are southwest of Ottawa. If you’re driving south on Highway 416, you’ll enter Leeds and Grenville as soon as you cross over the Rideau River. At that point, you’re on the eastern edge of the region, as you’ll see from the map below. (Leeds and Grenville is the area inside the dotted red-and-white lines.)
The Rideau Waterway—a term that encompasses both the Rideau Canal and the rivers and lakes it connects—meanders through many communities in Leeds and Grenville, such as Merrickville, Westport and Portland. The region also includes a wide swath of the 1000 Islands in the St. Lawrence River.
“The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville” is admittedly a cumbersome name, so the local government promotes it by the the much more evocative moniker “1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways.” I’ll use both terms in this post.
In this post, I’m focusing on eastern part of the region—basically, anywhere in Leeds and Grenville east of an imaginary line running from Smiths Falls to Brockville. That area is closer to Ottawa than the western half of Leeds and Grenville, and thus it’s more accessible to day trippers. Stay tuned for a post about longer drives from Ottawa west of that imaginary line, where I’ll cover places like Gananoque. (Note that I’ve already covered Smiths Falls in my post 3 excellent day trips in Lanark County.)
So now that you’re oriented, let’s get to the driving itineraries. I have one route for families and a second for foodies. Let’s go!
For all of the places mentioned below, PLEASE check their websites before heading out! Most are small businesses—many of them family run—so hours and opening days vary quite a bit.
Eastern Leeds and Grenville for families
The map below highlights the communities mentioned in this family-friendly itinerary. There are too many suggested stops for me to mark them all on this map, so use the addresses provided to pinpoint the exact route to the places you’d like to visit.
Depending how many side trips you make from highways 416 and 401, you’re looking at a roughly three-hour round trip from downtown Ottawa, in non-rush hour. (If you’re starting and ending your trip in Barrhaven or Manotick, you can shave about 20 to 30 minutes off that estimate.)
This itinerary should keep the backseat cries of “Are we there yet?” to a minimum. About every half hour or so, there’s a fun place to stop!
Begin the day in Kemptville, where you can fuel up with baked goodies and hot drinks at cafés like Brewed Awakenings (2868 County Road 43, Kemptville) and Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar (146 Prescott Street, Kemptville).
Thus fortified, head to the Ferguson Forest Centre for a bit of outdoor fun. The sprawling property has several parking lots, so make sure to choose the one closest to the sites you want to explore.
The parking lot near the corner of Veterans’ Way and Honour Way is adjacent to Anniversary Park, where you’ll find picnic shelters, a trailhead, and a canoe and kayak launch on Kemptville Creek. This parking lot and a second one further north on Honour Way are also near the forest’s large off-leash dog park, which you’ll want to check out if you’ve brought any four-legged family members with you.
Parking lot P1 (261 County Road 44, Kemptville) is one of several that gives you access to the forest’s 22km network of four-season trails. The trails are open to hikers, runners, horseback riders, snowshoers and cross-country skiers; dogs on leashes are welcome, too. Parking and trail access are both free. Here’s a downloadable map of the forest centre and its trails.
Next on the agenda is an animal encounter, as several places between Kemptville and Prescott offer animal visits. PLEASE check their websites before dropping in, as hours vary and reservations may be necessary. But it will be worth the extra effort when you see the grins on your kids’ faces as they see, pet, feed and/or cuddle animals!
Here are a few places to consider.
- Saunders Country Critters (1058 County Road 44, Oxford Station): animals from around the world
- Happy Little Farmstead (3418 Goodin Road, Spencerville): range of farm animals
- Little Foot Alpacas (8011 Campbell Road, Spencerville): alpacas
- Flowers + Fleece (1346 Jordan Road, Johnstown): chickens, alpacas, goats
Wind up the day in Brockville, home to several places kids usually enjoy. Drop into the Aquatarium (6 Broad Street, Brockville) to learn about the ecology of the St. Lawrence River through hands-on exhibits. Check out the Brockville Railway Tunnel (1 Water Street, Brockville), where the free sound-and-light show is fun for children and adults alike. If it’s a hot day, head to St. Lawrence Park (525 King Street West, Brockville), where you’ll find a shallow, sandy beach, a canteen, and a canoe and kayak launch.
Wrap things up with a takeout dinner from Don’s Fish and Chips (40 Water Street, Brockville) or Manoll’s Fish and Chips (11 Buell Street, Brockville), which you can eat at a picnic table on Blockhouse Island before heading back to Ottawa. (Note that Blockhouse Island isn’t actually an island! It’s part of the Brockville waterfront, and you’ll find it right behind the Aquatarium.)
Eastern 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways for foodies
This route is almost exactly as long as the previous one and will take you about the same amount of time to drive.
Farms make up large chunks of eastern Leeds and Grenville, so it’s no surprise that it’s a wonderful destination for food lovers. This route just scratches the surface of the many places you could visit. Be prepared to brake for farm stands!
The day’s first destination is the postcard-pretty Rideau Canal village of Merrickville. When it comes to food shops and bakeries, it punches above its weight for a community of its size, and there are two spots I never miss when I’m in town.
Mrs. McGarrigle’s Fine Food Shop (311 St. Lawrence Street, Merrickville) began in 1988 as a mustard maker. In the intervening decades, the product line has grown to include dressings, chutneys, spice blends and more. And the shop itself has expanded to sell foods from many other producers, too—cheese, oils, crackers and so on—as well as a wide range of kitchen gadgets, dishes, linens and other housewares.
I also make a point of swinging by Pickle & Myrrh (110 Main Street East, Merrickville) to see what clever flavours of handmade caramels owner Erin Kergan has whipped up lately. (And then I always buy the sea salt caramels anyway. I’m a creature of habit.) Like Mrs. McGarrigle’s, Pickle & Myrrh stocks lots of foods by other small makers as well.
Other fun stops for food and beverage lovers in Merrickville include Violets on Main Bakery (318 Main Street West) for cookies, squares and breads; Gather Brewery and Glassworks (645 St. Lawrence Street) for beers and handmade glass items; and The Joy of Olives (118 Wellington Street West) for olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
From Merrickville, it’s about a half-hour drive to Maison Maitland (1258 County Rd 2, Maitland). Book ahead to take one of the culinary school’s cooking classes and, if you’re so inclined, to stay overnight in one of the property’s villas.
At this point, you could take a short detour into Brockville. Not all Brockville restaurants are open for lunch, particularly during the week, but I can happily recommend Nakhon Thai (28 King Street West) for its tasty and reasonably priced lunch combos, and Cosies (45 King Street West) for its oh-so-British tea, pastries and light meals.
It was Maison Maitland’s owner, Cynthia Peters, who first alerted me to the next stop I’ll suggest. Little Barcelona (991 Industrial Road, Unit D, Prescott) is a Spanish food shop and restaurant located in the last place one might expect to find such an establishment—a Prescott industrial park just off Highway 401. But don’t let the unassuming surroundings deter you: the food here is SO good. Pick up imported goodies such as sea salt, almonds, cheese, olive oil and cured meat (don’t miss the Joselito ham, if it’s in stock) to bring home, or sit down to tapas or a full meal in the restaurant.
Now it’s time to turn your car back toward Ottawa, but I have one more stop to suggest along the way home. At Green Gables Vines Winery (1600 Porter Road, Oxford Station), you can taste and buy a range of cool-climate red, rosé and white wines, including a few infused with fresh fruit. Check the website for current hours before visiting.
Accommodations in eastern Leeds and Grenville
While you could easily do any of these driving itineraries in a day, you could also take things easy by splitting the driving over multiple days. In that case, you’ll need a place to stay in eastern Leeds and Grenville—and there are lots of choices.
For instance, in Kemptville, Abbott Road Suites offers multiple short-term rental suites. If you’re travelling with a big group, you can rent an entire Victorian mansion called Maple & Rose in Merrickville. In Brockville, I’ve had nice stays at the Sir Issac Brock B&B Luxury Suites and the Noble Suites.
Disclosure: I have stayed at the Sir Isaac Brock and the Noble Suites free of charge in the past for review purposes. If you book accommodations through the links to them or the map above, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting this website!
Wherever you go in the eastern part of Leeds and Grenville, enjoy the journey! There’s so much to discover here.
For more information
You can learn more about Leeds and Grenville on the 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways website and the South Eastern Ontario website.
1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways has created six self-driving tours of the region, including online and paper maps. Explore North Grenville has a route called Follow 44 that takes you, naturally enough, along County Road 44 between Rideau River Provincial Park and Spencerville.
Disclosure: I have done paid writing work for the Explore North Grenville, Leeds and Grenville (1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways), and South Eastern Ontario tourism organizations. This post is not part of those contracts.
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.
