There’s something for everyone in this week’s Heads Up post. Gardeners can go to a ranunculus workshop in Alexandria, while folks 55+ can book discounted tickets for a fall colours chairlift trip at Calabogie Peaks. Goat yoga in Luskville, a scenic train trip, new trails at Tremblant … they’re all here. Plus, find out how you can save money on Signatures Handmade Market tickets and learn which Toronto-area stations VIA Rail is going to stop serving.
Cover photo courtesy of Destination Ontario.
Events
- Have you ever wanted to practise your plank while surrounded by goats? Well, you’re in luck, because Mountain View Farm in Luskville, Quebec, is hosting goat yoga sessions this fall. The one on Sunday, September 27, is already sold out, but spots on Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 25, are still open.
- Sunwheel Flower Farm in Alexandria is offering a how to grow ranunculus workshop on Saturday, October 3. When I checked last week, tickets were 60 percent sold.
- Tickets to the 2026–27 season at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans went on sale to the general public today. Among the many events are shows by Brent Butt and Men Without Hats, the popular New Year’s Eve comedy night, and a concert by James Keelaghan, Irish Mythen and Stephen Fearing.
- The Wakefield Writers Festival runs from October 14 to 18.
- In Alexandria, Harvest Tastings is a food and wine event at The North Mulligan on October 21 to raise money for the Glengarry Memorial Hospital Foundation.
- Tett After Dark is a Halloween-themed fundraiser for the Kingston arts centre on October 31.
- The Ottawa Outdoor Film Festival, coming to the Bronson Centre on November 15, is a fundraiser for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
Discounts and deals
- Early-bird tickets to the Signatures Handmade Market at Lansdowne Park (October 22 to 25) are now available, offering a 50 percent discount over the regular price if you buy by October 15?
- Want to participate in the Russell Run on Saturday, October 24? You have until October 16 to register at the regular rate; after that, fees go up by $5 per person for the 5K and 10K adult races. (There’s also a 1.2K fun run for kids.)
- Adult tickets for the fall colours chairlift at Calabogie Peaks, which is running on select days from September 19 until October 12, are normally $20 per person. However, the resort is running two promotions you might be eligible for. On Seniors Appreciation Day (Friday, October 2), people aged 55 and up can get a ticket for $16. And on Military Appreciation Day (Friday, October 9), military personnel with ID can ride for $10, while their family and friends can get a $15 ticket.
- Hoping to take a bus tour or other packaged trip with Collette Tours? If you book by September 30, you can save up to $1,500 per couple.
Other
- Tremblant is developing a new ski area called Timber Summit. Due to open for the 2027–28 ski season, it will include eight new trails, a high-speed quad chairlift and a beginners’ area.
- If you take VIA Rail to the Toronto area, note that VIA trains will no longer stop at the Guildwood and Malton stations after October 24.
- Speaking of trains, the Agawa Canyon Tour Train out of Sault Ste. Marie—pictured at the top of this post—is a spectacular fall colours trip. (I did it as a child with my family and still remember it fondly.)
- This festival is much too far away for a road trip, but it’s such a clever bit of marketing that I had to tell you about it. Valkmusa National Park in Pyhtää, Finland, is welcoming visitors to Hiljaa Fest, a festival of … listening. Nicknamed Quietchella, it urges visitors to tune their ears to the nature around them. The event has a rock festival-style poster promoting such headlining “acts” as the Woodland Grouse and Common Crane, and it runs from October 10 to 30.
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.
