I have lots of November events for you in this week’s Heads Up, including a purse auction, a wine judging and a jazz fundraiser. I also have the details on which transportation provider is cutting back on its Ottawa services (VIA Rail) and which is adding four new routes to sunny southern spots (Porter Airlines). You’ll also find out which Eastern Ontario provincial park is staying open longer this year and where you can learn how to research your home’s history. Enjoy!
Events
- Buy your ticket by October 31 if you’d like the chance to bid on purses and accessories at the first annual Handbags for Hospice fundraising gala. The event is taking place on Saturday, November 6, at the My FM Centre in Renfrew.
- Wine lovers may be interested in the Judgement of Kingston, a blind tasting by experts of six pinot gris wines from Prince Edward County. It’s happening at the Residence Inn by Marriott (Water’s Edge) in Kingston on Saturday, November 7.
- Harvest Harmonies is a musical fundraiser for the Ottawa Jazz Festival featuring vocalist Rebecca Noelle. It’s happening at the Marshes Golf Club in Kanata on Saturday, November 14.
- Upcoming watercolour painting workshops at the Priest’s Mill Arts Centre in Alexandria include a class to paint a picture of a blue jay (Friday, November 6) and a class to create two small holiday-themed paintings (Friday, November 20).
- Ever wanted to research the history of your home? Historian Michael Payne is giving a free talk on that very topic at the Hintonburg Community Centre in Ottawa on Monday, November 23. Advance registration required.
- Tickets are available now for the Old Enough to Know Better Comedy Tour, featuring Rick Currie and Jim McNally, at the Station Theatre in Smiths Falls on Saturday, November 28.
- Speaking of comedy, tickets are also available now for the Shenkman Arts Centre’s always-popular New Year’s Eve comedy night. This year’s comics are D.J. Demers, Jenn Labelle and Leonard Chan.
Other
- A new restaurant called Bouquet has opened at the Hôtel-Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau.
- The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario recently gave its Tourism Event of the Year award to the 2025 Brockville Tall Ships Festival.
- Bon Echo Provincial Park is open for camping and day use this year until December 13. In previous years, it closed in mid-October.
- Previously announced reductions to VIA Rail’s Ottawa–Toronto service kicked in on October 25. Here are the details.
- In November and December, Porter Airlines will launch new non-stop services between Ottawa and Aruba; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos; and Los Cabos, Mexico.
- If you like shopping for tasty goodies on your road trips, check out Tourisme Outaouais’ guide to local fine food shops.
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.
