Whether you’d like to sip a cocktail while getting your colours done, unwind in a spa on a boat, hear Handel’s Messiah, chase ghosts at a museum, or get a deal on train tickets, landscape photos or books, this week’s Heads Up post has something for you. Plus, you’ll find out when 2027 campsite reservations open for Sépaq parks (yes, it seems early to me, too) and where you’ll find a house with a possible connection to Al Capone.
Events
Bee You Creative Styles hosts Colours & Cocktails events.
Ticket sales end on November 7 for the Arnprior Ever After Ball, a princess-themed family event on Saturday, November 21, that will raise funds for Teachers Against Poverty.
If you’re a 50+ woman dreaming of exciting trips, you might be interested in this cool-sounding online event. The JourneyWoman Ageless Adventuress Virtual Summit (November 14 and 15) will feature speakers discussing cruises, responsible travel, coach tours, travel for women over 80, and more. Lots of prize giveaways, too. Tickets are $20 + HST.
ITR Theatre Company is giving multiple performances of its upcoming show The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley between November 20 and 29. But for the evening show on Saturday, November 28, you can also enjoy a festive holiday buffet. Advance purchase recommended.
Not afraid of ghosts? The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is hosting a paranormal investigation event on Saturday, November 21.
The Rotary Diamond Gala is a glittery new dinner-dance happening at the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville on Saturday, November 28.
Tickets are available now for Ottawa Choral Workshops’ performances of Handel’s Messiah at Southminster United Church in Old Ottawa South on December 11 and 12. The Ottawa Regional Youth Choir is also presenting Messiah (part 1) at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sandy Hill on Saturday, December 12.
Ticket sales must be strong: the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans has just added extra performances of the British-panto-inspired O Christmas Tea on December 21 and 22.
The very popular Colours & Cocktails events at Bee You Creative Styles, a cool vintage-and-more shop in Sandy Hill, are sold out for the remainder of 2026. However, tickets to the January and February 2027 events are now available. At all of them, you’ll have the chance to get your colours done and to peruse the shop after hours.
Discounts and deals
A sauna with a view at Bota Bota in Montreal. Photo by Sid Lee/Bota Bota.
This week, VIA Rail’s weekly Discount Tuesday promotion includes 20% off select economy fares in Ontario and Quebec, and 10% off economy fares on regional trains, the Ocean and the Canadian. You must book by midnight on November 3. Use the discount code TUESDAY.
Also, VIA Preference members can get 20% off tickets to the Northern Super League women’s soccer final in Ottawa on Saturday, November 14. (If you’re travelling to Ottawa for the game, you can also get 20% off train fares.)
Bota Bota, the Nordic-style spa on a boat in Old Montreal, is offering a 20% discount on gift cards if you purchase by November 16. (Wondering what it’s like to visit Bota Bota in winter? Here’s my review.)
Not quite travel, but travel related: A new Canadian-owned online photography gallery called MapleVue Images is offering 15% off purchases for a limited time. You’ll find lots of Canadian landscape photos there. Use the code MAPLEVUE15 at checkout.
Sadly, the used bookstore Barely Bruised Books in Sandy Hill is going out of business. During its closing week sale this week, all books are priced at $10 or less, and many are $3 or less.
Other
The NCC River House just got a nod from an architects’ association.
Do you like to plan WAY ahead? Then mark your calendar for November 7 and 8, when Sépaq (Quebec’s park service) will open reservations for campsites and ready-to-camp accommodations at more than two dozen parks and other sites across the province.
Have you heard about the “Al Capone house” in Kemptville? A recent CBC Radio Ottawa story delved into the home’s fascinating history, including its rumoured connection to the infamous gangster.
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.
