This week’s collection of travel tidbits includes the scoop on a tree tour at the Central Experimental Farm, a project to save turtles on Petrie Island, a fundraising party for CHEO, a Smiths Falls fashion event, and the possibility of high-speed rail service between Toronto and Quebec City. You’ll even find out why the fall colours seem muted this year.
Guide highlights rest stops, parks and snack spots along Highway 17
I just stumbled across this guide to places to stop and relax if you’re driving Highway 17 between Ottawa and Deux-Rivières (a small community about 260 kilometres northwest of Ottawa, on the way to North Bay). Since parts of this route can be quite isolated, this list of recommended picnic spots, hiking trails, general stores, and places to fuel up with doughnuts and pizza may come in very handy.
Outaouais and Montreal restos are offering November deals
Want to save money on fine dining in the Outaouais or Montreal? You can book a table now to enjoy special multi-course menus during two promotions.
In the Outaouais, 25 restaurants are participating in L’Outaouais au menu (October 31 to November 16). Each will offer a three-course menu on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Depending on the restaurant, the menu will cost $54 or $74 per person, before taxes and tip.
In Montreal, more than 150 restaurants are participating in MTLàTABLE (October 31 to November 17). Restaurants will be offering three- or four-course set menus priced at $35, $50, $65 or $80 per person before taxes and tip (prices vary by restaurant). Some restaurants will also be offering a $25 brunch.
Sure, even at these prices, the meals are more costly than the usual outing at a pub or fast-food joint. However, many of the restaurants are on the posh side of the dining spectrum, meaning these rates represent a discount from their usual bills.
Halloween DJ dance party will raise money for CHEO
Tickets are almost gone for the Halloween Dance Party for CHEO at the Sala San Marco on Preston Street on Saturday, October 26. DJ TDot will be spinning ’90s and 2000s hip-hop tunes at this adults-only event, where costumes are encouraged. A silent auction will add to the fun.
The CPKC Holiday Train is returning in November
Seeing the illuminated CPKC Holiday Train is an annual tradition for many Eastern Ontario families, and the railway has just announced the 2024 schedule. The train will be stopping in Finch, Merrickville, Smiths Falls and Perth on Thursday, November 28. My just-updated post about the train has all the details.
You can learn about windbreaks at the Central Experimental Farm
On Sunday, October 27, the Friends of the Farm is hosting a free tree tour of the Merivale Shelterbelt, an area near the entrance to the Central Experimental Farm off Merivale Road (across from Tim Horton’s). Visitors will learn how the diverse North American, European and Asian tree species in the windbreak have held up over the last two decades in a somtimes-hostile urban environment. Admission is free but spaces are limited, so you must register online in advance. The tour starts starts at 9:30am.
Volunteers help nurture turtle eggs on Petrie Island
Here’s your feel-good story of the week: CBC profiled a group of volunteers who work hard to help baby turtles survive on Petrie Island, in the Ottawa River on the northern edge of Orleans.
High-speed rail may be coming to Ottawa…eventually
The federal government has identified three qualified bidders for its proposed project to build a high-frequency rail network connecting Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Trois-Rivières, Laval and Quebec City. “High frequency” means lots of trains daily along the route but it doesn’t specify how fast those trains will go.
Recently, according to this CBC story, the government asked the pre-qualified bidders to provide options for two speeds of trains: “conventional” trains operating at speeds of up to 200 km/h and “high-speed” trains, such as those that operate at speeds of up to 320 km/h in Europe. (To put that into context, VIA Rail trains in the Windsor-to-Quebec-City corridor currently travel at speeds of 60 km/h to 120 km/h.)
However, Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says any new system—high speed or otherwise—probably won’t be operational until the mid-2030s. Even that far-off date seems wildly optimistic to me, perhaps because the whole O-Train fiasco has left me—a lifelong train fan—a bit jaded about Canada’s ability to build train networks. It sure would be nice, though.
You’re not imagining things: Fall colours are muted this year
Over the last few weeks, I’ve heard lots of people commenting that this year’s fall colours aren’t quite as bright and vibrant as usual. It turns out, we’re not imagining things. According to this CTV News article, fall foliage is a bit duller this year due to the warmer-than-normal temperatures in September. The post focuses on the Greater Toronto Area, but early fall in Eastern Ontario was also unseasonably warm, so I suspect the effects have been similar here.
Smiths Falls clothing shop is throwing a harvest bash
Michele’s Doorway to Splendour, a clothing shop in downtown Smiths Falls, is hosting a Harvest Night event on Thursday, October 17, from 4pm to 7pm. As well as picking up the latest fall fashions, you can enter hourly draws for outfits and a grand door-prize draw.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.
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.