This week’s Heads Up post includes an update on O-Train lines 2 and 4, a tip about a whitewater rafting discount, sad news about this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ottawa, and happier news about a family train event in Smiths Falls.
The Perth Kilt Run is back
After a hiatus, the popular Perth Kilt Run is coming back this year. Runners can take to the streets of Perth for a 1-mile or 5-mile run on Saturday, June 21, complete with bagpipers. There are also shorter “wee lads and lassies” runs for children aged 2 to 6. Register by March 16 to save up to 40 percent off the full fee. Note that you must wear a kilt to participate! You’re welcome to make your own, and the run organizers also have a link on their website to a kilt supplier. The video above, from 2016, gives you a taste of the event.
You can get half off Originals Spring Craft Sale tickets
If you purchase by the end of the day on March 11, you can save 50 percent on tickets to the Originals Spring Craft Sale, which will be at the EY Centre in Ottawa from April 3 to 6. With the discount, adult tickets are $5 each. (Children and youth aged 17 and under are admitted free.)
These Outaouais trails welcome dogs
Looking for a spot to take your pooch for a winter hike? Tourisme Outaouais recommends seven trails and trail networks across the region that welcome winter hikers and their canine companions. They range from urban routes in Aylmer and around Lac Leamy to dog-friendly trails in Gatineau Park and some further-flung trails you might not know. (P.S.: The photo above aside, most of these trails require your dog to be on a leash, so be sure to bring one!)
Sunday service is starting on O-Train lines 2 and 4
Beginning March 16, OC Transpo will offer Sunday service on O-Train lines 2 and 4, which run from Bayview Station to Limebank Road and the Ottawa International Airport, respectively. That means that service will finally be available seven days a week on all O-Train lines (weather and equipment permitting, of course).
Tickets now available for Easter train event
Speaking of trains: The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario (RMEO) in Smiths Falls is now selling tickets for its family-oriented Easter Eggspress event, taking place on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday April 20. The fun will include rides in one of museum’s vintage cabooses, a petting zoo, pony rides, a new children’s S.T.E.A.M. car, a scavenger hunt, face painting, train tables and Easter crafts. Visitors can also check out the RMEO’s rolling stock, including a Victorian dining car and a vintage steam engine.
P.S.: Here’s what it’s like to stay overnight in an RMEO caboose.
Ottawa’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is cancelled … again
The folks behind Ottawa’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade can’t catch a break. The parade hasn’t taken place since 2019. First, it was sidelined by COVID. Later, it faced shortages of volunteers and funds. One year, it didn’t get a permit. And this year, fees from the city (which include policing costs) exceeded the event’s budget, so the parade has been cancelled. Organizers are hopeful the event will be back in 2026 for the 200th anniversary of the city’s founding.
You can save 30 percent on whitewater rafting
Wilderness Tours Rafting Resort in Foresters Falls is offering a 30 percent discount on a range of whitewater rafting packages this spring and early summer. To get the March Madness discount, you must book by Friday, March 28.
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.
