This post is full of ideas for getting through the grey days of January! Right away, you can check out a refurbished day shelter at Philippe Lake or book a stay in a tiny house in Lanark Highlands. Next week, you can learn about sports history in Cornwall or see a CBC-TV profile of Arnprior. Or plan ahead to take advantage of restaurant promotions in Ottawa and Kingston in February, to compete in a snowshoe race or a marathon near Cornwall, or to see a walk-about version of Macbeth near Prescott this summer.
You can sleep in a tiny home in Lanark Highlands
The Ontario’s Highlands tourism organization recently published a short article by Emily Gillespie about Highland House, a tiny home in Lanark Highlands. The house, which sleeps six (as long as you all get along really well), is not far from Perth, Carleton Place and Lanark. It looks like a charming rural getaway. Bookable on Airbnb.
Registration is open for marathon and snowshoe race
If you sign up for the Summerstown Forest Snowshoe Race near Cornwall (Saturday, February 7) by Wednesday, January 14, you’ll save $10 off your registration fee. You can choose from 4.4km and 8.5km courses. The fee after January 14 goes up to $45.
If running is more your speed, registrations for the St. Lawrence Marathon (between Morrisburg and Cornwall) on Saturday, April 25, are now open. This event often sells out by late March, so advance planning is advisable. The event includes 5km, 10km, half-marathon and marathon races.
Arnprior gets its moment in the CBC sun
The CBC-TV series Still Standing, which profiles communities across the country that have bounced back from adversity, will be showcasing Arnprior in an episode on Tuesday, January 20.
You can see a walk-about Macbeth near a tower this summer
The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival is trying something new this summer. As well as staging two other plays at its usual venue, the Kinsmen Amphitheatre in Prescott, the festival will be mounting a “walk-about” production of Macbeth at the privately owned Maitland Tower in nearby Maitland. Now, I thought I knew Eastern Ontario pretty well, but I’d never heard of Maitland Tower and had to look it up! Built as a flour mill in 1828, it stands on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. The production of Macbeth will take place in the midst of the audience, immersing patrons in the action.
Two restaurant promotions are happening in February
Great news for foodies: Both Ottawa and Kingston are running big restaurant promotions in February. Ottawa is first off the mark with Capital City Bites (January 31 to February 6), which will offer special menus, discounts and other incentives at more than 50 restaurants across the city. You’ll need to download an app to your phone to access the deals, but the app is free. Hot on that promotion’s heels is Kingstonlicious, which actually extends until the first days of spring (February 2 to March 31). It features both prix fixe restaurant menus and culinary events.
Author will talk about sports history in Cornwall
The second event of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Historical Society’s new Speaker Series is taking place on Tuesday, January 20, at Schnitzel’s Restaurant in Cornwall. Author Thom Racine will be sharing tales of Cornwall’s sporting history, teams and individuals, such as Victorian lacrosse games at the Athletic Grounds, the on-ice death of Owen McCourt and the trial that followed, and the women who took over the hockey scene during the First World War. Space is limited and tickets are $15.
NCC opens new day shelter at Philippe Lake
The National Capital Commission has repurposed a 1958 concession stand on Parent Beach at Philippe Lake. Now, it will serve as a day shelter—good news for cross-country skiers using Trail 50 and snowshoers using Trail 73.
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.