Happy Saturday! Craft fairs and holiday bazaars abound this weekend, in Cantley, Renfrew, Pembroke, Manotick, Renfrew, Vernon, Winchester, Kemptville, Cornwall, Merrickville, Fitzroy Harbour, Carleton Place, all over downtown #Ottawa and elsewhere! ottawaroadtrips.com/2022/11/01/o...

Heads up to anyone planning to attend Ottawa's Help Santa Toy Parade tomorrow: It's not going down Bank Street this year! Instead, it will wind along the Queen Elizabeth Driveway from Somerset Street West to Lansdowne Park. See info here: toyparade.ca

This post about places to buy international ingredients—from spices and sauces to produce and meat—was LONG overdue for an update. I've just overhauled it from top to bottom. If your favourite international grocery shop isn't here, do let me know. #ottawa ottawaroadtrips.com/2021/02/04/b...

Ignored and forgotten for decades, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and Black Wall Street are explained at Greenwood Rising, part of a resurgent Tulsa district: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2025/02... #TravelTuesday #TravelSky #HistorySky

My story about #Prague is out in the new issue of Dreamscapes! See pp. 46-47 in this PDF: dreamscapesmagazine.com/DS/DS-Winter...

In the mood for a Christmas market or craft sale? There are so many to choose from today, including events in Orléans, Barrhaven, Chelsea, Carleton Place, Kemptville, Perth, Calabogie, Chesterville, Williamstown and so many more! ottawaroadtrips.com/2022/11/01/o...

Sometimes my travels take me far from Ottawa. I just returned from #France, where I visited the beautiful town of #Clisson. perceptivetravel.com/blog/2025/11...

Can't wait to get out tubing? Domaine des Pays d'en Haut, a sliding attraction in the Laurentians, is offering opening-week tickets for two hours of sliding for $7.77 per person this week. domainedespaysdenhaut.com/en/concours-...

This week's newsletter is filled to the brim with local road trip ideas, from a weaving workshop and an #Ottawa food-and-wine event to Tom Green and a European movie fest. If you'd like tips like these in your in-box each week, why not subscribe? It's free! open.substack.com/pub/ottawaro...

Looking for something fun to do in and around #Ottawa this week? How about a theatre festival in Merrickville, a concert by Hawksley Workman, a food and wine fest, the Homes for the Holidays tour, five Santa Claus parades, two Tom Green shows, and much more! ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/11/10/3...

Yes, it's that time of year, when you can play "spot the Eastern Ontario town" in the annual crop of holiday TV rom-com movies! 🎥 🎄❄️⛄️ ottawaroadtrips.com/2024/12/10/c...

The website is back online and this week's newsletter is out! It has the scoop on Halloween fun, Santa Claus parades, a big restaurant promotion in the Outaouais and more. To get tips like these in your in-box once a week, subscribe—it's free! ottawaroadtrips.substack.com/p/october-30...

The Ottawa Road Trips website is temporarily down. I'm trying to figure out the issue. Thanks for your patience!

Looking for something to do this week (other than crossing your fingers for the Jays)? Check this week's calendar of events for the scoop on Halloween fun, concerts and craft shows all over, restaurant deals in the Outaouais, a pet expo at the EY Centre, and more. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/29/3...

Theatre lovers, the slate of shows in and around Ottawa is PACKED! This week alone, you can catch competing productions of The Rocky Horror Show in Ottawa, a one-act play in Winchester, and opening nights at the GCTC and OLT. ottawaroadtrips.com/2024/11/03/p...

Keen to shop Canadian? Check this huge guide to local makers and retailers in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais. You'll find everything from flour and dog treats to toothpaste, gardening tools and jewellery. Elbows up! ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/02/03/b...

This new Canadian social media network is headquartered right here in Ottawa!

Tuning into the first game of the #WorldSeries tonight? You can learn a bit about the Jays' hometown in my latest piece for Perceptive Travel, about multicultural #Toronto. perceptivetravel.com/blog/2025/10...

Got a lovely message from a new paid subscriber today!

This week's newsletter is out, and it's full of useful tips for road trips from #Ottawa: everything from Halloween haunted houses and Christmas craft sales to improved trail access in Smiths Falls and a discount pass for Quebec ski hills. If you don't subscribe already, why not sign up? It's free!

Whether you want to save on Quebec skiing or Parks Canada admissions, fly to Toronto or the UK, hike a trail in Smiths Falls, sample wines in Little Italy, or check out a nice Perth restaurant, this week's Heads Up post has lots of news you can use. #Ottawa ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/23/h...

It's FINALLY done! After updating this for the better part of a week, I give you this year's list of almost ***250*** Christmas craft sales, retail promotions, artisan fairs and more. (Six are happening this weekend!) #Ottawa ottawaroadtrips.com/2022/11/01/o...

So I'm updating my big, big, BIG list of Christmas craft sales. I've been working on it since last week. There are now 220+ sales listed, and I'm STILL finding new ones! But I'll have to stop for now. I think I have ornament overload. :-) Stay tuned for the post later this week!

If you're looking ahead to next week, don't miss my roundup of cool events in and around #Ottawa—everything from a writers' festival, a fibre-arts sale and a gem show to underwater pumpkin carving! ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/19/4...

From a fall colours hike and an art supply sale to ski, parenting and steampunk shows, there's something happening for just about everyone this week, in and around #Ottawa. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/16/e...

#ICYMI “I see all kinds of common sense in the work you’ve done & that you’ve focused on in-town #trails to start,” #Napanee Mayor Richardson told the Trails Committee.“ I think those are extremely achievable in the not-too-distant future.” www.kingstonist.com/news/trail-c...

From haunted houses and ghost walks to a spooky fort and a Victorian-style seance, here are dozens of Halloween events happening in and around Ottawa. They range from gentle afternoon fun for toddlers to terrifying nighttime adventures for the bravest among us. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/14/h...

Here it is, the moment I know many of you wait for all year long: The CPKC Holiday Train schedule is out! Once again, the illuminated train will stop in Finch, Merrickville, Smiths Falls and Perth as it makes its way across Canada. Enjoy! ottawaroadtrips.com/2017/11/19/c...

Ever dreamed of going to the Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton? Here's some inspiration for you from my Perceptive Travel colleague Kerry Dexter.

Just added an event to this week's calendar—I knew about it but completely forgot to include it! It's a dance in #Arnprior for a worthy cause: raising money for three children with cancer. Here's the post again, with this update included. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/07/2...

This week's #Ottawa Road Trips newsletter is out! If you don't subscribe yet, why not sign up to make sure you get great local travel tips in your in-box every week. It's free! ottawaroadtrips.substack.com/about

If you love concerts, you have SO MANY choices in towns around #Ottawa this week, including James Keelaghan in Chelsea, Chantal Kreviazuk in Prescott, Ashley MacIsaac in CP and Moose Creek, The Arrogant Worms in McDonald's Corners, and Big Sugar in Burnstown. ottawaroadtrips.com/2024/09/10/d...

There's more to Thanksgiving week than turkey. You can also enjoy two studio tours, two pro soccer matches, a magical forest walk, multiple craft markets and fall festivals, a huge discount clothing sale and an art installation made entirely of bells! ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/07/2...

Whether you want to see the fall colours from a chairlift, plan a trip to Gananoque, scare yourself with a Rideau Canal ghost story, take a painting class inside an historic mill, see a new #Ottawa scenic viewpoint or visit a yak, I have news you need to know. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/10/06/h...

Tickets to the Canadian Museum of Nature's Oct. 18 collections Open House just went on sale this morning. If you want to go, don't procrastinate--this event often sells out! #ottawa my.nature.ca/36917

Now that the leaves have begun turning in earnest, this is THE guide to fall colours road trips that you can't miss! Find out the BEST places to see the autumn splendour! (The photo below was taken just a two-hour drive from #Ottawa.) ottawaroadtrips.com/2023/09/19/b...

This week's events calendar has more than *50* ideas for things you can see and do this week—including a new fundraising run/walk in #Ottawa, Pumpkinfest in Carleton Place, a food truck fest in Renfrew and paranormal investigations in Dunvegan! ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/09/29/5...

Sometimes, my travels take me far beyond Ottawa. Here's my latest post for @perceptivetravel.bsky.social, about a gorgeous town in #Czechia. perceptivetravel.com/blog/2025/09...

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is coming up next Tuesday, but some #Ottawa events are already underway and several are coming up this weekend. This post has ideas for events you can attend but also learning resources you can access at home. ottawaroadtrips.com/2021/09/28/o...

Heads up, everyone! Tickets for Carleton's super-popular butterfly show go on sale tomorrow, and Air Canada has announced new routes to New Brunswick—plus the NON-cancellation of the London route. All that and more in this week's #Ottawa Heads Up post. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/09/24/h...

Looking for something to do in or near #Ottawa this week? My new calendar of events features everything from harvest festivals and studio tours to a bowling tournament, a fire truck pull and an outdoor dance performance. Lots of family fun here, too! ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/09/24/3...

Inspiration that is sorely needed these days. Thanks, Kerry!

What are some of your favourite "hidden places" in #Ottawa and #Gatineau? I'm gathering ideas for a new book about off-the-beaten-track spots. If you know of something I shouldn't overlook (like the quirky intersection in the photo below), please comment or DM me. And thanks!

This week's newsletter is out! If you're not a subscriber, why not sign up to get great tips in your in-box every week? It's free! open.substack.com/pub/ottawaro...

Kingston is one of Canada's great food cities. This post by guest author Jane Finn highlights some of her (and my) favourites, including one of my all-time faves anywhere, @tangonuevo.bsky.social #ygk ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/09/18/r...

Looking for something to do in #Ottawa, Eastern Ontario or the #Outaouais this week? Do I have ideas for you—from an Indigenous arts festival in Ottawa and a music festival in Wakefield to two poutine festivals, Kingston WritersFest, and the One World Bazaar. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/09/17/4...

A reader asked me whether there were any community-wide garage sales coming up in #Ottawa this month, and I found three this weekend—in New Edinburgh, Findlay Creek and Old Ottawa East! (Scroll to the end of the post.) ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/04/08/o...

This week's Ottawa Road Trips newsletter is out, with the scoop on everything from a hiking festival and the Musical Ride to ribfests and artisan fairs this weekend. If you don't subscribe already, why not sign up now? It's free, after all! #ottawa ottawaroadtrips.substack.com/p/september-...

Looking for fun in and around #Ottawa this weekend? This week's calendar of events has you covered, with everything from a hiking festival and a porchfest to ribfests, an airshow and the RCMP Musical Ride! ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/09/11/2...

Now that the long weekend is winding down, it's time to start thinking about THIS week's fun! From Fibrefest in Almonte and a harvest festival in Dunvegan to a writers' festival in Brockville and farm visits in the Outaouais, there's no shortage of things to do. ottawaroadtrips.com/2025/09/01/4...