Needlecraft workshops and wine tastings. A Tragically Hip weekend and a concert at a cave. Indian food and two big book sales. Indigenous travel and great picnic spots. My big guide to shopping locally. A Guinness World Record attempt. And the chance to win a $500 Resorts of Ontario gift card! It’s all in this week’s newsletter.
This week’s calendar of events features almost 60 things to enjoy. You can go to a concert at a cave, check out two big book sales, do a 5K foam race, curl up with a book in a garden, take a tango lesson, celebrate Pride, go to a Greek festival or an Indian food festival, commemorate the Tragically Hip, or tackle a triathlon. You can even watch a Guinness World Records attempt!
Resorts of Ontario is giving away a $500 gift card, which you can use at any Resorts of Ontario property. Contest closes on August 31, 2026. (The link to the contest is at the bottom of the Resorts of Ontario web page linked here.)
Take me to the Resorts contest
This week's Heads Up post will help you save money on VIA Rail trips (August 18 only), find fun roadside attractions across Canada, snag tickets to writing and needlecraft workshops, or discover Indigenous travel experiences. You'll also get a peek inside Ottawa's newest live music venue, and find out about a new package in Carp that pairs a flight in a vintage aircraft with a wine tasting in a vineyard. Plus, OC Transpo has announced some service improvements. Hope springs eternal…
Farmers and entrepreneurs in Eastern Ontario, in the Outaouais and across Canada produce an almost infinite array of things, from bedding and flowers to mustard and meat. My guide to shopping locally helps you find places to buy them (such as Garden Path Homemade Soap in Vankleek Hill, above).
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Here are a few Ottawa Road Trips posts from the past, in case you missed them:
11+ scenic picnic spots in Ottawa, the Outaouais and Eastern Ontario
Inspiration for your fall colours road trips (yes, autumn is coming!)
Trying to find something from an earlier newsletter? You can read previous issues on the Ottawa Road Trips Substack page.
And don’t forget that you can support this newsletter and the website by using one of my maps to book accommodations, car rentals and more.
That’s it from me for now. I’ll be back in your in-box next week with more ideas. Until then, happy road tripping!
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.
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