Tour 1: Brockville – Historic Town on the St Lawrence Seaway (158 km, 98 miles, 5-hour drive, 8-hour total trip)

Visit historic Brockville, (first incorporated town in Ontario) named after Sir Issac Brock, the General that led the British land efforts during the War of 1812. Walk Canada’s first railway tunnel (1860) connecting the scenic waterfront and town centre. In use for 110 years, the tunnel provides a refreshing (cool and possibly damp) look into the past. Our tour allows free time to eat at the many and varied eateries (we will provide suggestions for lunch spots to choose from). You can explore the tunnel, waterfront, or the many historic buildings and shops of Brockville. Or sit by the water and take in the views as ships ply the St. Lawrence Seaway. The drive to and from Brockville follows scenic country roads. (We recommend good walking shoes; a hat; jacket; and an umbrella as the tunnel can be cool and a little wet. There is no charge but donations are appreciated for use of the tunnel.)

Tour 2: Calabogie – Secret Gem in the Back Country (225 km, 140 miles, 4-hour drive, 6-hour total trip)

Calabogie is about the drive and the ambiance. Many sections of the drive are twisty. Through Pakenham, we cross rapids using a five span stone bridge—the only one of its kind in North America. No doubt the drive will leave you hungry and thirsty. Lunch will be at either the Red Neck Bistro or the Calabogie Brew Company. Both offer back woods hominess and good food. On the drive back we pass through the beautiful town of Almonte, home of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball and the creator of the football helmet, before returning to our “home base”. (No, he did not create baseball.)

Tour 3: Chateau Montebello – Resort built for Canada’s elite (210 km, 130 miles, 4-hour drive, 7-hour total)

Built in 1930 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, as one of Canada’s grand railway hotels, this French-styled Chateau is constructed entirely of logs—100,000 western red cedar logs to be exact. Four wings in the shape of a star emanate from a central three-storey rotunda circling a massive stone fireplace. It was leased to the private Seigniory Club until 1970. Currently being run by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, the Chateau is a great place to unwind at the mid-point of our tour. While the Chateau is the destination, the drive is worthy of note as we travel along both sides of the Ottawa River.  We will stop for lunch at Goodies in Hawkesbury on our return leg of the journey. Note: Cost for ferry CAD$13.

Tour 4: Diefenbunker – How to Survive a Nuclear Attack (117 km, 73 miles, 2-hour drive, 6-hour total)

Affectionately known as the Diefenbunker, after former Prime Minister, John (Dief the Chief) Diefenbaker, this is a fortified shelter created, in the Cold War era, to safeguard government and military leaders in the event of a nuclear strike. We will be offered a guided tour of the facility, now operated as a Cold War Museum. Lunch will in the nearby town of Carp (fortunately not on Cold War era rations). The drive, while short, needs to be in the event of nuclear holocaust. (Note for those who may be claustrophic, the facility is 75 feet underground. Costs for the guided tour are: Adult 18+ $20; and Senior 60+ $19.50. All fees in CAD$.)

Tour 5: Brewery and Cheese – Craft beer, Poutine, and Ice Cream (235 km, 146 miles, 4-hour drive, 7-hour total)

UMN likes its ice cream. But it also likes beer. Combining the two is very Canadian. (Try it before you knock it.) This tour takes in two of our favourite destinations, Beaus All Natural Brewing Company and St-Albert Cheese Co-operative. The first offers tours, explaining how they make beer, and tastings, to prove they do it right. Operating since 1894, the second offers a wide assortment of cheeses made on site (try their curd). Lunch will be available at the cheese factory. This is your opportunity to try poutine made with St-Albert cheese curd. And don’t forget to finish with that ice cream. Our drive takes us down country roads and by some of the area’s popsilos—basically murals on farm silos.

Tour 6 : LSD (Lac Simon/Duhamel) – Cottage Country in La Belle Province (246 km, 153 miles, 4-hour drive, 7-hour total)

Come tripping on LSD (Lac Simon/Duhamel), a combination of twists and scenic stops through the Quebec countryside. We take the Cumberland Ferry and follow Autoroute Guy Lafleur (Highway 50) east to the twisties. Our first stop is Chutes des Plaisance ("chute" is French for waterfall), with a vertical drop exceeding that of Niagara Falls. Then we head north to Saint-André-Avellin for lunch at Le Café Du Bistrot and hopefully share in Quebecers’ “joie de vivre”. Next, we travel further north to Duhamel for a brief stop at a second waterfall. Back in our cars we skirt the rocky shores of Lac Simon before another break on Lac Viceroy, at a private cottage. We travel back to Ottawa, once more taking the Cumberland Ferry.  Note: Ferry fee is CAD$13 each way, and optional CAD$5 for visit at the Chutes. Bring comfortable shoes to visit the falls. The optional visits to the falls may present some mobility challenges.

Tour 7 : Merrickville – Jewel of the Rideau (158 km, 98 miles, 3-hour drive, 6-hour total trip)

Come see why Merrickville is known as the “Jewel of the Rideau”. With buildings hewn from the same rock as the Rideau Canal locks and blockhouse at its center, Merrickville was frozen in time when the railroad displaced water traffic. Now those same buildings are home to a thriving artisan community, quaint stores, and restaurants.  Our trip takes us along the historic Rideau Canal on route to Merrickville. While at our destination you will have free time to explore the scenery, history, and culinary delights of the Jewel. You will be on your own to enjoy lunch at a wide variety of restaurants. (We will provide options.) Our return route follows the Canal, providing a closer look at the small communities which grew around the lock stations.

Tour 8 - Upper Ottawa River – Driving through the Rugged Ottawa Valley (210 km, 130 miles, 4-hour drive, 6-hour total trip) 

Like our Voyageur ancestors in search of beaver pelts, we head “up” the Ottawa River (west), to Portage-du-Fort. We take both north (Quebec) and south (Ontario) shores. While in Quebec we pass Luskville, Norway Bay, Bristol and Quyon. On the Ontario-side we visit Arnprior (known locally as “The Prior”) and Braeside.  At the terminus, we will take in a spectacular view of the Ottawa Valley. Our lunch stop is Gavan’s Hotel, an old-style hotel & tavern, and “gateway to the Pontiac”, as this area of Quebec is known.

Tour 9: Rideau Canal – Marvel of 19^th century engineering (300 km, 187 miles, 5-hour drive, 8-hour total trip)

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal is the real star of this tour. Opened in 1832, it provided an alternate route between Montreal and the garrison city of Kingston, on Lake Ontario. (You see, there were continued concerns that the pesky Americans would invade from our southern border.) The series of 46 locks at 23 stations are marvels of 19th century engineering. Now operated by Parks Canada, these locks are original and use hand-operated mechanisms to raise and lower the water to “lock” boats up 83m / 273 feet from Ottawa to the height of land at the Narrows and down 50m / 164 feet to Kingston. (The reverse trip is also possible.) Aside from visiting some of the more picturesque locks, and seeing the locks in operation, we will stop for lunch in the charming villages of Westport (The Cove Country Inn) or Newboro (Stirling Lodge). The drive is scenic and winding in spots.

Tour 10: Rideau Ferry – Historic town that lost its Ferry (220 km, 136 miles, 4-hour drive, 7-hour total trip)

A nice country drive on the way to Rideau Ferry is how to describe this tour. Back in the day, the only way to cross the Rideau River near here was by ferry, at the narrows separating Big Rideau and Lower Rideau Lakes. And while travellers were making a stop for the ferry, they needed lodging and a meal for the night, and the town of Rideau Ferry prospered. Well, there is a bridge now and the ferry is gone, but the town is as hospitable as ever. Our venue will be CCs on the Rideau, where we plan to dine overlooking the many boats at the busy narrow. On the drive we will pass through beautiful rural areas and the cute towns of Smiths Falls, Perth, and Ashton. While in Smiths Falls we will visit the Railway Museum to take in a little more of that back in the day theme of this tour.

Tour 11: Upper Canada Village – Experience life of a by-gone era (195 km, 121 miles, 3-hour drive, 7-hour total trip)

Step back in time by visiting Upper Canada Village, offering a reenactment of life in rural English Canada in 1866. More than forty buildings are on-site, many of them moved prior to the flooding of the “Lost Villages” due to the St. Lawrence Seaway development. These include homes, church, school house, bakery, water-powered sawmill, steam-powered flour mill, and a blacksmith shop. Oxen pull a scow along the canal, horses move a variety of wheeled conveyances, chickens abound, and guides dressed in period costumes show what life was like in the 1860s. We will be taking a mostly scenic route to and from the Village, including a side trip along the Long Sault Parkway. The Parkway was created by connecting 11 islands formed by the flooding of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s. To allow more time at our destination, part of the drive will be on a divided highway. This will provide us with 3.5 hours to explore the Village. Lunch is available at a variety of eateries on-site. (Note, the entrance fee to the village is: Adult 19 to 64, $25; and Senior 65+, $23. All fees in CAD $.)

Tour 12 : Sainte-Cécile-de-Masham - Rural Quebec by the Gatineau River   (114km, 71 miles, 2-hour, 5-hour total trip)

We take a scenic drive north into La Belle Province (Quebec) and the tiny hamlet of Sainte-Cécile-de-Masham.  Our destination is La Patate a Carlo, an upscale chip truck—actually a bus. Try hamburgers or poutine (made of french fries, gravy and curd).  Next door there is ice cream for dessert. The return leg takes us through the village of Wakefield along the Gatineau River. Here we will see the covered bridge--lovingly restored by the locals when the original 1915 structure was lost in a fire.  There are lots of twists, turns, and elevation changes to wear off that poutine on the return portion of the tour.

Highlights of Our City (Self-guided)

For those who would like to explore Ottawa on their own, the following are some destinations that you may enjoy.  UMN volunteers will be happy to provide you with driving directions.

Canadian War Museum (www.warmuseum.ca)

Canada Aviation and Space Museum (ingeniumcanada.org/aviation)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Stables (RCMP Stables)

Parliament Buildings (rts.parl.ca)

Changing of the Guard:
- 10:00am every day on Parliament Hill (much Pomp and circumstance)
- Every hour at Rideau Hall, the Governor General's Residence (Less pomp but more intimate)

Ottawa Tourism has many other suggestions.

Rideau Falls (Self-guided)

Ever wonder why so many things in and around Ottawa are named after "Rideau"?  We have the Rideau River, Rideau Canal, Rideau Road, Rideau Hall, Rideau Centre, and the list goes on. Well, "Rideau" is not a person but is a waterfall.  A river flows into the Ottawa river over a straight ledge and the resulting waterfall looks like a curtain.  The French word for "Curtain" is "Rideau" and early fur-trappers who canoed up and down the Ottawa River named the waterfall "Rideau Falls", and the river that flowed over it was named "Rideau River".  All the other names followed. Rideau Fall Park is quite small but still worth a visit if you are driving by.  It is located at 50 Sussex Drive. The Tavern on the Falls is in the park and offers a great view of the Falls and across the Ottawa River.