It’s January, and the cold stuff will be with us for awhile. You could head south — and maybe you will — but why not get out and relish an Ottawa winter? It’s bracing, sometimes breathtakingly gorgeous and always a reminder that life offers unending variety.
With that in mind, we’ve cooked up some cool stuff for you to do over the next three months. Some of it involves a bit of travel and some of it is practically on your doorstep. Have fun.
A different sort of Rideau Canal: Skating Through the Forest is one of those ideas we all wish we had, along with 100 acres of forested land on the edge of Gatineau Park. Dave Mayer had the idea, the land and the equipment, including an old fire truck with a water tank and a Zamboni. So now he and his family run Skating Through the Forest, a three-kilometre maintained skating trail that snakes through the quiet woods near Wolf Lake and has been a hit since it opened a couple of years ago. There are also walking and snowshoe trails, plus a little chalet with snacks and drinks.
patinageenforet.com
Out of this world: Cosmodome is a family-friendly space science museum in Laval, near Montreal, that’s anything but a bunch of exhibits, although exhibits, including lunar rocks, are part of it. The experiential focus at Cosmodome includes astronaut training simulators and short, immersive 4D films that put you in charge of a racing spacecraft or plunk you on the moon in the midst of a massive asteroid strike. Open daily, including holidays. Information: 1-800-565-2267, cosmodome.org. There’s plenty more to do in Laval, from Immersia’s escape rooms to simulated free-fall skydiving at SkyVenture. Tourismelaval.com will fill you in on what you need to know, including essentials, such as where to eat.
How sweet it is: Maple syrup may stretch back to pre-colonial indigenous culture, but the sheer simplicity of making it — basically boiling sap from maple trees for a really long time — the ambrosial result, and a long-standing entwinement with our national identity mean that the sugar bush experience never gets old. Late February to early April is when you can visit any one of dozens of sugar bushes in the Ottawa Valley, including Proulx Maple & Berry Farm in Ottawa’s east end and Fulton’s Pancake House and Sugar Bush in Pakenham. Brunch, hay rides and petting zoos feature large at many of these spots. Full listing at ontariomaple.com
Blowing bubbles: How exactly do glassblowers create those marvellous shapes and swirling colours in everything from ornamental flowers to friendship balls? Compact, affordable classes at Flo Glassblowing are your ticket to finding out. Better yet, you don’t have to travel any further than the studios at 957-C Gladstone Ave. They offer day and evening classes, some for those as young as six. Flo Glassblowing is close to the restaurants and bars of Preston Street. 613-695-3563.floglassblowing.ca
Slippery when cold: We’ll doubtless spend part of the winter battling icy sidewalks, so why not meet the slippery monster head on by becoming an ice climber? Membership in the Ottawa section of The Alpine Club of Canada gets you into guided ice climbing outings, including training, around the Ottawa area with starting prices as low as $28 for youth. There are also out-of-town trips to New England and elsewhere. Membership includes other winter and summer adventures, from snowshoeing to rock-climbing and hiking. alpineclubottawa.ca
Cottage country: A lakeside cottage is your ticket to unwinding in the summer, so why not in the winter as well? Ogopogo Resort in the Haliburton Highlands — part of the Canadian Shield, it’s about 300 kilometres from Ottawa — boasts everything from a cosy studio cottage with fireplace and Jacuzzi to three-bedroom affairs with room for eight. Cross-country skiing, skating on a lit lake rink, snowshoeing, ice-climbing, dog-sledding, ice fishing … You get the picture: This is a dandy destination for a wintery mid-winter break. Rates start at $175/day. 866-405-8938.
ogopogoresort.com
Under the (mainstream) radar: The tagline for the undercurrents theatre festival is “theatre below the mainstream” and it is exactly that — a mid-winter festival of shows that, at least for now, are not on the radar of most theatre-goers. Which is not to say they shouldn’t be on our radar. The festival, now in its ninth year, has presented some outstanding original, contemporary theatre by local, national and international artists. This year’s lineup of nine shows includes Tales of an Urban Indian, which takes place on a bus, and Broken Tailbone, about hidden Latinix dance halls and featuring no-holds-barred performer Carmen Aguirre with DJ Don Pedro. Feb. 6-16 at Arts Court (except for the bus, of course). 613-232-6162.
undercurrentsfestival.ca
Rural romance: A one-horse open sleigh really is about laughing all the way … plus cuddling under a blanket as you sweep across a snowy field with your own true love. Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane in Edwards, southeast of Ottawa, offers a one-hour ride for two in an antique open cutter-sleigh along with more crowd-friendly jaunts in sleighs that hold up to 20 adults. Prices are $300 for the former, $245 for the latter, and both cost a bit more on special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day. Hot chocolate drinks — and a visit with farm animals for those on the big sleigh ride — are included. Stanley’s also has a seasonal sugar bush. 613-821-2751.stanleysfarm.com
Fun central: No one’s ever accused Montreal of being the place that fun forgot, and that’s especially true during the annual Montréal en Lumière festival. A sprawling celebration of performing arts, gastronomy and free outdoor family activities, it includes music, a Ferris wheel, 2,500 kilograms of cheese and a zipline for soaring over the site, where one million visitors are expected between Feb. 21 and March 3. Highlights include a fine dining program with chefs from five continents, tastings and workshops. Also popular: Nuit blanche, a one-night shindig of cultural events, most of them free, spread over the city and a Metro that never shuts down.
montrealenlumiere.com
Instant community: Sure, you’ll make some catches, but the real fun of ice fishing is the socializing, especially at east-end Petrie Island on the Ottawa River. A convivial community springs up there every winter when folks set up their cosy ice-fishing huts, play a little impromptu hockey and down gallons of hot coffee and other refreshments. Ice fishing chalets with wood or other heating are available for rent starting at $50 for a half-day, with minnows and other essentials also on site. When you go, don’t be shy about approaching those with fancy huts: Owners are generally proud to show them off and enjoy visiting with everyone. 613-841-0778.oziles.com
Pale people: Named for Maj.-Gen. Isaac Brock, hero of the War of 1812, Brockville had a long industrial history and was a favoured spot for the production of dubious patent medicines, including Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills for Pale People. The history of the city, 115 kilometres south of Ottawa, has been captured in the unassuming Brockville Museum on the St. Lawrence River. Exhibits include Stetson Hats, Smart’s frying pans, those pink pills and fine examples of Brockville’s carriage-making past and its brief stint as an automobile manufacturing centre. When in Brockville, don’t miss the self-guided walking tour of the city’s Victorian architecture (guide available at the tourism office, 10 Market St. W.) and the best fudge at O’Mally Kourt Fudgery, 55 King St. W. Museum: 613-342-4397.
brockvillemuseum.com
Down we go! Tobogganing is the ultimate outing for family and friends: It’s free (assuming you own a toboggan or can scrounge one from a neighbour), healthful, uncomplicated and non-digital. The City of Ottawa boasts more than 55 toboggan runs and, being a conscientious municipality, lays them out online in alphabetical detail with a map. Want to know the size of the hill and whether it’s man-made? The information is there. Parking? Ditto. Worried there might be a tree at the bottom of the run? The city tells you, adding whether there is a haysack to protect life and limb. The only thing the city doesn’t do is provide snow. But Mother Nature usually takes care of that. ottawa.ca
Patrick Langston is an Ottawa writer who thinks there’s adventure around every corner.
