Regional Roadtrips: Try these scenic routes for the best in local food and drink
You’ll find the Kemptville Famers’ Market in the parking lot of the B&H grocery store on Sunday afternoons until Thanksgiving. (Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet)
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Regional Roadtrips is a column prepared by local travel writer Laura Byrne Paquet of Ottawa Road Trips to inspire day trips and weekend getaways a short drive from Ottawa.
When you’re craving a relaxing weekend drive featuring some great places to eat and drink along the way, you don’t need to spend ages plotting your itinerary. Instead, check out these food and beverage trails for inspiration.
When you’re craving a relaxing weekend drive featuring some great places to eat and drink along the way, you don’t need to spend ages plotting your itinerary. Instead, check out these food and beverage trails for inspiration. Just click, download and go (and pick a designated driver).
Sip and Savour Lanark County
The Sip and Savour route through Lanark County, immediately southwest of Ottawa, will lead you to lots of roadtrip-worthy restaurants, food shops and beverage-makers in Carleton Place, Perth, Smiths Falls and smaller communities. Some of my favourites include Hummingbird Chocolate Maker in Almonte, C’est Tout Bakery and Bistro in Smiths Falls, and the Perth Cheese Shop.Lanark County styles itself as the Maple Capital of Ontario, so it’s an excellent place to pick up sweet treats. Fulton’s Sugar Bush and Maple Shop in Pakenham and Wheelers Pancake House, Sugar Camp and Museums in McDonalds Corners are open in summer (but check hours before heading out).Put together a tasty picnic with baked goodies, sandwiches and more from C’est Tout Bakery and Bistro in Smiths Falls. (Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet)
The Tap and Cork Route
Just northwest of Lanark County, the Tap and Cork Route showcases breweries, cider makers, wineries and distilleries in Renfrew County and Quebec’s Pontiac region. Within about an hour’s drive from downtown Ottawa, you can drop into Farmgate Cider in Arnprior. Alternatively, a trip of the same length will also bring you to Little Red Wagon Winery in Quyon, Que., which has a full-service restaurant and frequently hosts concerts. Further afield, O’Kenny Craft Spirits in Pembroke distills vodka, rye and more. You can also rent tubes from O’Kenny to bounce your way through the rapids on the nearby Muskrat River (before you sample the spirits, okay?).The Little Red Winery in Quyon is a popular stop for wine, meals and music in Quebec’s Pontiac region. (Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet)
Follow 44
The newly branded Follow 44 scenic route follows an old country road — 27 kilometres of Leeds-Grenville County Road 44, between Kemptville and Spencerville. And while it features all sorts of attractions, from a provincial park to a historic mill, many of the stops will appeal to food lovers.In Kemptville, for instance, you can fuel up with baked goodies from Grahame’s Bakery, the Crusty Baker, or Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar. On Sundays, there’s a farmers’ market. South of town, you can drop into several farms along or near the route. Sample wines at Green Gables Vines or delight your kids with a visit to the goats and chickens at Happy Little Farmstead. Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar is a cozy Kemptville spot. (Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet)
1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways
Follow 44 hugs the eastern edge of the 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways region, which extends west as far as Gananoque and includes communities such as Westport, Merrickville and Brockville. The region has developed several themed itineraries for visitors, including Foodie Shop Adventures, Fresh Baked Adventures and Fresh Baked Cafes.Use the region’s maps to discover the way to gems such as Luke’s European Style Market in Athens, where you can buy house-made barbecue sauce and jams, and the delightfully named Pastry King’s Princess in Lyn, for Dutch-style baked goods and Canadian classics (try the butter tarts).At Luke’s European Style Market in the village of Athens, owner Luke Thomas crafts delicious sauces, jams and preserves. (Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet)
Croquez l’Outaouais
The Croquez l’Outaouais food trail is updating its website, so the latest version of its interactive map is currently available in French only. However, even moderately bilingual anglophones should find it easy to use the map to pinpoint restaurants, farmers’ markets, food shops and other tasty destinations along three food trails in Quebec’s Outaouais region. One route leads west as far as L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, another winds east to Montebello, and a third stretches north through Chelsea and Wakefield to Grand-Remous.Don’t want to drive far? At Les Fougères in Chelsea, you can nosh on pizza, charcuterie and more in the restaurant, then pick up prepared foods to enjoy at home.Award-winning Ottawa travel writer Laura Byrne Paquet shares her sightseeing tips for Eastern Ontario and beyond on her website, Ottawa Road Trips.
