As a long-time Ottawa resident, I was convinced I had this city figured out, and that there were no hidden gems left to find here or in the surrounding areas. Boy, was I wrong. Who knew you could sleep overnight in a museum train caboose or stroll through a beautiful outdoor sculpture park in a tranquil forest? Lucky for us, two local wanderlust experts are the perfect guides to help locals (re)discover our region.
Laura Byrne Paquet is the author and co-author of 15 books and the creator of Ottawa Road Trips, a website she started in 2014 that provides Ottawa-area residents with recommendations for day trips, weekend getaways, and longer voyages.
Laura Byrne Paquet. Photo via the author’s website.
While she has written on many subjects—her works include romance novels, two social history books, and a look at Africa’s diverse landscapes—Paquet’s travel writing is what caught our eye, especially her articles on the greater Ottawa area.
Earlier this year, she released a book aimed at Ottawa residents seeking weekend getaways, and last year’s book was filled with recommendations for road trips within 100 kilometres of Ottawa. Curious how the city has changed? You can read her original travel book Secret Ottawa, published in 2000.
With her extensive travel background, I asked Paquet to suggest places that Ottawa residents should visit, but may have overlooked. What I got was a flurry of detailed answers.
“I just came back from a trip to Colombia where I developed a taste for the Venezuelan-style sandwiches called arepas,” says Paquet. “So I dropped into Gooney’s, a small sandwich shop on Laurier Avenue West (between Kent and Bank) that specializes in them. It’s amazing what international dishes you can find in Ottawa if you know where to look.”
For those interested in the outdoors, there are the Carbide Willson Ruins in Gatineau Park or, if you drive southeast of Ottawa for just over an hour, St. Raphael’s Ruins.
“Oh, I almost forgot—Mer Bleue! The bog has a microclimate typical of regions much further north, so you’ll see plants that aren’t common in Ottawa. There’s a gorgeous boardwalk and lots of hiking trails too, although some of the trails were quite badly damaged in the derecho in May.”
As for out-of-town visitors looking for things not on the usual list of places to visit, Paquet suggests the Bytown Museum: “It’s one of the few places to get a sense of the city’s history beyond Ottawa’s status as the nation’s capital.”
Also on her to-do list: Tavern on the Falls and a visit to Wakefield, Quebec.
Over beers at a local pub, she tells me that she really enjoys connecting with her readers, and loves finding special locations in places people don’t normally look. For instance, at the end of our interview, she offers a recommendation for a “lovely inn” in much-maligned Cornwall. True to form, she emails me the inn’s name a few days later, which I am now confident I will visit.
Meanwhile, Kanata/Carp native Julia Weber’s website Little Miss Ottawa is another great source of local travel information. Thanks to Weber, I discovered that Stittsville is arguably the top food truck destination in Ottawa. After repeated trips to this suburb, I have sampled five different food trucks (all very good) and counting.
Julia Weber of Little Miss Ottawa. Photo provided.
“I started the blog in 2016,” Weber told me via email. “I had already been posting on Instagram for about a year and as it was building momentum, I wanted to have a permanent place where I could share more details to make adventures possible for the reader. My biggest inspiration for starting Little Miss Ottawa was my exchange to Australia. It was my first big international trip, which truly changed my life. Because I only had six months in Melbourne, I tried to make the most of every day. When I returned home and was finishing up my degree, I thought, why don’t I have that mindset at home, too, and live every day with the spirit of a traveller.”
This inspiration has resulted in posts that range from what to do in nearby Perth to the best places to pick apples and recommendations for where to get an ice cream cone. She also has several suggestions for Ottawa residents who want to explore the surrounding region.
“Kin Vineyards is an amazing spot to spend an afternoon. It feels like a mini-trip to Italy as you enjoy wine in the vineyard paired with wood-fired pizza,” she says. “The Pinhey Sand Dunes are (also) such a unique site. Walk through a towering pine tree forest and in the middle, you’ll find this desert oasis of sand dunes. It doesn’t even feel like you’re in Ottawa anymore.”
When asked what she recommends to out-of-town visitors looking for something that is not in the typical guidebook, she offers some great suggestions.
“The Gatineau Cultural Trail is one of my favourite recommendations on the Gatineau side,” she says. “It’s a three-kilometre trail that will bring you to the best attractions, restaurants, and art installations. Gatineau has some amazing restaurants like Les Vilains Garçons and Bistro Coqlicorne. A quick walk across the bridge, and you have another amazing city to explore.”
Then there are the Chutes de Plaisance in Montebello, only 45 minutes from Ottawa. “[This] is a powerful series of cascades providing stunning views in any season,” she says. “The waterfall is 63 metres of a natural drop with observation and rest areas. I also recommend adding Parc Omega to this adventure.”
Interestingly, both Paquet and Weber separately recommended the same hiking trails.
“In the far west end, out near Fitzroy Harbour, I like the hiking trails at Morris Island Conservation Area,” says Paquet. “There’s a wonderful causeway that cuts across a small inlet of the Ottawa River; it’s a former railroad bed.”
“[This] is one of my favourite hikes,” Weber concurs. “It’s a network of islands on the Ottawa River. You’ll spot beautiful reflections in the water as you walk through. I’ve also caught some amazing sunsets.”
With all these suggestions it’s difficult to know where to start. So let me just end with this: A wise person once said that travel is the only thing that you can buy that makes you richer. So open your door, step outside, and discover the secrets that Ottawa has to offer.
