June 3 news: Lamb cuddling, tea on a veranda, Outaouais bike routes

Also, Calypso passes, murals and a duck festival

My adventures snuggling lambs on Amherst Island. A wine-and-food event near Alexandria and a ribfest at the RA Centre. A motorcycle celebration in Smiths Falls and a mural festival in Montreal. A Kingston event that’s selling out quickly. Discounts on Calypso Waterpark passes. And the chance to win a trip to Martinique! It’s all in this week’s newsletter.

Calendar of events: Ribs, Redblacks and a duck festival

Whether you'd like to see a play, hit a garage sale, sip wine near Alexandria, eat ribs at the RA Centre, take your kids to an Ottawa cycling event or a Saint-Isidore duck festival, see painters creating murals in Montreal, meet firefighters in Cumberland, cheer for the Redblacks, or ride your motorcycle in Smiths Falls, this week’s calendar of events can point you in the right direction. (It’s a big one this week, with almost 60 ideas!)

This week’s featured contest

The prize in this week’s contest is a one-week trip for two to Club Med Les Boucaniers in Martinique, including round-trip flights from Montreal. Open to Canadian residents of legal age, with some restrictions. Enter by October 9, 2026.

Heads Up: Outaouais bike routes, Calypso deals, Smiths Falls museum news

Even though it isn't officially summer until June 21, it really feels like summer is swinging into high gear already—especially if you're planning ahead. Read this week’s Heads Up post to find out about a Kingston event that's selling out quickly, bike routes in the Outaouais, a rural poker run in SDG, deals on season passes at Calypso Waterpark, a new arrival at a Smiths Falls museum and much, much more. Photo by Chris Uhlig, courtesy of the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario.

I cuddled lambs near Kingston, and you can, too!

For years, I’ve been trying to get organized to get to Topsy Farms to cuddle lambs. Lamb-cuddling season only lasts a month and time slots are highly prized, especially on weekends. Last week, I finally made it to the farm on Amherst Island, about half an hour’s drive (then a 20-minute ferry ride, then another 10-minute drive) from Kingston. Was it worth the wait? I think my face says it all. Here’s how you can book your own lamb-cuddling adventure. Photo by Leah Murray.

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And before I sign off this week

Here are two timely (and recently updated) Ottawa Road Trips posts, in case you missed them:

• Tea on the veranda at Laurier House (the season starts tomorrow)

• Pride events in Ontario and Quebec (including four this weekend)

Trying to find something from an earlier newsletter? You can read previous issues on the Ottawa Road Trips Substack page.

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.