Merrickville

Last weekend I went to Merrickville with the Venturers as described in my last post. I was so taken by the little town that I decided to take Louisa there this weekend. Merrickville is only a 45 minute drive away from Barrhaven. Just take the 416 south as if you are going to Toronto and take the Kempville exit. Merrickville is along the Rideau river and part of the Rideau Canal. So if you were going by boat it will take you right to downtown Ottawa.

We arrived around 10:30 in the morning and didn't leave until after 4 in the afternoon. What a wonderful day we had. We had breakfast and The Goose And Gridiron. The food was real good and it cost almost nothing. The entire bill was around $11.00 for the two of us. There are much fancier places there if you want.

We spent the whole day walking down the main street (and a couple of side streets) looking in the all the cute shops. They have at least three glass blowing shops, Mrs. McGarrigle’s Mustard, and an assortment of artists gallery's and unique boutiques. We did buy a few things here and there but it was just fun looking at all the neat things they had. Many of the buildings are very old and the shops seemed to have endless rooms full of treasures.

In addition to shopping we walked across the bridge to explore the ruins and visit the foundry. We even watched they Parks Canada staff operate the locks to let a boat pass through. And to finish it all off we went into a candy & Ice Cream store and the air was filled with the most amazing smell. They make their own waffle comes fresh. I had an Apple Pie Ice Cream in a waffle cone. It had to have been the best tasting ice cream I have ever had, I have had a lot of ice cream in my life.

It was such a nice time to take this day trip with the changing of the leaves. We truly had a marvelous day. I recommend it to anyone in Ottawa who want to get away for a day trip without spending a fortune. They have some nice Inns and B&B's if you want to make a weekend out of it. And of course for the less pampered approach they have a campground right there along the canal.