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Day tripping in the Valley


Day tripping in the Valley
July 4, 2018
Published in the North Renfrew Times – Deep River ON

School is out, Canada Day was celebrated appropriately throughout North Renfrew and the heat is on! All that and more means summer is here! There are many North Renfrew and Ottawa Valley based events scheduled throughout the summer. Don’t spend your hard earned money in the excited states of America, spend your cash locally to employ local entrepreneurs, students and your neighbours and friends.

Without spending a lot of cash and to experience something interesting for the whole family, try day tripping in the Valley! It’s local, full of interesting things to do and really economical. Have fun, learn about your local natural and cultural history and you get to sleep in your own bed each night.

Go to a local baseball game, order a pizza for a picnic at a local park with your kids. Consider volunteering for Summerfest. Go for a canoe on Corey Lake. Hike the Brent Crater Trail or take the family canoeing and/or camping at Driftwood or Achray Provincial Park.

Museums and more museums. There are 22 museums plus seven Heritage Tourism partners in Renfrew County. Check them out during your day trips. Start local with the Canadian Clock Museum and the School House Museum right here in North Renfrew.

Check out all of your local libraries in North Renfrew at Head, Clara & Maria, Pt. Alexander, Deep River and Chalk River. Take the kids to see what each of them offers for resources and programming. You will be surprised. And while you are at the library ask about your museum passes. Each branch has free museum passes that provide families access to many Ottawa Valley museums. Museum passes may be borrowed in the same manner as a book by using your library membership card. Local libraries currently offer passes for:
Renfrew County Museums Network, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Canada Science and Technology Museum
National Gallery of Canada, and the Ottawa Museum Network.

Before, during or after your visits to the many museums you can take your family to one of the several beaches in the area. They are all close and refreshing. And of course, leave your phones at home for a mini screen free vacation while you get an ice cream cone at Ryans or Freddies up in Pt. Alexander.

On a rainy day explore your local or world-wide family history. Your local libraries offer free access to genealogical databases, such as Ancestry .ca or you could day trip to the local Upper Ottawa Valley Genealogical Group in Pembroke.

There is so much to do, see and explore in North Renfrew. Enjoy local fun and shop local. Have a memory filled safe summer!

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