6 Ways to Romanticize Autumn in Ottawa

Autumn is, I think, the most romantic season. Cozy sweaters pulled over your hands while you sip a warm apple cider, the smell of pumpkins just on the brink of harvest, the painter’s palette of leaves dancing in the breeze… it all comes together to somehow feel nostalgic even as you’re experiencing it. Put that against old stone buildings, a gentle canal, and Ottawa’s slower city pace, and you get the ingredients for a truly special season. If you want your vacation to feel like something out of a 2010’s tv show, here are 5 things you can do to romanticize autumn.

Take a Historic Walk with Beautiful Views

The first of the Rideau locks that opens the Rideau canal to the Ottawa/Kitchissippi River features a lovely historic park, a small museum, and stunning walking trails. You can read up about the city’s history or sit on the edge of the locks to watch boats float down the river. When you’re ready to move on, take the trail to the left that skirts around parliament. This little-used trail shows beautiful views of parliament on one side and the river on the other, reflecting the orange and yellow of our maple trees.

Eat at a Greasy Spoon

There’s something about those cool, autumn mornings that seem to beg for a classic Canadian breakfast. Really, romanticizing life is about slowing down and appreciating the beauty in our everyday lives. Meadow’s Diner might have a bit of a wait, but it is the perfect place to simply take notice of the way the slanting morning light illuminates the steam from a simple cup of coffee. There’s something comforting about the smell of pancakes cooking, or the taste of salty breakfast sausages dipped into sweet maple syrup, that always make my mornings feel like they’ve stepped out of a rumpled polaroid. I’d say all it needs to feel complete is a grumpy, flannel-wearing owner, but the Nona who runs it is way more charming.

Pick Your Own Apples

Here in North America, the apple harvest heralds the beginning of the autumn harvest season. It’s a yearly tradition for many to go apple picking with plans of making homemade apple pie to share with family or apple butter to smear over toast. About 20 minutes west of downtown Ottawa, you’ll find Pinewood Orchard. This orchard differs from others because its trees are almost all heritage fruits, grown on trees as old as 75 years old. Grab your friends and spend an afternoon strolling beneath old apple trees. Ground yourself with the smell of loamy soil and the taste of the freshest Canadian apples. Afterwards, you can treat yourself to a can of cider (sometimes called hard cider to differentiate it from the non-alcoholic variety), a jar of wildflower honey, or a bushel of fresh vegetables.

Go Antiquing

There’s something about holding something in your hand and not quite knowing where it came from that has a certain charm. I love flipping through musty old books and finding barely-legible marginalia from a reader decades ago or picking up a bronze bracelet and wondering about the kind of person who wore their fingerprints into the side. Walking through an antique store can be like walking through history. In a city as rich in history as Ottawa especially, you truly don’t know what you’ll find. The Antique Market is right in the middle of the city, so its location is ideal, and there’s plenty of little trinkets and tchotchkes to bring home a little piece of the capital’s history.

Go on a Hike

Some people hike to stay in shape – and good for them! – but many travel to the Ottawa region just to watch the leaves change in Gatineau Park. With trails through the old Mackenzie King Estate, around Pink Lake, or up King Mountain, there’s trails for every level of challenge. But, the real draw is the serenity of being surrounded by golden trees, enjoying the clear forest air and the smell of fallen leaves and wild mushrooms. Take a break sitting on a fallen tree by the lake side, sharing trail mix with your hostel bestie, and learn about life completely unique to this tiny corner of the world. And hey, if you’re ever nervous about doing it alone, you can join one of the Gatineau Hikes hosted by the Saintlo Ottawa Jail Hostel.

Put the Romance in Romanticize

The sky is overcast, fog clings to the ground, and a chill seems to find its way under your stylish fall jacket. It’s the kind of day where you just want to curl up by a window, listen to the rain, and read a cozy romcom. Lucky for you, you’re prepared, because you took a trip down to Evermore Books the day before. Evermore Books is Ottawa’s only genre bookstore and it specializes in romances. The owner Amanda is an expert at hearing what you’re looking for and putting the perfect book (or two, or three) in your hands. If you go in and tell her “I want a cozy fall romance about a girl who moves back to her cozy New England hometown to work at a b&b” she’ll know exactly what book to give you – and what TV show you’ve been binging again.

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