Your Guide to Family-Friendly Farms & Rural Adventures in Rideau, Brockville & Gananoque

South Eastern Ontario / Sud-Est de l'Ontario

Welcome to 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways!

Stretching south of Ottawa, across the rocky Frontenac Arch and along the St. Lawrence River, this is a picturesque region of waterfront villages and verdant farms. From spring through fall, roadside stands beckon passersby with fresh produce and fragrant flowers. Lockstations along the historic Rideau Canal Waterway are lively with boat traffic, while tour boats cruise among the scenic 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence.

Hubs such as Kemptville, Westport, Prescott, Brockville and Gananoque offer a wide range of shops and services. In villages and small towns, you’ll discover unique small businesses where you can see bees at work, cuddle goats, make your own bouquet or cook new recipes. You’ll come away with a whole new understanding of where your food and flowers come from.

Meet the Farmers & Producers

Farms are at the heart of the Rideau region, where family-friendly experiences and rural adventures go hand in hand. Throughout the countryside, visitors can meet farmers, pick seasonal produce, visit farm animals and discover the stories behind locally grown food. Whether you're wandering through flower fields, navigating a corn maze or stopping at a roadside farm stand, these experiences offer a fun and memorable way to connect with the people and places that make this region unique.

Read their stories.

Culinary Events

Brockville Ribfest
Harvest Soirée in the Field, Oxford Mills
Lavender Soirée in the Field, Oxford Mills
Maison Maitland cooking classes, Maitland
North Grenville Lavender Festival, Oxford Mills
1000 Islands Family Ribfest and Music Festival, Gananoque

Maple Syrup Season

Have you ever wondered how maple syrup is made? Visit one of these 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways sugar shacks to learn how sap is collected, boiled and turned into sweet treats like syrup and sugar.

In Spencerville, Hunter’s Maple Products and Pancake House is generally open to visitors on weekends in March and April.

The operations below usually open their sites to visitors during Ontario Maple Weekend in early April.

Golden Moment Farm: The proprietors of this Athens farm also raise golden retrievers.
On the Bend Sugar Shack: This sugar shack is located on the Kemptville Campus, home to a range of other agritourism businesses and events.

In North Augusta, Halladay Maple welcomes visitors, but you need to call in advance. You can also celebrate the sweet season at the annual Delta Maple Syrup Festival later in April.

Markets, Roadside Stands & Local Food Finds

The 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways region offers so many opportunities at markets and farmstands to meet farmers, learn how they do their work and taste their products fresh from the fields.

Fresh finds

Pick-Your-Own & Seasonal Harvests

What better way to understand where your food comes from than by plucking it from the ground, tree or bush yourself? Check websites before heading out to any of these pick-your-own farms to find out what’s in season.

Hall’s Apple Market: Choose from more than 20 varieties of pick-your-own apples at this large Brockville orchard.
Jasper Apple Farm: All of the 1,500 trees at this Jasper farm are semi-dwarf varieties, meaning you don’t need to climb a ladder to pick from them.
Lavender Mills Farm: Pick your own lavender in July at this Oxford Mills farm, which also hosts a lavender festival and other special events.
McGrath Berry Farm: This Jasper pick-your-own farm raises strawberries and raspberries.
Mensen Farm: Pick strawberries, raspberries and blueberries at this farm in Delta, and check out the farm shop. Cut your own Christmas trees, too.
Miller’s Bay Farm: You can pick your own strawberries at this Lombardy farm.
Palmer Berry Farm: This Westport farm invites visitors to pick their own berries.
Summerhaven Tulips: In season, gather your own bouquet from fields planted with more than 100,000 tulip bulbs at this farm near Jasper.
Tincap Berry Farm: Pick your own raspberries, strawberries and apples at this Brockville farm.
Wilding Acres: This organic flower farm in Kemptville sells organic bouquets from its farm shop.

Wineries, Cideries & Craft Producers

When you’re enjoying cider in an orchard, beer near a hops field or wine overlooking a vineyard, you’ll understand your surroundings a little better with every sip.

ArBrū Solar Brewery: This Mallorytown craft brewer grows some of its own hops and runs completely on solar energy. You can enjoy your brews with pizza, nachos and pretzels in the on-site restaurant.
BUSL Cider: At this family-owned craft cidery in Mallorytown, sample apple, pear, haskap and other ciders, and enjoy a snack on a patio overlooking a 10-acre orchard.
Green Gables Vines: Stop in for a tasting, stroll through the vineyard, and enjoy a glass of small-batch wine on a patio overlooking the countryside in Oxford Station.
Hall’s Apple Market: Head to the tasting room to sample hard and sweet cider made from the fruit grown on Hall’s 80-acre apple farm in Brockville.
Scheuermann Vineyard + Winery: Stroll through the vineyard of pinot noir, chardonnay and vidal grapes in Westport. Sample hand-crafted wine, and enjoy wood-fired pizzas and Patagonian-inspired grilled dishes.

Animal Encounters & Family-Friendly Farms

Just about every child will jump at the chance to get up close with animals, whether that means riding a horse, feeding chickens, walking with goats or visiting rabbits. Here’s where you can do all that and more!

Meet a furry friend!

Rural Festivals & Country Fairs/Events

Country fairs and seasonal festivals are a cherished part of life in the Rideau region. These family-friendly events offer opportunities to meet local producers, enjoy agricultural demonstrations, and experience the welcoming spirit of rural communities.

Explore the Great Outdoors

If you’re eager to get out of your car and explore 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways on foot, by bike or by paddle, don’t miss these parks, trails and scenic routes.

Wander well!

Guided Tours & Self-Driving Routes

Whether you’d like to drive at your own pace or relax with a guided tour, there are so many ways to explore the hidden byways of 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways.

A 1000 Ways offers private guided tours throughout the 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways. Many have a food or farming focus. The company is Feast On® certified.
Looking for A Day of Discovery beyond the main highways? This self-drive route leads you through picturesque villages where you can browse local shops, meet makers, enjoy delicious food and uncover hidden gems known mostly to the locals.
The 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways tourism organization has developed a wide range of self-driving routes that will appeal to agritourism fans, including the following:
Animal Adventures
Bottle and Barrel Adventures
Foodie Shop Adventures
Fresh Baked Adventures
Fresh Baked Cafe Adventures
Garden Adventures
Follow 44 Day Trips is a 27-kilometre self-driving route along County Road 44, just south of Ottawa. It includes a wide range of rural businesses and attractions.
The 1000 Islands Parkway winds along the St. Lawrence River shore, offering scenic vistas and lots of places to swim, picnic and relax.

Suggested day trip: A cruisy countryside escape

From the waterfronts of Brockville and Gananoque to the scenic backroads of 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways, this region is made for unhurried exploration.

Be charmed!

Farm Stays

ArBrū Solar Brewery: You can park your RV overnight at this Mallorytown craft brewery.
The Heron’s Nest: The two off-grid glamping tents on this alpaca farm in Johnstown have access to an outdoor kitchen.
Little Foot Alpacas: The luxurious guest suite on this Spencerville farm can accommodate up to 10 guests.
No. 9 Gardens: This farm near Lyndhurst offers overnight accommodations in yurts and prospector tents for retreat groups of 10 to 15 people.
Revolve Farms: The 1880s log home on this Lombardy farm accommodates four guests in two queen bedrooms, and breakfast is included.
The Villas of Maison Maitland: Not technically a farm stay, but of interest to anyone who enjoys local food, these luxury villas are located on the grounds of a cooking school in Maitland.

To find farms, wineries and other rural locations where you can park your RV overnight, try searching the Harvest Hosts and Terego websites (memberships required).

Other Ways to Stay

The 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways region offers a wide range of accommodations, including hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, campgrounds and other places to stay.