The perfect weekend in La Petite-Nation, Friday night to Sunday

Friends from Ottawa ask us this all the time: "We've got one weekend. What do we do?" The honest answer depends on the season. But if you're coming between May and Thanksgiving, this is the plan we hand out. It covers the north and the south of the region, leaves room to dawdle, and nobody ends up eating a gas-station sandwich.

One thing before you go: La Petite-Nation is big, and the villages are spread out. We built the plan so you're not driving back and forth.

Friday night: Ripon

Get there for supper. On Fridays, Place du Marché runs its Market Fridays: dinner at the bistro and a show at 6:30 p.m. The music changes every week, which is half the fun. You might get folk, you might get something else entirely.

To sleep, Auberge Montagne Noire is right in the village, walking distance: eight renovated rooms, a bar, a pool table and a terrace. No need to get back in the car.

If you'd rather base yourself in Saint-André-Avellin, Auberge Petite-Nation sits right next to Le St-André, and the room is cheaper if you buy a show ticket. Check the lineup before you book.

Saturday morning: market, then the mountain

On Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Place du Marché turns into the village farmers' market: seasonal vegetables, lots of organic, artisans, and brunch at the café-bistro. It's where Ripon catches up. Grab a coffee, do a lap, pick up what you need for a picnic.

Then head up to Montagnes Noires. Mont Grand-Pic is 426 metres, and the 12-metre tower on top gives you a full 360. On a clear day you can see Tremblant. Paid parking, dogs allowed.

For another coffee on the way down, Café des orties is in the Manoir de Ripon, the old presbytery. Organic, local, non-profit. The Le Deuxième chapitre used bookstore is in the same building, in case you need something to read tonight.

Saturday afternoon: Plaisance and Papineauville

Head down toward the Ottawa River. Two stops in Plaisance.

First, the Plaisance falls: the Petite Nation River drops more than 35 metres, two kilometres return from the parking lot. Right beside them are the remains of North Nation Mills, the mill village Joseph Papineau built in the early 1800s. The panels tell the story, and it's more interesting than you'd expect.

Then the Quebec Folk Art Centre on rue Desjardins. Moving sculptures, larger-than-life characters, wood, fabric, metal and everyday junk turned into art by self-taught makers with a big sense of humour. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Thanksgiving. You'll walk out smiling. Guaranteed.

On your way to Montebello, pull over for two minutes at the Sundial Park in Papineauville. The big armillary sphere sits right on the 75th meridian, the line that sets Eastern Standard Time. Take a photo and keep going.

Saturday night: a beer and a show

Two options, depending on your mood.

Le Bankeur, Montebello's microbrewery, has shows several Saturdays a month: tribute acts, rock, duos. The beers take their cues from the old seigneury of La Petite-Nation. Goes down well after a day outside.

Or the Salle Desjardins in Papineauville, September to April, mostly Fridays and Saturdays. Lots of Québec comedians trying out new material. Tickets are on lepointdevente.com.

Sunday morning: Montebello on foot

Montebello is a walking village. Park once and forget the car.

Start at the Manoir-Papineau, Louis-Joseph Papineau's old home, with its towers, gardens and the big red oak. Parks Canada opens it from mid-May to Thanksgiving, Wednesday to Sunday in summer and weekends in the fall.

Then the heritage walk: 25 houses and sites, each with an interpretive stand. Download the Anekdote app first; the audio clips start on their own as you walk up.

Save an hour for art. The Centre d'exposition Napoléon-Bourassa is free, Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday afternoons, Juan Manuel Vasquez's studio is open 1 to 5 p.m., and Galerie Béliveau-Tse from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday afternoon: up Route 321

Going home, take the 321 north instead of the highway. It's slower. That's the point.

In Saint-André-Avellin, stop at Kîsisam, a café and shop where the pastry chef bakes Indigenous culture into what she makes. Kîsisam means "she who bakes with fire." On the same main street, Le Brasse-Camarade has a big, ever-changing craft beer selection plus sausages and cheeses, many from the Outaouais. Monday's lunch, sorted.

Keep going to Chénéville. Boucherie Les Produits David does tourtière, meat pies, cipaille and sugar pie, and Boulangerie Nouvelle-France is in the grey wooden house with the porch. Full disclosure: we're regulars at both.

To finish, drive up to the Denis-Papin lookout in Lac-Simon, near 2000 chemin du Tour-du-Lac. Free, with the whole lake below you. The kind of spot where you decide you're coming back.

This plan works best from May to Thanksgiving. After that, several places cut back their hours or go by appointment, so call ahead.

RiponSaint-André-AvellinPlaisancePapineauvilleMontebelloChénévilleLac-Simon

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