Enjoying Great Food in Merrickville, Ontario - Canada's Most Beautiful Village

Cooking is something I do out of necessity. However, last summer while staying at my sis' house, cooking became a communal activity and it was fun! With the six of us, we took turn to cook as well as preparing food together a few times. On a Saturday, we cooked together again and enjoyed a good breakfast in the garden under the morning sun. Cooking could be fun and enjoyable when you were with good company!

After breakfast, we drove to Merrickville, about an hour away from Ottawa. The day beofore it was pouring rain but we were fortunate that day as we had beautiful weather with a sunny blue sky. It made visiting and walking around this little town so much more pleasant.

We visited the Merrickville Museum, the brockhouse and the canal locks. At the Rideau Canal lock, we watched a number of boats coming in and the opening and closing of the canal locks. Most of the boats we saw passing through were small pleasure crafts, privately owned tour boats with two or three passengers onbaord.

We also visited the brockhouse which was built to defend the canal locks. Currently, the Merrickville brockhouse is used as a museum displaying historical items and housing an old school classroom teaching visitors about the way of living and the agricultural practices of the past.

We had a marvellous time in Merrickville! It is one of the best preserved 19th century villages in Ontario. Communities in Bloom called it ' Canada's Most Beautiful Village." It has more than 100 historic buildings designated as heritage sites." One of the highlights for us was strolling along the downtown streets visiting these historical buildings, the antique booths, some art studios and numerous quaint shops decorated beautifully with flowers and crafts items made by local artists.

The second highlight of our visit was sampling some of the local food. We found a nice restaurant with a patio open for diners to enjoy outdoor dining. We each ordered different food to try. My favourite was the roast beef sandwich made with blue cheese and some salad which was the most delicious sandwich I have ever tasted! It was lovely relaxing in a beautiful garden filled with colourful summer and wild flowers blooming and enjoying delicious food with your loved ones!

RT, Merrickville, Ont. Canada sat082024