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Just off the 7 · 20 min south — Hwy 43 from Perth, or Hwy 15 from Carleton Place
Smiths Falls
The Rideau Canal's working heart — locks, trains, and a chocolate factory's second life.
Why detour
Smiths Falls is the biggest town near the corridor that isn’t on it, and it earns the twenty minutes south — from Perth via Highway 43 or from Carleton Place via Highway 15, whichever end of the loop you’re on. The Rideau Canal — the whole thing a UNESCO World Heritage Site — runs right through downtown, and watching boats work through the locks on a summer afternoon is the town’s founding entertainment, still free.
Train people should know about the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, based in the old Canadian Northern station — one of the better small railway museums in the province.
And then there’s the factory. For generations Smiths Falls meant Hershey — every Eastern Ontario kid remembers the factory tour. The plant closed in 2008, came back years later as one of Canada’s most famous cannabis facilities, and the town has ridden that whole strange arc with its sense of humour intact. The downtown that came through it is doing better than it has in decades.
The loop worth knowing: Perth → Smiths Falls → Carleton Place makes a natural triangle — down the 43, back up the 15 — that turns a Highway 7 day trip into a proper circuit.
A touring circus show lands in Smiths Falls for one night — check local listings for venue and showtime.
Thu, Jul 23 · dusk · weekly
Movies Under the Stars
Free outdoor movie nights through the summer — bring a lawn chair or blanket. Thursdays into August.
Sat, Jul 25
The Big Art Walk
A self-guided walk through downtown Smiths Falls showcasing local artists — galleries, pop-ups, and open studios along the way.
Fri, Jul 31 · Jul 31–Aug 2
Lombardy Fair
The 160th running of this classic country fair in Lombardy, just south of Smiths Falls — livestock, midway, and small-town fair tradition going back to 1866.
See & Do
Centennial Park
A picnic-by-the-water classic, tucked between two Rideau Canal locks — benches, picnic tables, flower displays, and boats working through the locks all summer long.
Checked Jul 2026 · municipal sources
Lower Reach Park
Sixty acres along the Rideau Canal — playground, splash pad, ball diamonds, and a shaded walking trail with picnic tables throughout. The town's big family park.
Checked Jul 2026 · municipal sources
Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario & Heritage House Museum
Two proper museums a short walk apart — the old Canadian Northern station turned railway museum, and an 1860s mansion portraying upper-middle-class life on the Rideau, right by the Old Slys locks.