5 Reasons You Can’t Miss The Festival of Small Halls

Festival of Small Halls

Enjoy Big Music in Small Places

The Festival of Small Halls pairs incredible artists with treasured buildings throughout Eastern Ontario. Nothing beats the experience of a small, intimate show which celebrates community and the love for music. You know those concerts before the band is big where you get to really soak in the music, be near the front and see how much they love performing? The Festival of Small Halls is full of those feelings, but with nationally known musicians.

We attended a show at the Marble Arts Centre in Tweed, which was originally built as a church in 1860 and converted to a performing arts centre in 2008. The acoustics in the building were perfect for an intimate show like this, and as the music started we sat and experienced the beautiful melodies and lyrics. 

From the Marble Arts Centre to Almonte Old Town Hall, there are so many unique community venues that will bring the shows to life. See a full list of venues here

Find Your New Favourite Artist and Songs

One great thing about the Festival of Small Halls is the opportunity to see a favourite artist or maybe find a new one. We saw Juno-award winner, Justin Rutledge. I wasn’t very familiar with his songs beforehand but that made the show that much more engaging. Without the immensity and distractions of a large show, we were able to focus solely on the music and walked away with many new favourite songs in our head.

Festival of Small Halls
Justin Rutledge at Festival of Small Halls

As soon as we left we saved some of our favourites on Spotify, including the one he opened with, Captive. If you saw my stories there was one guitar riff that we both loved, from his single, Into the Woods. It’s safe to say I’ve played his songs many times since the Festival of Small Halls concert. His voice was so powerful in the venue and I’ve been replaying the concert over in my head. I’m excited for the other concerts.

Check out the full lineup and schedule for Festival of Small Halls here. 

Make It A Night Out

Grab a partner or friend and make it a night out! There’s plenty of community events tied to the concerts like wine tastings, Chef’s Table dinners and more. You can see the full list of events here. 

We visited Potter Settlement Winery for a community wine tasting before the concert. The winery estate is stunning with acres upon acres of vineyard to explore. You’ll drive down through the vineyard towards the main building where you’ll see a stunning view overlooking the property. and get a stunning, wide view of the grounds. 

Potter Settlement Winery

We learned so much during our wine tasting from the owner, Sandor. You can tell he is very passionate about the history and process of wine, and takes pride in the creation and quality of all their bottles. It was interesting to learn the concepts behind each wine, and his story of how each came to be. A great example of this would be his Triple Rare Chardonnay. I won’t ruin the whole story but let’s just say it involves a shipwreck at the bottom of Lake Superior. Because of the circumstances of how it’s made, it’s a one of a kind wine he won’t be able to recreate, so make sure to stop by before while it’s still available.

Stay the night and save the next day for exploring. You’ll be so intrigued after the concert and want to spend more time exploring the area. You can get a full list of nearby accommodations here. For our stay, we spent the night at Limestone B & B in Marmora. This 1860’s Limestone home was decorated for fall and has spacious rooms full of amenities. Owners, Rosie and Paul made us a delicious scratch-made Eggs Benedict breakfast in the morning on a homemade croissant. We also met Cleo, their adorable pup!  This spot was the perfect location for us, as it was only a few minutes away from our next adventures.

Limestone B & B

Find Unexpected Gems Along the Way

Marmora Mine

We came for the music but found some gems along the way…literally…because the first thing we saw the Marmora Mine 😉 We spent the next day exploring Marmora and Madoc near where the show was. First, Marmora Mine. Before they could mine they had to remove 120 tonnes of limestone. This spot was opened in 1955 and by the time it closed in 1979 it had already mined nearly 1.3 million tonnes of iron ore. What’s left behind is a cool piece of history with a scenic view. There’s a walking path that will take you to some of the viewpoints. 

Marmora Mine

O’Hara Homestead Homestead and Conservation Area

This open air museum allows you to wander through and learn about the past. You’re able to walk through the homestead of the O’Hara family, considered one of the founding families of Madoc Community. There is over 100 acres to explore and includes seventeen pioneer buildings, beautiful flower and vegetable gardens, nature trails, sheltered picnic areas and a  lovely millpond with its stone dam and covered bridge. If you’re into geo-caching you can also find multiple geo-caches throughout the homestead

O'Hara Conservation Area

Hidden Goldmine Bakery

We stopped here before we made our way back home and were not disappointed! This bakery had lots of tasty, seasonal treats including pumpkin spice tea lattes, pumpkin cheesecake muffins, and pumpkin brownies! We made sure to bring some home to share.

Let The Music Guide You On Your Next Adventure

With shows throughout Ontario Highlands and beyond, there are plenty of destinations that the music will bring you. Catch a show and make sure to add some extra time to explore. You never know what you might stumble upon. From burgers and breweries, lookouts, local restaurants and cafes, and more, there is so much to see throughout the region. Now is the perfect time to go as the leaves are starting to change colour. Enjoy a beautiful, scenic drive on route to the show or your next adventure. Check out the full schedule of shows taking place until September 29th. If you’re thinking of attending shows in Almonte or Carleton Place, you can see my guide of things to do here. 

Thank you to Ontario’s Highlands for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions and thoughts are my own.  I’m so grateful to be able to experience this road trip and share it with you. I hope it inspires you to #ComeWander in Ontario’s Highlands

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Julia Weber
Julia Weber

Julia started Little Miss Ottawa as a way to explore her hometown as a traveller would. She’s always planning her next adventure, whether it’s local or abroad. You’ll find her exploring with her camera in hand. She hopes Little Miss Ottawa helps bring you on new and fun adventures. Happy exploring :)

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