One of the perks of getting to work in the tourism industry is that there are opportunities to explore other towns and locations as part of the job. One of these trips recently was to Smiths Falls, Ontario.
Smiths Falls is a town with a lot of local pride – and with good reason. When the Hershey chocolate factory left Smiths Falls in 2008, there were a lot of lost jobs. Things weren’t looking so great for the small town. Over the last 5 years though, things have been improving by leaps and bounds. This is all thanks to the medical, and then recreational, cannabis industry. But I’ll get to that further down.
I’ll be completely honest – I hadn’t really been to Smiths Falls for well over a decade. My last memories of the town were buying broken Oh Henry bars in bulk at the Hershey factory. It really was like entering the town as a brand new tourist, since so much had changed.
On this FAM (familiarization) tour, we were joined by others working in tourism around the region. Once we all loaded on the bus, we were told we would be visiting four different locations to get an idea of what Smiths Falls is like in 2020.
Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
I’m a sucker for a good museum. I wasn’t quite sure what to think when we rolled into our first location – the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. Trains can be interesting, but I didn’t really know if a museum about regional rail lines could cut it.
I was wrong.
We were very lucky to get to visit the museum, considering the fact it was regularly closed for the off season. The museum is regularly open from May to October. As we walked into the main part of the museum, we were taken back to an older, simpler time. It was explained that the main entry to the museum was originally the men’s waiting room, and the women’s room was next door. Apparently, spitting was such a problem back in the day, the women needed their own room to avoid their dresses getting ruined from all the men spitting.
Disgusting.
Our tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable, to the point where our schedule only seemed to allow for us to see a few rooms due to all the questions we had. The main room I got to see was the communications room, which was incredible. There was a lot of early technology I only knew from movies. Not only did our guide know everything about the telegraph, he knew how to USE IT. It was a complete shock and awe moment.
One of the neatest things that I found out about the museum was that they were on Airbnb. There are a few caboose at the museum that have been fitted out to have an authentic sleeping experience. Just the thought of doing that for a night made me begin to think about future stays in Smiths Falls.
Tweed Visitor Centre
Smiths Falls is the town that weed saved.
After Hershey left in 2008, Smiths Falls was not looking good. And then in came Tweed in 2014. The medical cannabis industry was really beginning to become a thing in Canada, and there was a growing movement for the legalization of recreational cannabis. It was the right company at the right time. Since then, the town has rebounded, and Tweed now employs about 1,400 people in Smiths Falls. This is pretty impressive, considering the town only has a population of about 9,000. And, in a wonderful twist of fate, the factory once again is making chocolate, with the legalization of edibles in Canada in 2019.
At the Tweed Visitor Centre, you’ll get a great opportunity to learn about the history of cannabis, learn all about the plant itself, and then see a small scale version of their growing operations as well as the chocolate creation. Our tour guide, Will, was incredibly knowledgeable and could answer all our questions easily when it came to the history and the science of cannabis. As someone who has never really been interested in drugs of any kind, it was very interesting to learn the history of cannabis, and to realize it had only been criminalized for about 100 years.
After the history lesson, we went up to see the nurseries and greenhouses. It was really cool to see how they pick their plants to be either mother plants for cuttings, or producing plants. I really learnt a lot about how the plants were taken care of too. I was also really impressed with the fact that Tweed was starting their chocolate production chain straight from the cacao bean. We were able to see employees sorting the beans to be turned into cocoa which would then become their chocolate.
Bowie’s Music Club
After a really nice lunch, we went to Bowie’s Music Club so we could do a bit of an industry round table over dessert. I really liked this location, because as the owners explained, the space is a music venue first, and a cafe and bar second. The design of the space was built around the idea of having a proper functioning live music venue, and then having the drinks closer to the front of the building. This was so people would respect the music being played, and pay attention instead of talking over the music.
The music and live entertainment space really gives Bowie’s a chill atmosphere, and there are lots of different opportunities to spend some time at the cafe/bar/venue space. There are trivia nights, open mic afternoons, and the “Quit Your Day Job” open stage nights. On top of these opportunities for locals to play their own music and have fun, there are opportunities for touring groups to visit as well. People can come in and enjoy an intimate performance setting that truly honours the artist performing.
As we learnt as well, the back room at Bowie’s also makes for a great meeting space, and would probably make a great party venue as well. I would definitely suggest closing out an evening at Bowie’s if you’re in Smiths Falls.
4 Degrees Brewery
People love a good brewery. There’s just something about knowing what you’re drinking is local that really gets people excited. 4 Degrees brings that excitement to Smiths Falls, with a brewery that truly honours the area.
4 Degrees beers are all about the region. Two of them honour the two different lifestyles people tend to know in Eastern Ontario – Livin’ North of 7 and Livin’ South of 7. Livin’ North of 7 is all about that nature life. Meanwhile, Livin’ South of 7 is all about keeping things urban and energetic. On top of the regional beers, there are some based off of Smiths Falls history. Frost & Wood ’55 remembers an old factory that produced farming equipment and then munitions during WWII. Old Slys ’69 honours a lock along the Rideau Canal that used to be manned by Old Sly. Then there is Hill 70, which honours veterans and educates about a forgotten battle in WWI.
The guys running 4 Degrees are friendly and knowledgeable, both about beer and Smiths Falls! When visiting Smiths Falls, it’s well worth a stop in to see what’s currently on tap and give them a try.
Smiths Falls in a Nutshell
I was really impressed with the tour that was put together for us. From the museum to the factory tours, I was really pleased with how captivating everything was. I was incredibly impressed with the knowledge everyone involved had in their field. Whether you’re staying in Ottawa, Brockville, or anywhere in the area, I would say Smiths Falls is well worth a day trip. Tweed was fascinating. The Railway Museum was great. I can imagine spending a late evening having a chill drink at 4 Degrees and then taking in some music at Bowies. And those were just the things to do during the winter! Of course, spending time along the Rideau Canal is an easy way to spend hours in the summer. I definitely plan to return, especially when it warms up so I can enjoy the canal next time!
Please correct the spelling of Smiths Falls.
I didn’t realize there was an s at the end! It’s been edited. Thanks for letting me know. 😊