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A trip to this small town will feel like stepping inside a Christmas movie – literally. Almonte, Ontario is just a quick half-hour drive from Ottawa, an area so cute it’s served as a backdrop for many movies, including over 10 Christmas movies. You don’t get that honour without good reason.
Getting there
Almonte, Ontario sits along Canada’s Mississippi River in the area of Mississippi Mills.
If you’re driving in from Ottawa it should only take you around 30 minutes and if you are coming from Toronto or the GTA it will take you just over four hours.
Mini Hollywood North
You’ll likely notice how beautiful Almonte is when visiting and you wouldn’t be the only one.
The small town has served as a movie set for many movies including 10 Christmas films!
It’s been such a popular spot that in a New York Times article from 2020, Almonte was referred to as a “Mini Hollywood North”.
The article even mentions that the town is so popular for filming that there’s a limit to how many movies can be filmed there each year because it is, after all, a town where real people live.
If you want to check out the films that have been shot in Almonte, Ontario you can check them out here, but these are just a few:
- Designing Christmas
- A Christmas Stray
- Feeling Butterflies
- Under the Christmas Tree
- A Chance For Christmas
- Under the Mistletoe
- Fat Man
- Unlocking Christmas
Basketball
If you’re a sports fan be sure to head over to The Dr James Naismith Museum.
Dr James Naismith is the inventor of basketball and he’s actually from Almonte!
The museum includes artifacts from his life and details his upbringing and the story of how the sport came to be under his wing.
Mississippi River
It may not be the Mississippi River you’re thinking of.
While the river that runs alongside Almonte isn’t the American river, it’s still beautiful! The best views of the river are along Bridge Street where a path will take you along the Mississippi River in the “historic downtown” area.
The path weaves beneath a bridge and past Kirkland Park, to a lookout by the Victoria Woollen Mill that offers a breathtaking view of some falls!
Yep, one thing is for sure, Almonte, Ontario certainly doesn’t lack beauty. Time to plan your visit!
