DO SOME GHOST-BUSTING IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL
There’s a ghostly presence in Ottawa and it’s not Jean Chrétien. At the Ottawa Jail on Nicholas Street, eerie apparitions are said to roam the hallways. The former prison was the site of Canada’s last public hanging and is now operating as a hostel, a somewhat unconventional place where you can lay down your head for the night (approximately $25). If you’re too creeped out to stay overnight, then you can visit this supernatural playground in the bright glare of daylight as part of the city’s haunted walking tours.

For more info: 613-235-2595 or hihostels.ca


RIDE THE CURRENTS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
In Penticton, B.C., good, clean fun can be had floating down the river channel, a six-kilometre canal that connects lakes Okanagan and Skaha. Just park your booty on the floatation device of your choice (inner tube, kayak, etc.) and let yourself be carried away by the current. Depending on the current’s speed, cruising could take up to three hours. Bring your own gear or hook up with a company such as Coyote Cruises, which loans you the stuff and picks you up downriver by bus for $10.

For more info: 1-800-663-5052 or penticton.org; Coyote Cruises, 250-492-2115 (only from late-May to early-September)

STAY IN JOHN AND YOKO’S HOTEL SUITE
All we are saying is give peace a chance. Most of us know that John Lennon penned that timely credo, but would you get the Trivial Pursuit answer as to where? Back in 1969, John and Yoko holed up in Suite 1742 of Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel in Montreal to write a song protesting American military action in Vietnam. You can grab your own piece of the peace movement, like Beatles-fan Drew Barrymore did, by booking a night (from approximately $660) in the infamous room now adorned with press clippings, a framed gold record for “Give Peace a Chance,” and photos of the couple at their bed-in. Stage your own and sip their drink of choice—Spanish Smile, composed of orange juice and honey—while savouring a unique moment in history.

For more info: 514-861-3511 or fairmont.com


DRIVE A RACECAR IN PONTYPOOL, ONTARIO
Deep down, everyone has an inner speed demon: that little voice that makes you put your foot down harder on the gas pedal. Most times that type of behaviour gets you a ticket. At the Bridgestone Racing Academy in Pontypool, Ont., it gets you a certificate. Slip behind the wheel of a Reynard F2000, stomp on it, and zoom from 0 to 100 km in five seconds flat as the 130-horsepower engine under the hood kicks in. Courses range from a half-day ($525) to a full season of 12 races ($16,475).

For more info: 905-983-1114 or goodman-motorsports.com


LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF IN MONTREAL
Every July, Montreal is full of belly laughs as the Just For Laughs Festival unleashes its manic merriment upon the city. This is the event where an unknown James (now “Jim”) Carrey was pegged as a promising young performer in 1990, and where last year Kelly Ripa did a sultry, grinding striptease that had her splashed across the tabloids and got her co-host Regis Philbin blushing. Between intimate gigs and streets crowded with performance artists, Just For Laughs is always a hot ticket.

For more info: hahaha.com or email info@hahaha.com