OT in TO: Top Five Reasons You Should Come Early…and Plan To Stay A While
By Barbara Slawek, SLA Toronto Chapter
- We want you to! Alas, the SLA Annual Conference comes to Canada but once
every ten years so it could be a few decades before it’s back in Toronto.
So make the most of it now – but don’t wait for another conference to make
that return visit.
- The Blue Jays come back to town! Toronto’s major league baseball team flies
home for a series of home games on June 13-23/05. Check the June
2005 schedule and purchase your single game tickets today. For the true
sports enthusiast, read “Toronto Sports Highlights”
in our “Things To Do” section.
- The Canadian exchange rate works in almost everyone’s favour! Consult
a Currency
Converter for real-time rates. Coupled with Toronto’s “big city affordability”,
this is one bottom line you won’t be able to resist. For great ideas on how
to stretch your C$ dollars, consider “The Best Things in
Life are (Almost) Free!” in our “Things To Do” section.
- From dragon boats to drag queens, from quick flicks to slow fusion, there’s
a festival for every taste! Can’t stay? Consider these destination events
for your next trip to Toronto.
- So you can get out of town! Sounds strange but – YES! – we are advocating
that you leave Toronto and explore what Ontario has to offer. Daytrip in
all directions or take an extended break to really get away from it all.
Articles re: Stratford/Shakespeare
Festival and Niagara
Wine Country are already available in our “Things To Do” section. Here
is a selection of routes, regions, and “did you know’s” - courtesy of Ontario
Travel - to help you start planning your excellent Ontario getaway. You’ll
soon understand why our provincial license plates read: Yours To Discover.
GOLDEN
HORSESHOE (less than one hour)
Experience the elegance of Parkwood,
grand estate and family home of Colonel R.S. McLaughlin, founder of General
Motors of Canada, industrial pioneer and philanthropist.
View one of the largest selections of paintings by Canada’s famous Group
of Seven at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in
Kleinburg.
Wander through a garden of earthly delights at Burlington’s Royal Botanical Gardens.
Did you know? The world’s largest lilac festival is held at RBG in mid-late
May with more than 800 varieties in fragrant bloom.
GRAND
RIVER COUNTRY (1-2 hours)
Catch some whitewater action as you canoe, kayak, or tube past the cascading
waterfalls and spectacular limestone walls of the Grand River’s Elora
Gorge.
Experience a gentler and slower pace in the Village of St. Jacob’s with its Mennonite
heritage and hospitality – and take home a traditional handmade quilt as a
lovely souvenir.
Did you know? Eighty-two fish species swim in the Grand River – the largest
river and watershed (7000 square kilometers or 2600 square miles) in Southwestern
Ontario and a designated Canadian Heritage River. Great news if you love
to fish!
NIAGARA
PENINSULA (1-2 hours)
Note: These are great destinations for those traveling to Toronto through
Buffalo/Fort Erie.
Attend Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Shaw Festival,
the world’s only theatre dedicated to the plays of George Bernard Shaw and
his contemporaries.
Bet on a good time at the historic Fort
Erie Racetrack (est. 1897), considered one of the prettiest tracks in
North America – or make a date with lady luck at Casino Niagara.
Board the Maid of the Mist (est.
1846) and get close and personal with majestic Niagara Falls.
Did you know? Formed 12,000 years ago, the Falls were originally 11.2
kilometres (7 mi) down river but brink erosion has resulted in their “move”,
sometimes as much as 1.8 m (6 ft) per year, to their present site.
SOUTH
GEORGIAN BAY (1-2 hours)
Experience the life of French Jesuit missionaries and the native Wendat Huron
nation in a recreated 17th century French-Huron village at Sainte-Marie
Among the Hurons.
Commune with nature at the adjacent Wye
Marsh Wildlife Centre, a wetlands sanctuary with a successful signature
program to return the endangered Trumpeter Swan to its native habitat.
Soak up the sun on sandy Wasaga Beach – at
14 kilometres it’s the longest freshwater beach in the world!
Discover historic Penetanguishene’s “Discovery Harbour”, a British
naval and military base built to safeguard access to Upper Canada as a result
of the War of 1812, and home to replica British sailing ships H.M.S. Tecumseth
and H.M.S. Bee.
Did you know? Gordon
Laco, Midland-based boat captain and Napoleonic-era naval historian, served
as the historical consultant and head technical adviser on Peter Weir’s 2003
film, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”.
BRUCE
PENINSULA (2-3 hours)
Hike for 725 km (450 mi) from Tobermory and the scenic Bruce Peninsula National
Park through breathtaking scenery to Niagara Falls along the world-famous
Bruce Trail - Canada’s oldest and
longest footpath. Follow the magnificent Niagara
Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and unique ecosystem.
Strap on your scuba gear to explore shipwrecks and sea caves in the crystal
blue waters of Fathom Five
National Marine Park, Canada’s first National Marine Conservation Area.
Did you know? Nearly four dozen species of orchids bloom in Bruce Peninsula
National Park.
LAKE
ONTARIO PORTS OF CALL (2-3 hours)
Note: These are great destinations for those traveling to Toronto from
Ottawa/Montreal.
Enter garrison life at Kingston’s Fort
Henry National Historic Site, an authentic 19th century British
military fortress.
Climb the world’s largest system of freshwater sand dunes at Sandbanks Provincial
Park.
Stroll along Ontario’s best preserved 19th century streetscapes
in Port Hope as you shop for antiques.
Attend the Capitol Theatre, a rare and superb
example of “atmospheric” theatre.
Did you know? The MacIntosh apple - the fruit! – was created in Eastern
Ontario.
MUSKOKA
/ KAWARTHAS
/ HALIBURTON
HIGHLANDS (2-3 hours)
Cruise the narrow channels and shallow waterways around the 30,000 islands
of Georgian Bay aboard the spacious Island
Queen, Canada’s largest sightseeing cruise ship.
Can a Canadian really make love in a canoe? Find out at the Canadian
Canoe Museum and learn more about our unique canoeing and kayaking heritage.
Rent a houseboat and cruise the rivers and canals of the 386 km Trent-Severn
Waterway.
”Walk in the Clouds” along a suspended canopy boardwalk some 20 metres above
the forest floor at the Haliburton
Forest and Wildlife Reserve.
Did you know? North America’s largest collection of Aboriginal rock carvings
- 900 pictographs - can be seen at Petroglyphs Provincial
Park.
NEAR
NORTH (3-4 hours)
Board M.S. Chi-Cheemaun (“Big Canoe”)
– along with your car – and sail north from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island,
the world’s largest freshwater island, rich in natural beauty with more than
one hundred lakes, and native Ojibwa culture.
Canoe and camp – or treat yourself to a luxurious resort lodge - in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario’s
oldest and largest wilderness park.
Did you know? Algonquin Park has inspired many writers and artists, notably
the Group of Seven, as well as violinist Murray Adaskin (1906-2002) who composed
the “Algonquin Symphony” with its evocative bird calls in 1958.
OTTAWA (3-4 hours)
Visit our nation’s capital
region and immerse yourself in heritage buildings, national museums and galleries,
markets and theatres, sports and recreational venues. Stroll or cycle along
the banks of the historic Rideau Canal or cruise the Ottawa River in Edwardian
style. Don’t forget to come back for the Winterlude
celebration held every February and engage in winter activities, skate along
the 7.8 km Rideau
Canal Skateway – the world’s longest skating rink - and sample Beaver
Tails, a delicious, deep-fried pastry topped with sweet or savoury mixtures.
Made of whole or cracked wheat flour and “float cooked” in either soya or
canola oil, this is practically health food!
Did you know? Parliament Hill’s “Changing of the Guard” ceremony is North
America’s only replica of London’s famous Changing of the Guard at Buckingham
Palace.
SOUTHWESTERN
ONTARIO / LAKE
ERIE NORTH SHORE (3-4 hours)
Note: These are great destinations for those traveling to Toronto through
Detroit/Windsor.
Follow the Black
Heritage Route and trace the Underground Railroad to freedom. Uncover
courageous stories of African-American fugitive slaves at the North American Black Historical
Museum in Amherstburg. Visit the restored home of abolitionist Reverend
Josiah Henson at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site
in Dresden, the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s powerful 1852 novel.
Stand on the southernmost tip of the Canadian mainland in Point
Pelee National Park - and discover a habitat with an unrivalled collection
of flora and fauna in Canada’s Deep South.
Did you know? Point Pelee National Park is at the same latitude as northern
California.
NORTHERN
ONTARIO (4 hours plus)
Journey north of the treeline on the Polar Bear Express across tundra
and muskeg to Moosonee, Canada’s first permanent settlement at the mouth of
James Bay.
Paddle along pristine shorelines and granite cliffs in Temagami’s 8000 sq km of interconnecting
canoe routes, the largest system in Canada.
Ride the rails aboard the Agawa
Canyon Tour Train and wind your way 184 km (114 mi) due north from Sault
Ste. Marie across trestle bridges, past sparkling rivers and lakes, and through
the rugged granite formations of the Canadian Shield to the floor of Agawa
Canyon, a haven of hiking trails and waterfalls in Algoma
Country.
Treat your kids – or the kid in you – to a hands-on, high-tech, interactive
experience at Sudbury’s internationally acclaimed Science North.
Tour the new Shania Twain Centre in the popular
C&W singer’s hometown of Timmins.
Did you know? Before walking on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin prepared for lunar terrain by walking around the rocky ridges
of Sudbury.
Still not convinced? Consult
the following web sites for more Ontario options and opportunities.
Attractions Ontario is a non-profit
association which boasts a province-wide membership of over 300 public and private
attractions and tourism-related organizations. Search for attractions and special
events by region, stay up-to-date with “Attractions News”, and order your free
Passport Magazine and Coupon
Book for significant savings by calling toll-free 1-800-ONTARIO.
OntarioTownAndCountry.ca showcases
heritage inns and spas, theatres and cuisine, and elegant seasonal celebrations.
Tourism-related businesses that want to be featured on this site must
offer complete getaway packages (not just room rate or event ticket
price). E-plan your trip with ease!
So – that’s it. Five reasons. No excuses. The only question now is: What’s
stopping you???
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City of Neighbourhoods
