St. Jacobs bills itself as “Ontario’s favourite rural destination”. This is no idle boast. A drive to St. Jacobs (about 14 km from Waterloo) to shop and tour the surrounding beautiful farm land is a great break from city life. For me a visit to the St. Jacobs market is a fabulous treat for the palate and the eye. It’s open Thursday and Saturday year round and on Tuesdays during the summer. This is not the usual small community farmers’ market. It is enormous and comes with surprises everywhere. There are literally hundreds of vendors of food and crafts and […]

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North Bay was on my itinerary for a business meeting and I really dreaded going there. I had heard that it was a cultural wasteland. Was I in for a surprise! Not only is there plenty to do in North Bay in terms of culture it is also a centre for a variety of quality out-doors activities. Even better it is a mere 3 and a half hours drive from Toronto. As a summer destination North Bay it is a wonderful place to enjoy the untamed wilderness of the great Canadian Shield and in winter it is a centre for […]

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The drive downriver from Niagara Falls on the Niagara Parkway to Niagara-on-the-Lake is full of surprises. If you take in all the sites it will take a full day to reach Niagara-on-the-Lake. Along the way is the White Water Walk, Whirlpool Aero Car, the Butterfly Conservatory, Queenston Heights Park with Brock’s Monument celebrating the victory and death of General Isaac Brock in the war of 1812 and the McFarland House where costumed guides take you around a fine Georgian home. Turn into the town of Queenston and visit Laura Secord House the home of the Canadian heroine of the war […]

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Hamilton is all too frequently missed on the drive from Toronto to Niagara Falls or vice versa. While it once was a city with serious air pollution, a virtually inaccessible waterfront and lots of heavy industry, it now has clean air, a beautiful park on Hamilton harbour in Burlington Bay and the steel mills are not the massive polluters that they once were. So leave the Queen Elizabeth Highway and have a visit. There is much to see. Here are a few recommendations. The Royal Botanical Gardens Hamilton’s great glory are the Royal Botanical Gardens. Hamilton should really be called […]

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Standing on the ground, far below the treetops, you might have often wondered just what it would be like to make your way through the trees, above the forest floor. Maybe you believe that you’ll have to travel all the way to a tropical jungle for a tree top trek, but there are actually some great places to explore the forest’s canopy, right here in Ontario. Horseshoe Resort At Horseshoe Resort, which is just outside of Barrie, you can don a harness and experience an unforgettable trip through the treetops. The resort offers a number of fun and challenging courses […]

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Toronto is Canada’s largest city so it can feel crowded, especially when you add in the thousands of tourists who visit every day! Finding a place that you can get away from it all may seem like a challenge, but if you catch a ferry and head out to the Toronto Islands the relaxing atmosphere of this family friendly place feels like a different world! What and Where are the Toronto Islands? The Toronto Islands is a small chain of islands just a little way off the shore of downtown Toronto. Covering an area of about 570 acres between them, […]

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Beautiful and breathtaking are just two of the words used to describe Niagara Falls; one of the world’s greatest scenic destinations, and one of the most popular because of its easy accessibility. Set on the Niagara River, the falls are shared between Canada and the United States though as many a Canadian will tell you, the views are much better on our side of the river! The Facts About Niagara Falls! While there are higher and wider waterfalls in the world, Niagara is spectacular for its own points – it has the highest combined flow rate of any waterfall in […]

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There’s a place in Toronto that’s now quite inconspicuous and easy to miss from the street, yet it’s where the city of Toronto began in the year 1793. This place is Fort York and it’s situated just west of downtown Toronto, beneath the elevated Gardiner Expressway, in a location that was once, believe it or not, the lakefront! Today several hundred metres separate Fort York from Lake Ontario thanks to land reclamation, and that’s why this important historic site seems to be in such an odd location! History of Fort York The famous Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe, gave the […]

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Enjoy Spectacular Sculptures on London Ontario‘s Tree Trunk Tour. Truly a one of a kind walking tour, this incredible cooperative art project transforms unhealthy trees into works of art everyone can enjoy for free. Before artists begin, the trees are carefully cut to maximise their potential; then, with chainsaws and other carving tools, they are shaped into stunning sculptures. One of the first trees you’ll see on the tour is at 382 King street; it is called Donohue’s Canadiana and features a number of birds and animals as well as beautiful images of Canada’s most iconic plant life. Along the […]

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In Peterborough and the surrounding area, you’ll find enough attractions to keep you busy for weeks, or even months, on end. With splendid natural features, plenty of cultural activities, and wonderful dining and entertainment opportunities, the region offers something for everyone. Let’s take a closer look at just a few of the many destinations around Peterborough. Lang Pioneer Village What better way to learn more about a place, than by stepping right into its history? Lang Pioneer Village, located a quick 10 km east of Peterborough, offers a trip back in time to the 19th century. Created as an interactive […]

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