By admin Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Summer weekends in Ontario offer a great opportunity to get out and have some fun, explore new places or try something completely different. We’re so fortunate to have an endless supply of things to do here in our amazing province. We’ve highlighted just a few ideas below.

Discover an Ontario Region:

Why not discover a region or town you’ve never been before? Southwestern Ontario has Owen Sound, which is celebrating its 160th birthday; Goderich is called the prettiest town in Canada; Elgin County has kilometres of gorgeous shoreline; Kincardine is on beautiful Lake Huron, or follow Grassroots signs for highlights & diversions in Middlesex. In Eastern Ontario, you can shop, eat, play & stay in St Jacobs Country, and in Central, Downtown Midland has glorious murals, and FREE parking!

Go Sightseeing!

We forget sometimes that there are pretty cool attractions that are worth a visit, even if we aren’t tourists. Skylon Tower has breathtaking 360º views of Niagara Falls. Starting in August, you can walk or cycle through Canada’s First Railway Tunnel (157 years old) in Brockville. Pride of Canada Carousel in GTA has 44 uniquely Canadian rideable sculptures. Or take a tour at the Royal Canadian Mint and see collectible coins & Olympic medals or hold a gold bar! Did you know Windsor is the busiest US/Canada Border City?  Art Gallery of Windsor has 4000 works of art to appreciate there.

Outlet Shopping:

While shopping is on many people’s radar, we often return again and again to our favourite boutique or mall. Why not take a day and visit one of Ontario’s outlet malls instead? We used to cross the border to visit outlets there, but now we have some of our own. There are so many well-known brands and the deals are crazy! Most also have a huge quantity and variety of stores with some places to refuel in the middle so you can keep going all day! Here are a few to check out: King’s Crossing Outlet Mall in Kingston has fashion outlets and wine too, Windsor Crossing Premium Outlets is the only factory outlet in the area, Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre in GTA is massive, Outlet Collection at Niagara is Canada’s largest open-air outlet mall.

Try Something Different:

Bowling, movies, going to the beach…all fun, but why not try something a little out of the ordinary? At Escape Manor, try to escape from a prison cell at the Historic Cornwall Jail or from the Diefenbunker in Ottawa. Or have you ever been moose-spotting? Toronto Adventures has activities for everyone including…moose spotting! Do you like to roll the dice? Shorelines Slots has 3 Ontario locations with slots, table games and amazing food!  Rail Yard Wake Park has Cable Wakeboarding, Wakeskating, Kneeboarding & Tubing from a cable. No experience necessary. Skydive Toronto Inc has had more than 260,000 successful jumps- will you be next?

Wherever your interests lie, you’ll find something fun to do. Don’t forget to check out the Event Calendar or Festivals & Fairs category for a great list of food, music, children’s and cultural festivals this summer.

Enjoy!

Shari & Elisa