Ontario Tour: September 2022
We kicked off our sixteen-day tour of Ontario with a three-day stay in Toronto. We rented an Air BnB on Annette Street in the Baby Point neighbourhood (so-named because the area was established in the early 1800’s by James Baby, pronounced “Babby”). Of note to sports fans, the area was the residence of Conn Smythe of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1930-40’s. Write-up continues below all the photos….
Click images to see full size gallery slideshow.
We enjoyed two local restaurants - a great woodfired pizza at Queen Margherita and a wonderful Mexican meal at Mad Mexican.
The neighbourhood was pleasant, but was too far from downtown to be recommended. It is at least 3/4 of an hour to get to downtown by bus and subway.
Our Toronto visit highlights were the downtown Harbourfront, Toronto Island and a Niagara Falls bus tour. The Harbourfront along Lake Ontario features a great waterfront walkway with intimate views of the high-rise skyline. Both offer restaurants and bars. A favourite encounter was The Farm Boy grocery store with a great selection of fresh and packaged items. Their ready-to-go offerings are amazing.
Toronto Island was a joy to explore and experience. Accessed by ferry from the Toronto Harbour dock (foot passengers and cyclists only), you have a choice of three Toronto Island destinations (Ward’s Island, Centre Island and Hanlan’s Point). We went to Centre Island. Toronto Island BBQ & Beer Co is right at the dock. Our walk took us through the centre of the island along a beautiful path that widens to a garden stroll, led off by a fountain and ending up at The Pier on Lake Ontario. Heading back, you have a number of CN Tower views. The ferry ride back is great for Toronto skyline views. Toronto Island is a must-see experience.
Due to distance and traffic, the Niagara Falls tour is a full day excursion. Our tour with NiagaraToronto Tours left from near the CN Tower at 8:15 am and returned by 5 pm. Mark, our guide was very informative and animated. The first stop was Niagara-on-the-Lake. The hour allotted for our visit was not nearly enough time to explore this lovely town. Then it was a drive along the Niagara River with its stately homes. Upon arriving at Niagara Falls, we had an hour to enjoy the astounding beauty and breadth of the falls and have a quick lunch. Then it was on to the Hornblower Niagara Falls river tour that took us up to the falls – close, personal and very wet! It was an amazing experience.
Our tour gave us a good amount of time in ‘downtown’ Niagara Falls after the boat tour and before heading back. We would have much preferred to have more time in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Next, we picked up our rental car and headed to Schomberg to visit family. The journey was a great introduction to the Ontario countryside - rolling hills, a number of horse ranches and lots of cornfields. We almost expected a “Field of Dreams” Kevin Costner to walk out! Schomberg is a very pleasant village. After our family visits, we made our way to Peterborough, our Hwy 7 destination. Our evening journey there was very pleasant, seeing mile after mile of farmland and rolling hills bathed in golden evening light.
Highway 7 was the route to Ottawa recommended to us as an enjoyable alternative to the freeway, taking us through many small towns, rolling hills and Canadian Shield countryside. An early morning Peterborough sunrise started our day. We enjoyed travelling through Marmora on the Crowe River, highlighted by a lovely church steeple. Along the way, we were intrigued by a number of signs for ‘chip wagons’. Yum! We checked one out in Tweed on the shores of Stoko Lake. The fries (chips) were great, as was the community market in the adjacent park.
Bon Echo Park was our next destination. We were attracted there by the promise of pictographs on the shores of Lake Mazinaw. Unfortunately, we realized too late that the pictographs could only be seen by paddling out to the cliffs by canoe. Our late afternoon arrival prevented this. Nevertheless, our walk through the forest trails and along the beach was enjoyable.
We overnighted in the pleasant town of Perth. The downtown area is comprised of beautiful heritage buildings re-purposed for modern businesses. We particularly enjoyed our morning espresso and scones at Coutts Coffee on Gore Street. Our morning espresso, sitting in the garden at the edge of the Tay Canal, was a highlight. This prompted us to stroll along the canal for a very pleasant walk.
Then on to Ottawa. We enjoyed another AirBnB in the Hintonburg neighbourhood. It was a treat to stay there with its vibrant ethic mix offering a wonderful variety of restaurants. We also had the option of buying tasty treats for our supper at the Hintonburg Market, probably one of the best small, full-service grocery stores we’ve ever experienced. Their ready-prepared meals were delicious.
Our favourite Ottawa area highlight was thanks to the Escape Bicycle rental shop (79 Sparks St.). I’d checked out their website prior to our trip so I knew the bike and e-bike rentals on offer. Maria, the owner at Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals, was very helpful for the two rental days. She sets the tone of friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable service. You can’t go wrong with them.
They also offered tours, which were not for us. However, their self-guided tour routes, clearly marked on an accompanying map of the city are just what you need for hours of enjoyable riding. We especially enjoyed riding along the Rideau Canal. The scenery is beautiful and the history of the locks is fascinating. Another favourite ride was along the Ottawa River, below the Parliament Buildings and across the Portage Bridge where we crossed into Gatineau, Quebec. Here we found the Canadian Museum of History (Musée canadien de l’histoire) in Gatineau, Quebec. With its stunning architecture, friendly staff and world-class exhibits, it does us proud. For me, the most memorable parts were the restored prairie Orthodox Church interior and exterior and the BC First Nations exhibit.
The Fairmont Chateau Laurier turned out to be another highlight. As a photographer, I was delighted to see a statue of Yousuf Karsh who had his studio in the hotel. We also enjoyed the impressive Queen Elizabeth memorial photo display on the Chateau Laurier promenade overlooking the Rideau Canal.
“Cottage country” is something, as Squamish residents, we’d heard of from the many Ontario residents who have settled in Squamish. Now we had the privilege of experiencing ‘cottage country’ for ourselves. Our Tai Chi friends, Jane and Gary, invited us to stay with them at their Crystal Lake cottage. We loved it and came to see “cottage country” as a special, unique generational lifestyle, all based around the multitude of Ontario lakes. What a special experience. Kinmount is the nearest village to Crystal Lake. There, Gary and Jane introduced us to the Highlands Cinema. It is a true treasure and a must-visit destination; its uniqueness is better seen than explained. Suffice it to say that, not only are there five theatres, but there is an amazing display of historic movie equipment and memorabilia, as well. Do consider visiting Highlands Cinema. https://www.highlandscinemas.com
Wasaga Beach was our last stay on our Ontario Tour. Our accommodation (Cathy’s Place AirBnB) was in a magical bed and breakfast adorned with lovely and whimsical sculptures and just a couple of blocks away from the beach. It was a great place for our last few days in Ontario.
We used this as a base to travel to Parry Sound for a “30,000 Island” Georgian Bay cruise. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, the three-hour Georgian Bay cruise definitely showed us the captivating scope and stunning scenery of the Georgian Bay. The history of the area is juxtaposed with views of gorgeous new modern homes.
Early on in our travels we were told about Kawartha Ice Cream. Our first tasting came with Kawartha Ice Cream topping a delicious fruit crumble Jane and Gary made. However, our first Kawartha Ice Cream cone happened after our Georgian Bay tour while we looked across at a magnificent metal moose sculpture on the patio of the Tail Winds Bar & Grill. It seemed so appropriate.
Not far from Wasaga Beach is the charming town of Thornbury, another community that showcases its historic roots in the architecture of its magnificent homes and business buildings. In our wanderings, the evidence of Thornbury’s artistic nature and its nautical history was apparent. Thornbury’s waterfront was delightful.
Our final stop was at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg. Housed in a striking building, the art is captivating, impressive and varied, while featuring works of the Group of Seven. ( Some of Gathi Falk works are in the photos). Also, the McMichael is not without humour: as we admired a tall totem in the lobby, we soon realized that this was not an old-style totem - the mask at the top of the totem had a cell phone and the next figure had earphones! Lovely. Art and humour.
And a great conclusion to our Ontario tour.