Some recommended weekend road trips,
Do you feel the need to get away for a weekend and want to make it a road trip to somewhere you’ve never been before? Here are10 destination suggestions: 1. Montreal may be 544 kilometres from Toronto but it’s worth the fiveto six-hour drive to spend a weekend in a city that’s a world away, yet so Canadian.
From the cobblestone streets and horse-drawn carriages of Old Montreal and its magnificent NotreDame Basilica to the jewel of the city’s parks on Mount Royal, there is much to see and do.
Take Hwy. 401east or Hwy. 2 to get there. 2. Ottawa has been snobbishly described as sleepy and dull by Toronto and Montreal standards, but our nation’s capital has a lot of history, culture and entertainment to offer any time of the year.
They just don’t seem to brag as much in Ottawa as the big ’burgs do.
At 450 kilometres away from the GTA that’s nearly a five hour drive there, but there’s much to see and do in the city that has been ranked as the fourth cleanest in the world by Forbes magazine.
Take the 401east to Hwy. 416 N. Or go slower on Hwy. 7 east. 3. Kingston is nicknamed the “Limestone City” because many of its historic building were constructed from local limestone, which is quite visible along Hwy. 401 in the area.
This is where Lake Ontario runs into the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands area begins.
World heritage sites such as Fort Henry and Rideau Canal, which is part of our largest national historic treasure the Trent-severn Waterway, are key points of interest. The Rideau connects Kingston to Ottawa.
Take Hwy. 401 east (it’s less than three hours) or else meander along Hwy. 2 and go through Colborne, Trenton and Napanee. 4. Peterborough is a major gateway to the Kawarthas cottage country region, the city was named after early Canadian politician Peter Robinson who managed the emigration of Irish settlers into the area in 1823.
An easy drive just 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto along Hwy. 401 and Hwys. 35 and 115, Peterborough sits along the Otonabee River and is home to the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world.
George St. runs through the centre of town and is lined with shops and restaurants. You have a choice of bed-and-breakfasts and hotels. 5. Midland is one of Ontario’s most historically significant resort destinations and is known as the "Gateway to the 30,000 Islands."
Samuel de Champlain first came to Georgian Bay in 1615 and people are still discovering it to this day.
Vacationers in search of sandy beaches, resorts, camping, fishing, boat cruises, hotels and restaurants head to the Midland area, which is about 125 kilometres from Toronto along Hwy. 400 north and Hwy. 93. 6. Stratford was named after England’s Stratford-upon-avon in 1832 and is the perfect place for a weekend getaway if its theatre you crave — and it’s only a two-hour drive from Toronto through Kitchener.
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival was started in1953 and Stratford today is internationally famous as one of North America’s premier arts towns.
Accommodations run from simple bed-and-breakfast and historic inns, to high-end hotels or stately mansions. 7. Pelee Island is Canada’s most southern point and is known primarily for bird and butterfly watching. But you can also find fishing, camping, cycling, hiking and live theatre there.
It’s in the middle of Lake Erie, so you can only get there by ferry — from Leamington and Kingsville in Ontario and Sandusky in Ohio. To get to Leamington, drive west on Hwy. 401 until you get to Tilbury and then head south. You can stay at one of a number of bed and breakfast spots, inns and motels, rent a cottage or camp out. 8. Niagara Falls is the closest thing we have to Las Vegas, less that two hours away by car along the QEW. And yes, we promoted it as a great one-day getaway but you can spend a weekend, or a week, and never run out of things to do. The hotels, casinos, night clubs, spas, restaurants, shops and concerts are all world-class and there is an array of amusements and museums to keep you busy. 9. Buffalo, N.Y. is not much further than Niagara Falls (in fact, you can spend a day or two in the Falls and then cross the border at the Rainbow Bridge and take Hwy. 190 to Buffalo) and with our loonie worth about the same as the U.S. dollar these days, cross-border shopping has never been cheaper. You’ve got to stay over at least a couple of nights, though, to get a break on the amount of merchandise you can bring back without being charged duty. On the other hand, accommodations and food south of the border have always been a bargain. 10. The Finger Lakes Region, N.Y., is a little over three hours away by car (take the Thruway once you’ve crossed the border; you get to it from Hwy. 290). But this region of upstate New York is certainly a sight to see. The 11 lakes that make up the series of long narrow waterways resembling human fingers stretch from south of Rochester eastward to the Pennsylvania border. It is New York State’s largest wine producing region with vast vineyards and more than 100 wineries. There’s plenty of accommodation in the towns and villages in the region, including bed-and-breakfasts, country inns, more than 200 hotels and motels, and many campgrounds ranging from the remote to full-service sites for recreational vehicles.