Where are the big places for Ontarians to vacation? I know that Cottage Country is huge; is everything north of Toronto considered Cottage Cuontry, or is there a somewhat-defined boundary? Are any more local areas popular for certain metro areas? For instance, are there any beach towns on Lake Erie or Lake Huron that are popular for people in the London area? Are the beaches in some of the lake cities, like Hamilton and St. Catharines, the popular place to go, or do people in those areas drive elsewhere to "escape from society"? Are pretty much all beaches on Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron very popular with people from the Toronto area, or are particular beach towns much more popular than others? Do people in Ottawa go to beach towns, or do they go into the woods, with the woods being as close as Lake Ontario? Is there any popular vacation place in Northern Ontario, that is north and/or west of Sudbury?

I have three really great female friends who live in Toronto (one of whom I'd marry in a heart beat if I wasn't gay, haha). Anyway, one of them is obsessed with California. She loves going on vacations there. Another one of them always seems to be going on vacations to the Caribbean. And the other... actually I can't recall hearing too much from her about vacation destinations.

How about for day trips and weekends in the Summer? Where are the general migration patterns? For instance, people in Delaware tend to go to the beaches in southern Delaware, like Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beachbut people in the Philadelphia area tend to go to the beaches in southern New Jersey, like Cape May, Avalon, Sea Isle City, and other Jersey Shore towns. People in Maryland tend to go to Ocean City in Maryland, and also Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. Even though multiple population centers are close by, they all go to different areas on the coast. How does this play out in Ontario?

I've never been outside Ontario in the 12 years that I've lived here, except once to Montreal. I think there are some nice National Parks in Northern Ontario, but I've never went past Wasaga Beach. There is also Crystal Beach in Fort Erie (opposite Buffalo, NY), and Niagara Falls; but going there for a vacation after living there for over half a decade just does not seem right. There are no other decent beaches in Southern Ontario (none in Niagara, except for the one in Fort Erie). Most of my vacations are in the Middle-East (UAE, KSA, Oman), South Asia (Pakistan: Kashmiiiiiiir), the Caribbean, and South America (Ecuador and Venezuela, where my fiancee is from). I think the most popular vacational destination in Ontario is probably Niagara Falls, where GTA people often go over the weekends.

If your talking local I'd say perhaps Wasaga Beach on Lake Huron, I believe it's about an hour and a half to 2 hours from Toronto...

Personally I have family in the Sault Ste. Marie area up north on the Northern Ontario/Northern Michigan border.

If your talking about winter, most people (that I know anyway) go down to Florida for a few days.

In Southwestern Ontario, many people tend to flock up to Grand Bend, a popular beach resort destination on the shores of Lake Huron, or Port Stanley, popular beach town on Lake Erie, about 15 minutes south of St. Thomas.

Bayfield is midway between Grand Bend and Goderich and it's a touristy town as well, popular summertime destination as well.

Port Dover is a popular and bustling beach and lake side town of about 4,000 in Norfolk County, and is a popular destination for motorcyclists, particularly every day when a Friday the 13th happens, bikers from all over gather around Port Dover.

Erieau, Rondeau, and Wheatley in Chatham-Kent are popular lakeside cottage towns as well, plus the properties there are dirt cheap along Lake Erie. Erieau has a fantastic seafood restaurant and is a full service community of about 500 people.

Other towns of note are Leamington and Kingsville in Essex County, both along Lake Erie. Kingsville is Canada's most southerly town.

I've never went past Wasaga Beach. There is also Crystal Beach in Fort Erie (opposite Buffalo, NY), and Niagara Falls; but going there for a vacation after living there for over half a decade just does not seem right. There are no other decent beaches in Southern Ontario (none in Niagara, except for the one in Fort Erie).


there are definitely other decent beaches in Southern Ontario. there's the Sandbanks on Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County. there's Sauble Beach and Grand Bend on Lake Huron. there's Port Carling on Lake Erie. plus tons of less touristy, but still great beaches. Wasaga Beach is the largest, but many others are just as sandy and good.

in think the destination of choice for Torontonians depends on which part of Toronto they live in. so people in the east end would go to the Sandbanks (near Kingston), people in the west end would go to Sauble Beach or other beaches along Lake Huron, people in northern Toronto go to Wasaga Beach.

as for cottage country: in Toronto cottage country = Muskoka (Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville & all surrounding areas) and to a lesser extendt the Kawarthas (Bobcaygeon, Bancroft & area).

if you look at Google Satellite of Southern Ontario you can see where the farmland ends and the forested area begins. most of the forested area within a 2 1/2 hour drive from Toronto is cottage country. people want cottages in the woods and they want to swim in lakes that aren't polluted by farm runoff. although i'm sure the recreational boat fuel isn't too healthy either.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Sauble Beach!!!

I was just in Newfoundland for a vacation.

The biggest cottage areas in Ontario would be as follows (but not in any order): along Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Georgian Bay; the Muskoka's, the Haliburton and Kawartha areas, along the St. Lawrence, and further north to places like Temagami.

Algonquin Park is fairly easy to access from both Toronto and Ottawa. I do know some people from Ottawa like to go down to near Kingston for cottages and camping.

That's all I can think of.

i love wasaga beach, go there!

sauble beach is cool too, but wasaga takes the cake. Nothin like renting a cottage, bringing up a few cases of beer and just having the best time!

Algonquin park is good too, if your into camping

apparently Wasaga is the longest freshwater beach in the world.

I've never been outside Ontario in the 12 years that I've lived here, except once to Montreal. I think there are some nice National Parks in Northern Ontario, but I've never went past Wasaga Beach. There is also Crystal Beach in Fort Erie (opposite Buffalo, NY), and Niagara Falls; but going there for a vacation after living there for over half a decade just does not seem right. There are no other decent beaches in Southern Ontario (none in Niagara, except for the one in Fort Erie). Most of my vacations are in the Middle-East (UAE, KSA, Oman), South Asia (Pakistan: Kashmiiiiiiir), the Caribbean, and South America (Ecuador and Venezuela, where my fiancee is from). I think the most popular vacational destination in Ontario is probably Niagara Falls, where GTA people often go over the weekends.

St. Catharines has a very nice beach on Lake Ontario.

Personal favourite beach, sauble.

Day trips, byng park in dunnville

there seem to be alot of Canadian, mainly Ontario, coming down to Florida recently.

Mayheekoh, Koobaw, and Niharagwa. :)

Lots of people from the GTA vacation in the North Bay/Lake Nipissing area.

I think N.Falls, Ottawa, Kingston is what you'd deem Vacation spots .. for people in Toronto.

I generally vacation outside of the province or country. If I chose an Ontario locale, I'd opt for the Bruce Peninsula.

Yes, the Bruce Peninsula is full of vacationers from the GTA and other larger cities like Hamilton, London, and Kitchener-Waterloo. My family has a cottage up there and most of the peninsula's coast is dotted by cottages. Where my cottage is there are less than 20 people who live there year round, but in the summer the hamlet grows to over 400. Wiarton and Owen Sound (a VERY beautiful city) are generally considered the main cities in the region (though Owen Sound is in Grey County, not the Bruce).

i've been up the Bruce Peninsula and it's fantastic!! there are caves somewhere near Owen Sound that you can exlplore. near Tobermory there's Flowerpot Island with some cool rock formations. There are also a bunch of sunken ships and you can take a glass-bottom boat to look at them or go scuba diving aroung them.

i have some pretty fond memories of scuba diving up there. the shipwrecks were cool, but the greatest part was going through this cave and surfacing in this grotto. so fun!!

also, the best part of the Bruce Trail is on the Bruce Peninsula

My vacations are almost never in Canada anymore but once upon a time I used to frequent Wasaga beach quite a bit.

I suspect its still a young crowd there... I'm almost 30... I would probably seem ancient at Wasaga now, haha

Here is a few....and I haven't even touched on Northern Ontario which is one huge recreational activity area albeit a little far from Toronto for a short weekend trip.

Main spots which are close to Toronto / and Ottawa

Tobermory is a nice spot. Really, really beautiful and pristine.

Waterloo Region is surrounded by some of the prettiest towns/countryside in Ontario with strong mennonite culture. It's like a world away from Toronto but only 1hr.

Niagara Peninsula is beautiful with its wine country, Niagara-on-the-lake plus Niagara Falls with the falls/casinos etc.

Beaches - Wasaga, Grand Bend etc.

Cottage Country - Muskoka, Kawartha Lakes etc

Eastern Ontario - Thousand Islands and Kingston area. Ottawa's villages and surrounding villages such as Perth (lots of surrounding lakes), North Gower (farmers market..a village in the city) and Merrickville (lots of history and character) all have their unique appeal.

My only biff with Ontario is that I don't drive and as strange as it might sound its easier escaping Vancouver than Toronto sans automobile. Proximity and geography plays a big part as Ontario tends to sprawl whereas BC is largely centred either on water or because of the forced density pristine wilderness areas are usually easily accessible by public transit. Toronto requires more of a 1hr-2hr drive to escape and a car really, really helps. I'm sure somebody with an automobile thinks Ontario is easy for those without one, but I care to differ. And because I don't drive I'm probably better placed to comment, particular as its my home province so there is no mine is bigger than yours agenda. I don't drive and I don't much care for talk but expect results. I wish I could say a car wasn't necessary, but it helps unless your considering a Toronto/London VIA vacation depending on urban transit. You can do Ontario without a car, it just won't involve much nature unless you consider Fanshawe Park to be one of the provinces most pristine recreation areas. I think we need to change the way we look at our urban development to make fringe areas more accessible. We should be more proactive on Transit but even poor Toronto is starved of the infrastructure needed. They can't even afford new streetcars and cities in Turkey have more modern looking models. LOL

BC on the otherhand is run as if the premier hated cars. Our mayor bikes. Just a different mentality and the geographic differences that contribute to forced density. Also, many people in Ontario work in the auto industry or auto parts so they're more inclined to support automobile use rather than demand changes. Rather than give cities like Waterloo an LRT they'd spend twenty years talking about it and in the end just encourage more spending on roads with the assumption that everyone drives a car anyway. Vancouver on the other hand is doing transit development on a scale Toronto hasn't known since it was smaller than Montreal. Its lost the ability to think BIG. You'd almost think there waiting for PM Harper to come and start laying tracks. And OK before anyone comments, yes I know the Sheppard Line is world class and more than capable to seeing Toronto through the next hundred years, wake up to yourself. Its not. Its a mini-joke and its time for the BIG BANG approach. I'm just frustrated because I've had enough of the talking already. In BC we do it too, but after five years it will start. I certainly hope Ontario starts building infrastructure over freeways. We have some beautiful nature areas; however, in terms of access we'd rather talk than build.

I have some pretty fond memories of scuba diving up there. the shipwrecks were cool, but the greatest part was going through this cave and surfacing in this grotto. so fun!!

Ooh, this makes me want to try it! Is there a company that offers this or is DIY?

^^ i did it as the final part of a certification course i took, so i don't know how it was organizied. i just went along. i imagine there must be a company in Tobermory that does it, but you can also DIY

Here is a few....and I haven't even touched on Northern Ontario which is one huge recreational activity area albeit a little far from Toronto for a short weekend trip.

Main spots which are close to Toronto / and Ottawa

Tobermory is a nice spot. Really, really beautiful and pristine.

Waterloo Region is surrounded by some of the prettiest towns/countryside in Ontario with strong mennonite culture. It's like a world away from Toronto but only 1hr.

Niagara Peninsula is beautiful with its wine country, Niagara-on-the-lake plus Niagara Falls with the falls/casinos etc.

Beaches - Wasaga, Grand Bend etc.

Cottage Country - Muskoka, Kawartha Lakes etc

Eastern Ontario - Thousand Islands and Kingston area. Ottawa's villages and surrounding villages such as Perth (lots of surrounding lakes), North Gower (farmers market..a village in the city) and Merrickville (lots of history and character) all have their unique appeal.

My only biff with Ontario is that I don't drive and as strange as it might sound its easier escaping Vancouver than Toronto sans automobile. Proximity and geography plays a big part as Ontario tends to sprawl whereas BC is largely centred either on water or because of the forced density pristine wilderness areas are usually easily accessible by public transit. Toronto requires more of a 1hr-2hr drive to escape and a car really, really helps. I'm sure somebody with an automobile thinks Ontario is easy for those without one, but I care to differ. And because I don't drive I'm probably better placed to comment, particular as its my home province so there is no mine is bigger than yours agenda. I don't drive and I don't much care for talk but expect results. I wish I could say a car wasn't necessary, but it helps unless your considering a Toronto/London VIA vacation depending on urban transit. You can do Ontario without a car, it just won't involve much nature unless you consider Fanshawe Park to be one of the provinces most pristine recreation areas. I think we need to change the way we look at our urban development to make fringe areas more accessible. We should be more proactive on Transit but even poor Toronto is starved of the infrastructure needed. They can't even afford new streetcars and cities in Turkey have more modern looking models. LOL

BC on the otherhand is run as if the premier hated cars. Our mayor bikes. Just a different mentality and the geographic differences that contribute to forced density. Also, many people in Ontario work in the auto industry or auto parts so they're more inclined to support automobile use rather than demand changes. Rather than give cities like Waterloo an LRT they'd spend twenty years talking about it and in the end just encourage more spending on roads with the assumption that everyone drives a car anyway. Vancouver on the other hand is doing transit development on a scale Toronto hasn't known since it was smaller than Montreal. Its lost the ability to think BIG. You'd almost think there waiting for PM Harper to come and start laying tracks. And OK before anyone comments, yes I know the Sheppard Line is world class and more than capable to seeing Toronto through the next hundred years, wake up to yourself. Its not. Its a mini-joke and its time for the BIG BANG approach. I'm just frustrated because I've had enough of the talking already. In BC we do it too, but after five years it will start. I certainly hope Ontario starts building infrastructure over freeways. We have some beautiful nature areas; however, in terms of access we'd rather talk than build.

Now tell us about the V-Line in Victoria

Really good question! I like to recommend some good leisure activities in Toronto.Check out some of the cool sports opportunities (http://ilovetoronto.com/places-in-toronto/2011/10/active-weekend-in-toronto) that our city has to offer,i.e. kiteboarding, climbing or some winter sports.

I think Ontario is an attractive place in Canada, as about 14 per cent of Canadians would love to spend their leisure ativities in some of favorite places in the province. Definitely my favorite destination is Niagara Falls (http://ellidavis.com/toronto-real-estate-news/2011/10/where-canadians-retire) or some wonderfull beaches in British Columbia.

Ottawa - a great family gateaway destination!