SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO
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Mother Nature gave the region sparkling white beaches.
Residents added such delights as home-grown theatre and
first-rate museums. View getaway packages that are
available in Southwest Ontario and Niagara:
Click Here.
Southwestern Ontario, part of the temperate "sunbelt"
of Ontario, has two distinct characters: long shorelines
of Great Lakes beaches and the equally vast acres of
quiet farm country in the interior. Midway along Lake
Erie's shoreline is Port Stanley, a picturesque fishing
village that also boasts a restored railway. Further to
the west, Port Pelee National Park is a name recognized
around the globe for birdwatching. Pelee and
neighbouring Rondeau Provincial Park are also good for
cycling and sheltered canoeing.
From Lake Erie, head across country to "Ontario's
West Coast," the Lake Huron shoreline to continue the
Great Lakes tour. Bayfield's quaint main street is lined
with attractive galleries and shops and there are
sailing and salmon fishing charters available at the
tidy harbour. Elegant Goderich offers a sugary white
beach, tree-shaded streets of stately homes, a
first-rate museum and historic gaol. Cross-country
skiing and hiking are excellent along the Maitland
River.
Further inland, nineteenth-century limestone mansions
make St. Marys is one of the prettiest towns in the
province and Ingersoll is the place to visit cheese
outlets and a cheese museum. Stratford is home to the
renowned theatre festival that celebrates the works of
Shakespeare and the nearby village of Shakespeare may
have Ontario's highest density of antique shops.
Southwestern Ontario grows everything in abundance and
gardeners can have a field day visiting greenhouse
complexes and flower growers. Huron County hosts a
Harvest Trail program of farm and market visits.
Ontario's Finest... in Southwestern Ontario
Uniquely Ontario
- Shakespeare to the Shoreline Taste Trek
- Body surfing the Maitland River rapids (Benmiller)
- Photographing Huron County sunsets (Goderich)
- Self guided historic St. Marys walking tours (St. Marys)
- Spring birdwatching, Point Pelee National Park (Leamington)
- Touring the Christmas light displays (Simcoe)
Museums, Galleries & Historic Sites
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- Dundurn Castle (Hamilton)
- Eldon House (London)
- Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology
- Huron County Museum (Goderich)
- Huron Historic Gaol (Goderich)
- Jack Miner Museum (Kingsville)
- Lawson Prehistoric Indian Village (London)
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- North American Black Historical Museum (Amherstburg)
- Petrolia Discovery (Petrolia)
- Port Stanley Terminal Railway
- St. Marys Museum (St. Marys)
- Uncle Tom's Cabin Museum (Dresden)
- Woodland Cultural Centre (Brantford)
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Shopping & Antique Hunting
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- Bayfield
- Goderich
- Petrolia Discovery (Petrolia)
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- Port Stanley
- Shakespeare
- St. Marys
- Stratford
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Farm & Garden
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- Brickman's Botanical Gardens (Sebringville)
- Colisanti Tropical Gardens (Kingsville)
- Herbal Touch (Norwich)
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- London Farmers' Market
- McMillen's Iris Gardens (Norwich)
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Huron Harvest Trail, Huron County
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Theatre
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Outdoor Pursuits
- Picnicking at Spencer Gorge Wilderness Area (Dundas)
- Riding the waves at
Port Burwell Provincial Park
- The River Walkway and the Grand Trunk Trail (St.
Marys)
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