SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO & NIAGARA
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Mother Nature gave the
region sparkling white beaches and awe-inspiring
Niagara. 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 and Niagara, the temperate
"sunbelt" of Ontario, has two distinct
characters: a long shoreline of Great Lakes beaches and
the equally vast acres of quiet farm country in the
interior. Most tours begin at the water's edge. Thundering
Niagara is best appreciated from the deck of the Maid of
the Mist. Nearby attractions include a butterfly
conservatory, horticultural gardens and delightful Jordan,
a magnet for lovers of distinctive boutiques. The rocky
Niagara Escarpment creates soil and climatic conditions
ideal for viticulture and dozens of wineries offer tours
and tastings along a Wine Route. 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 and Niagara
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 & Niagara
Uniquely Ontario
- Shakespeare to the
Shoreline Taste Trek
- Body surfing the Maitland River rapids (Benmiller)
- Cruising aboard the Maid of the Mist (Niagara Falls)
- 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)
- Watching Welland Canal freighters (St. Catharines)
Museums, Galleries & Historic Sites
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- Dundurn Castle (Hamilton)
- Eldon House (London)
- Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology
- Fort George (Niagara on the Lake)
- Huron County Museum (Goderich)
- Huron Historic Gaol (Goderich)
- Jack Miner Museum (Kingsville)
- Jordan Historical Museum of the Twenty
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- Laura Secord Homestead (Queenston)
- Lawson Prehistoric Indian Village (London)
- 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
- Jordan
- Petrolia Discovery (Petrolia)
- Port Dalhousie
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- Port Stanley
- Shakespeare
- St. Marys
- Stratford
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Farm & Garden
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- Ben Veldhuis Greenhouses (Dundas)
- Bennett's Apples & Cider (Ancaster)
- Brickman's Botanical Gardens (Sebringville)
- Colisanti Tropical Gardens (Kingsville)
- Herbal Touch (Norwich)
- London Farmers' Market
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- McCully's Hill Farm
- McMillen's Iris Gardens (Norwich)
- Niagara Butterfly Conservatory (Niagara Falls)
- Niagara Parks Greenhouse (Niagara Falls)
- The Wineries of Lake Erie & Niagara
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Theatre
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Outdoor Pursuits
- Cycling the bike path from Niagara on the Lake
to Niagara Falls
- Hiking through Carolinian forest at Backus Woods
(Port Rowan) or Dundas Valley (Ancaster)
- 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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