Lake Ontario at Harbourfront Centre
(www.harbourfrontcentre.com), or on the
green parkland of the islands across the city
harbour (www.torontoisland.com).
Luxurious hotels, noted restaurants, and
professional baseball, hockey, basketball,
football and soccer—Toronto has it all.
In Ottawa, the first stop for many is
Parliament Hill. The Centre Block is closed
for extensive renovations, but tours of the
temporary homes of the House of Commons
and the Senate—in the West Block and the
Government Conference Centre, respec-
tively—are available (visit.parl.ca). The Hill
overlooks the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site that draws cyclists, boaters and
skaters (www.parkscanada.gc.ca/rideau).
Nearby, farmers' stalls, independent
boutiques and popular nightclubs keep the
ByWard Market humming from morning to
night (www.byward-market.com).
The excellent attractions in the province's
smaller cities range from the Art Gallery of
Hamilton (www.artgalleryofhamilton.com)
and the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre
in Sault Ste. Marie (www.bushplane.com) to
public markets such as the Kingston Public
Market (www.kingstonpublicmarket.ca)
and the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market in the heart
of Mennonite country (www.stjacobs
market.com).
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Whether you're a nature novice or a
seasoned outdoor adventurer, Ontario has
wilderness space for you—and many ways to
help you enjoy it.
Unspoiled landscapes vary from the
remote lakes and rivers of fly-in fishing
camps (www.visitsunsetcountry.com) to
the quaint cottage country of Thousand
Islands National Park (www.parkscanada.
gc.ca/thousandislands).
Wherever you go, you can choose from an
incredible range of adventures. Train your
binoculars on migrating birds at the Pelee
Island Bird Observatory (pibo.ca/en). Walk
high above the forest floor in the Ganaraska
Forest (www.treetoptrekking.com). Hunt for
rare stones in Bancroft (www.hastings.ca/
rockhounding) or hike an outstanding long-
distance trail (www.ontariotrails.on.ca)
like the Bruce Trail. Revered as the oldest
and longest continuous marked footpath in
Canada, the Bruce Trail stretches from
ON
54
OCAD UNIVERSITY • DESTINATION ONTARIO
ONTARIO IS THE ONLY CANADIAN
PROVINCE THAT BORDERS
THE GREAT LAKES.
Quick Fact
Special Events
www.festivalsandeventsontario.ca
JANUARY
• ICE WINE FESTIVAL, NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
FEBRUARY
• WINTERLUDE, OTTAWA
MAY
• CANADIAN TULIP FESTIVAL, OTTAWA
• FESTIVAL OF BIRDS, POINT PELEE
NATIONAL PARK
JUNE
• LUMINATO, TORONTO
• OTTAWA JAZZ FESTIVAL
• PRIDE TORONTO
• RBC CANADIAN OPEN, TORONTO
JULY
• HONDA INDY, TORONTO
• RBC BLUESFEST, OTTAWA
AUGUST
• FERGUS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL AND
HIGHLAND GAMES
• SIEGE AT FORT ERIE
• TORONTO CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL
• WIIKWEMKOONG ANNUAL CULTURAL
FESTIVAL, MANITOULIN ISLAND
SEPTEMBER
• NUIT BLANCHE, TORONTO
• TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER
• KITCHENER-WATERLOO OKTOBERFEST
• NUIT BLANCHE, TORONTO
• PUMPKINFERNO, MORRISBURG AND
SUDBURY
NOVEMBER
• ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR,
TORONTO
NOVEMBER – DECEMBER
• DISTILLERY WINTER VILLAGE, TORONTO
• FIRST LIGHT AT SAINTE-MARIE AMONG
THE HURONS, MIDLAND
NOVEMBER – JANUARY
• WINTER FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, NIAGARA FALLS
LOOKOUT AT SLEEPING GIANT PROVINCIAL PARK • DESTINATION ONTARIO/DARREN MCCHRISTIE
