Ontario as a Destination

Posted on 07/09/2020 | About Toronto, Ontario

What are you going to do now? Travel plans that you had been dreaming of and working on for months are most likely not going to happen this summer. Don’t despair, there are still places to go in our own country.

At the moment, our travel is restricted to Ontario. It is a huge province with a diversity of opportunities.

You don’t need to have camping equipment to enjoy any of the 72 Ontario Provincial Parks. In Southwestern Ontario alone there are 12 parks to choose from. Some of the parks have yurts or cabins to rent. Or you could stay at a nearby motel and then enjoy the beach and trails using a day pass which ranges between $12 and $21 per vehicle. If you were planning on visiting several parks, a summer season vehicle pass is $125.

We took our trailer up to Arrowhead Provincial Park on the outskirts of Huntsville for a few days. There was lots to keep us busy including hiking and biking trails, canoe rentals (bring your own PFD), swimming at one of the 3 sandy beaches and fishing. The trail to Stubbs Falls was easy and worthwhile.

There are a number of chain hotels as well as some smaller local motels in and around Huntsville. Although restaurants are not yet open for dining in, there are lots of patio and takeout options.

For a more high end experience, Deerhurst Resort east of Huntsville across Fairy Lake is the place to go. Their spa and golf facilities are partially open and meals are available by takeout or on the patios. Rooms with kitchen facilities are also available.

If you want to combine some outdoor adventure with wine (everything goes better with wine!), Point Pelee National Park near Leamington in the far southwest corner of Ontario is a great choice. After hiking and bird watching in the park, you could head to Pelee Island Winery in nearby Kingsville to do some tastings.

If you want to skip the hiking and just concentrate on the wine, Niagara on the Lake has many wineries open for tastings. With a designated driver, this can be a fun day trip from St Marys.

Farther afield, Ottawa is always an interesting destination. Most of the museums are still working out how to arrange social distancing or are closed because they are mostly interactive. However, the Bytown Museum and the Bank of Canada Museum are open.

For the ultimate staycation, enjoy all that St Marys has to offer. Golf, have a massage, hike the beautiful Grand Trunk Trail and order dinner from one of our local restaurants. All this supports local businesses who have suffered through the Covid closures.

There are many options out there for a “staycation” in Ontario. Contact you travel agent who will be able to design a trip suited to your interests.