Page 54 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

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CANADIAN CANOE MUSEUM IN PETERBOROUGH • DESTINATION ONTARIO/BARB SIMKOVA
including gems like a birchbark beauty
crafted by Anishinaabe artisans. Don’t miss
the hands-on canoe-building studio or the
lakeside launch for on-water adventures
(www.canoemuseum.ca).
Set sail this summer on the Captain
Matthew Flinders, a classic two-deck
vessel departing Port Dalhousie Beach in
St. Catharines. With open-air viewing
decks, a licensed bar and lively narration,
this Lake Ontario cruise delivers an alterna-
tive way to enjoy the views (www.Lake
OntarioCruises.ca).
CITY LIGHTS
Toronto is a magnet for cosmopolitan tra-
vellers. Luxurious hotels, notable restaurants,
and professional baseball, hockey, basket-
ball, football and soccer—Toronto has it all.
Browse for merchandise in flagship
international stores along Bloor Street and
luxurious shops in Yorkville (www.bloor-
yorkville.com), or unique boutiques and
galleries in the restored Victorian-era
buildings of the Distillery District
(www.thedistillerydistrict.com).
Teeter 116 storeys above the city on the
CN Tower’s EdgeWalk. Relax on the green
parkland of the islands across the city
harbour (www.torontoisland.com).
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).
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).
Special Events
JANUARY
• ICE WINE FESTIVAL, NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
FEBRUARY
• WINTERLUDE, OTTAWA
MAY
• CANADIAN TULIP FESTIVAL, OTTAWA
• FESTIVAL OF BIRDS, POINT PELEE
NATIONAL PARK
JUNE
• OTTAWA JAZZ FESTIVAL
• PRIDE TORONTO
JULY
• HONDA INDY, TORONTO
• RBC BLUESFEST, OTTAWA
AUGUST
• FERGUS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL AND
HIGHLAND GAMES
• TORONTO CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL
• WIIKWEMKOONG ANNUAL CULTURAL
FESTIVAL, MANITOULIN ISLAND
SEPTEMBER
• TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER
• KITCHENER-WATERLOO OKTOBERFEST
NOVEMBER
• ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR,
TORONTO
NOVEMBER – DECEMBER
• DISTILLERY WINTER VILLAGE, TORONTO
• FIRST LIGHT AT SAINTE-MARIE AMONG
THE HURONS, MIDLAND
WANDER THE RESORT IN PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY • DESTINATION ONTARIO/PETER LUSZTYK
www.festivalsandeventsontario.ca