by Martha Sutton

Created on: April 26, 2008

Most of these places would also make a fine overnight stay or longer visit. I often recommend them because of high the cost of staying in Toronto for an extended time.

Niagara Falls

Let's start with Niagara Falls, one of the Wonders of the World. Heading west on QEW (Queen Elizabeth Highway) or starting on Hwy 401 from Toronto, on a good traffic day, you will probably be there in two hours. On the way, you will see luscious farmland and vineyards. You will go through Vineland and Niagara-on-the Lake where you could stop for lunch or tour a winery. This is where the Shaw Festival is held each year from late spring to early autumn.

When you get to the City of Niagara Falls, you will find hotels and motels galore, restaurants and souvenir shops aplenty. There is a Wax Museum and if you have never been to any around the world, this could be your chance. You will be able to park your car and walk over to a sidewalk with an fence where you can gaze at the magnitude of Niagara Falls. The fact is that the best view of the Falls can be had from the Canadian side. The Maid of the Mist (boat) still goes out and gives you a closer view of this phenomenon which a principal source of hydro-electric power for Ontario. ("Hydro" means "water" and electricity in Ontario is referred to as "Hydro".)

London

London is a typical university town and home to Western University. There is lots of manufacturing in London and it is a very pretty and clean city. Storybook Gardens is a beautiful park to stroll though and have your lunch. Western Fairgrounds is host each fall to a great old-fashioned country fair. There is also a very fine racetrack in London. London is a straight run along Highway 401 West and everything is marked very well to get you into town.

Port Hope, Cobourg, Peterborough: the Kawartha Area

If antiquing is one of your pleasures, you should head east on Hwy 401, past the cities of Whitby and Oshawa to Port Hope. The exits are well marked and if you take the first exit south, you will be traveling down into the city and toward Lake Ontario. Along Dunlop Street you will find economical eateries and several shops. Except for housing subdivisions, Port Hope has remained much as it would have been fifty years ago when wealthy Toronto families had large summer homes there. You will find historical plaques to point out how it once was.

Cobourg has a more impressive harbor and a yacht club on Lake Ontario, so it is more lake oriented and perhaps prettier in that part of town. Cobourg

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