1st Canadian vacation- UPDATE page 2!! it was great!

[MomofKatie]

Hi, Canadians!

DD12, DH, and I will be driving from North Carolina to Collingwood, ON this July for a weeklong vacation. We have never been to Canada before- what would y'all suggest for us to do in and around the Toronto/Georgian Bay area?

Thanks!

 

[sean-1966]

You'll be driving right past Niagara Falls. Be sure to stop for a bit. Georgian Bay is beautiful that time of year. Lots of hiking, outdoor activities. Fishing is usually pretty good. You'll be a couple hours from Toronto so it might be a bit too far for you to make a day trip. Traffic is usually a nightmare going into and out of the city. Wasaga Beach is kind of a cool place in the summer. You're also pretty close to Tobermory. Cool place with lots of shipwrecks if you dive. I'm sure there some glass bottom boat rides there as well.

 

[stefanospops]

If you do choose to go into Toronto there is plenty to do. There are the standard CN Tower trips, tons of restaurants, shopping, etc. If anyone in your party is a baseball fan it may be worth checking out a Blue Jays game (I can help with tickets if you need - am a season seat holder at 3rd base row 2). If there are any golfers in your group there are so many great golf courses to consider as well. This is just off the top of my head.

If you have a Costco membership then go to costco.ca and search for Citypass. You get get a discounted pass to various museums, the zoo and the CN Tower.

 

[greenclan67]

Heck if you go to Tobermory, you may as well take the Chi cheemaun accross to Manitoulin Island where I live! It is a beauty of a place to visit! Very quiet and serene! The ferry ride itself is nice! We like Collingwood, go there often! Where are you staying there? We have stayed at alot of resorts in the area. Golfing and sking are the big things in Collingwood! There is a waterpark there, I believe it is called Splash Canyon, and a small zoo called the Elmvale Zoo, it is nice because it is shaded! Agreed about T.O. it is a drive back and forth, so if that is your main goal, is to be in T.O I would probably try to find something closer to Toronto.
Niagara Falls is beautiful as well, but can get pricey. If you need any info, gimme a shout, we live in the Georgina Bay/Manitoulin Island area, and have been pretty much everywhere. Good luck!

 

[gem21]

There's a lot more to do in Toronto, for sure, but Georgian Bay is a nice place to just go and relax and enjoy!

But if you're planning a few days in Toronto, there's more than your fair share of fun things to do! The CN tower is quite fun and a must-do, even though there isn't much to do, it's a really fun experience. There was a mini-putt course at the bottom, think it's still there.

The Toronto zoo is a lot of fun! A definite must do for me every time I go to Toronto. There's a lot of walking, and it's very open, so maybe do it on a day where the heat/humidity isn't super hot.

If you want to do amusement parks, Wonderland is really fun. It's more thrill rides and such, but there's a waterpark too in the park. Ontario Place is a smaller park, not really many thrill rides because it's much more of a family themed park. There's a water park too!

Casa Loma is fun too. Since your daughter is older she might enjoy it, but it is more adult oriented. It's basically an old castle that you walk through, it's very historical and the archicheture is gorgeous. You can climb a few of the turrets and look out over the city.

We always go to the Hocekey Hall of Fame, LOL, but unless you are a huge hockey fan, it's not a huge must.

Oh, I almost forgot about the Ontario Science Centre! Again, lots of fun and there's a lot of hands-on-displays that appeal to both kids/preteens as well as adults!

 

[roscoepc1]

Here's a couple of links that may help...these are the two counties that surround Georgian Bay. I live in Bruce....it's gorgeous!

http://www.explorethebruce.com/

http://www.visitgrey.ca/

http://www.sceniccaves.com/ (ziplining, canopy walk, etc)

 

[MomofKatie]

Thanks for the info, everybody!

greenclan67, we will be at Cranberry resort- DH's parents purchased extra timeshare points for us to use, and that is the resort they reserved. We will be in a 1 bedroom condo at the Villas section.

gem21, yes, we are planning a day trip into Toronto- the zoo sounds good. I'd love the CN tower- don't know how DD or DH feel about it, though. They don't really like heights too much. Casa Loma sounds cool, too.

stefanospops, thanks for the Blue Jays info. DH is more of a soccer guy- we are hoping there will be a Toronto FC game we can attend that week.

sean-1966- great info about the traffic in the city. I heard Toronto has a great public transit system- we will check it out and see if we can park at a suburban station and take the subway/train for our visits. And yes, we are planning a side trip along the way to Niagra Falls!

roscoepc1- thanks! Going now to check out those sites.

 

[stefanospops]

Thanks for the info, everybody!

stefanospops, thanks for the Blue Jays info. DH is more of a soccer guy- we are hoping there will be a Toronto FC game we can attend that week..

I have seasons tickets to the TFC too!

 

[Raptorfan]

Thanks for the info, everybody!

greenclan67, we will be at Cranberry resort- DH's parents purchased extra timeshare points for us to use, and that is the resort they reserved. We will be in a 1 bedroom condo at the Villas section.

gem21, yes, we are planning a day trip into Toronto- the zoo sounds good. I'd love the CN tower- don't know how DD or DH feel about it, though. They don't really like heights too much. Casa Loma sounds cool, too.

stefanospops, thanks for the Blue Jays info. DH is more of a soccer guy- we are hoping there will be a Toronto FC game we can attend that week.

sean-1966- great info about the traffic in the city. I heard Toronto has a great public transit system- we will check it out and see if we can park at a suburban station and take the subway/train for our visits. And yes, we are planning a side trip along the way to Niagra Falls!

roscoepc1- thanks! Going now to check out those sites.

Niagara Falls is a must see once. However, expect ridiculous prices everywhere. Kinda like Disney prices with lesser quality product. While in Collingwood make sure you go by the Village at Blue. This is at the Blue Mountain Ski Resort very close to the Cranberry. Lots of cool themed restaurants and shops as well as activities and the Scenic Caves.

http://www.bluemountain.ca/index.htm

To go in to Toronto, you are fairly close to Barrie. I would take the Go Train to Union Station. That is the hub of the city. It will cost you $11 per adult and $5.50 for child and be about an hour and forty minute trip. Much better than driving down

http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/en/default.aspx

From Union station you can walk south to the lake and Harbourfront or north up Younge St (the main drag) towards the Eaton Centre (huge multi level shopping mall) or head over to the entertainment district to catch one of the many shows

 

[MomofKatie]

I have seasons tickets to the TFC too!

Cool! Is next season's schedule out yet? I might get back in touch with you if there is a game during the week we are there. DH and DD would love to see a game!

 

[iluvflorida]

I live 20 minutes from where you will be staying. Check of www.villageatblue.com. It is the web site for Blue Mountain ski resort but is very much a four season resort. They have many free family oriented activities at "The Village" Click on events at village on that site. They will not have any listed for July till summer but check. It is only 5 mins at most from Cranberry resort. Good suggestions from others re Wasaga, Niagra falls (on way), ferry to Manitolin. It is a beautiful area check in the chamber of commerce for activities. Come to Meaford right on lake, beautiful park and sand beach (free). Enjoy the area around Collingwood. Toronto is over two hours away and a big city. Enjoy the peace here. Check out St. Marie among the Hurons if you are into native history , also Wye March Conservation centre, it is at Midland, ont. real close to Collingwood. Enjoy yourself and Welcome to CANADA eh.

 

[stefanospops]

Cool! Is next season's schedule out yet? I might get back in touch with you if there is a game during the week we are there. DH and DD would love to see a game!

Schedule is not out yet. Some games are, but not July. Just send me a private message closer to the day and remind me of this thread if I forget. Have fun!

 

[YukiPhnx]

If you plan to have a day trip in Toronto, I would recommend you choose out of these 3 options.

-A day downtown to visit the CN Tower, Casa Loma, and the Eaton Centre. Even if you don't like shopping, The Eaton Centre is still a very cool place to visit.

-A day at the zoo. It's located in the north-east part of Toronto, in Morningside. Not only is it far from downtown, but the zoo definitely takes a whole day to experience.

-A day at the Ontario Science Centre. This is also located uptown Toronto. Kind of in the middle of the city. Again quite a drive/transit from downtown. This also takes about a whole day of exploring. I've been there many times and I always spend the whole day there. There's just a lot to look at and do and interact with.

Parking downtown can be pricey, especially on the weekends. If you choose the downtown option on the weekend, you can park in one of the subway parking lots, and buy the $10 day pass that your whole family can use for unlimited travel on that day. Many subway parking lots are free on the weekend.

If you go to the zoo, parking is free.

At the Ontario Science Centre, parking is $10.

Hope this helps!

 

[MomofKatie]

Thanks for the continued great ideas!

Raptorfan, GREAT info about the transit system. We are definitely going to take the train into the city when we visit- much easier than driving and parking.

iluvflorida, we will have to check out the Blue Mtn resort- looks good. Even though Toronto is a ways away, we really want to go for a day trip or 2- we already live in the "country" in NC, so it will be nice to visit the big city! But we will for sure take advantage of the peace and quiet around Collingwood.

YukiPhnx, I think the zoo will be a good place to visit- also either Casa Loma or the Science Centre. Any other museums we should look into? Maybe a Natural History museum?

 

[Nahanni]

The Toronto CityPass ($59/$39) includes admission to CN Tower (observation deck takes one hour to rotate so an expensive meal also provides a good view), Royal Ontario Museum (more human history than natural history, restaurant in the new cystal is good), Casa Loma, Ontario Science Centre (more display and information based than Discovery Place Charlotte but also many interactive activities) and Toronto Zoo and is valid for 9 consecutive days. It's possible to cram into 2 days of siteseeing, check opening hours to plan - day 1 at the first three (possible to use transit if you are okay with walking) and on day 2 driving to Science Centre and Zoo (about 30-45 minutes driving to eastern edge of Toronto).

Around CN Tower, consider wandering Harbourfront (for festivals, crafts or sitting by the lake). The Museum is right next to the University of Toronto and Yorkville (Rodeo Drive type shopping - Tiffany's, Chanel, etc). Toronto is very culturally diverse and you can also explore the many ethnic nieghbourhoods for good restaurants.

If your July visit includes the first August weekend consider the Caribana parade - awesome costumes, music and Caribbean food.

Activities closer to Cranberry Resort already metnioned are Scenic Caves (they have a treetop tour going across rope bridges, zipline and the caves) and Ste. Marie Among the Hurons for a look at early settlement. Mid-July, Collingwood also hosts an Elvis Festival that is very popular.

There are no real Toronto food specialities but you can get a taste of poutine (french fries with cheese curds covered in gravy) at our fast food chain, Harveys.

Enjoy your visit!

 

[Cdn Gal]

Make sure you bring a swimsuit, it will be hot. Sainte Marie Among the Hurons is amazing- try to go. Bring bug spray if you will be outside. Go for a canoe ride and have a campfire after wards. That is a true Cdn experience!

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

I'd love to see a trip report after your visit! I really hope you have a great time!

Toronto traffic is worse than Charlotte's (which I was told is pretty bad) and more like Atlanta's. Gridlock is pretty much normal. The GO train from Barrie really is your best bet.

One thing I'd caution you about: weather. I'm sure you're not anything like the SOUTH Carolinians I once had in my little variety store in mid-August, wondering where the snow was. Toronto weather in July is a lot like yours. Maybe not QUITE as humid, but 100-degree heat indexes (we call them humidexes here) are fairly common. The nights can very occasionally get into the high forties, but that's increasingly rare in recent years.

 

[MomofKatie]

I'd love to see a trip report after your visit! I really hope you have a great time!

Toronto traffic is worse than Charlotte's (which I was told is pretty bad) and more like Atlanta's. Gridlock is pretty much normal. The GO train from Barrie really is your best bet.

One thing I'd caution you about: weather. I'm sure you're not anything like the SOUTH Carolinians I once had in my little variety store in mid-August, wondering where the snow was. Toronto weather in July is a lot like yours. Maybe not QUITE as humid, but 100-degree heat indexes (we call them humidexes here) are fairly common. The nights can very occasionally get into the high forties, but that's increasingly rare in recent years.

I will report back- really looking forward to visiting Canada!

DH and I both grew up in ATL, so we are used to the traffic there. We will definitely be taking the GO train and buses around town. We try to do the same whenever we vacation in a city (or WDW!) that has good public transportation.

We looked at avg highs, rainfall, humidity, etc, for Toronto in summer- we are prepared for NO snow!! I figure, as long as the temp and humidity is lower than NC, we will be happy.

 

[YukiPhnx]

We have the Royal Ontario Museum in downtown Toronto, but it takes at LEAST 3-4 hours to see everything.

If you really want to experience Toronto, 2-3 days would be best. But spending just one day at the zoo is also a really good idea. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

 

[MomofKatie]

We have the Royal Ontario Museum in downtown Toronto, but it takes at LEAST 3-4 hours to see everything.

If you really want to experience Toronto, 2-3 days would be best. But spending just one day at the zoo is also a really good idea. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

The ROM looks like something we'd want to see- we are real museum people.

Based on what there is to do in Toronto, we will probably spend 2 days there. Wish we could have found a timeshare property closer to town- but we will also enjoy the lake area. We are just more city vacationers than outdoorsy types.