Off subject again but you've been so much help with Toronto trip...

[Toni]

I'm trying to do some planning for a family of four trip to Toronto. DH says no to another trip to WDW. So its off to Toronto. Driving up from Boston to take advantage of the exchange rate!!

I wanted to see some parts of Ontario north of Toronto. Want the kids out of the city for some fresh air for the day. I received a suggestion that Midland Ontario would be a good day trip. Apparently there is a Native Peoples museum and a wildlife sanctuary in the area. Does anyone have any knowledge of these attractions? Any beaches in the area?

If Midland isn't the best spot does anyone have any other suggestions for a day trip north or east of Toronto. I lived in Missassauga for 2 years and never went further north than Vaughn or further east than Scarborough. Pretty sad! So I'd like to see if there is more to Ontario than just Toronto and the burbs.

We've already got Niagara Falls, ROM, BlueJays game, zoo, Canada's Wonderland, Toronto Islands on the itinerary so far.

 

[MaryannF]

Midland, Ontario is a wonderful choice. Only one and a half hours north of Toronto. Try these sites for info...
Indian village:
http://www.saintemarieamongthehurons.on.ca/english/
Wildlife sancturary:
http://www.wyemarsh.com
World's longest freshwater beach:
http://www.wasagabeach.com

Midland is close to Penetanguishene which is on Georgian Bay, If you are interested in a 30,000 Islands cruise try:
http://georgianbaycruises.com

 

[Limmer]

If you are looking for a great beach day (without the nastiness of a T.O. beach) Barrie has a very nice beach (Centennial) with playgrounds for the kids and a really nice downtown area to eat and shop within a 3 minute walk of the beach. Or if you want a really cool beach with shopping and tons of people Wasaga Beach is nice too. The water in Barrie is much nicer though.

 

[Tash]

Wasaga Beach is nice but the water levels are very low. Also depending on which part you go to their is gunk in the water. I like going to the shop part because it's always cleaner.

 

[Toni]

About how far from TO are these beaches? I would like to keep the driving to about 90 minutes. Is this possible? Are the beaches near the Indian village/museum? Do you think it would be possible to rent bikes in these areas?

Thanks again for the tips. The participants of this board are so helpful.

 

[MaryannF]

Have you thought about going across on the ferry to Center Island. You can picnic and rent bicycles. There is a small amusement park called Centreville. You can get an all day family pass. You catch the ferry at the mainland Ferry Docks that are located at the foot of Bay Street at Queen's Quay West. There are beaches but I wouldn't swim in Lake Ontario (cold, dirty from shipping lanes). I know a student who works there as a lifeguard in the summer, so obviously some people go in the water. There is a wading pool for little ones near the amusement park. Try doing a search on the Toronto website for information about this or anything else of interest in Toronto and the surrounding areas...
http://www.toronto.com

 

[Toni]

Thanks MaryAnn F - we've have the Islands on the itinerary but I wanted to explore the areas outside of Toronto also. I lived in Mississuago for two years almost twenty years ago and never went any further north than Canada's Wonderland. I thought it was time to see what else was out there. We'll be going to Wonderland, a Blue Jays/REd Sox game, the zoo, ROM, CN Tower, Centre Island, Niagara Falls and hopefully Midland area too.

By any chance do you know how much it costs to rent bikes out on the island?

How far a drive is Barrie?

 

[MaryannF]

Barrie is about 45-60 minutes North on Hwy. 400. I don't know the cost of bike rentals at Center Island.

 

[CindyAnn]

Toni - I was just going to let you know that there is a DIS meet planned at Centre Island on July 8th, in case that fits in with your trip plans.

I think the bike rental prices at Centre Island are fairly reasonable, and last time I checked they had regular bikes, tandem bikes and surrey bikes, similar to those in WDW.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Limmer]

Hey Toni,
You take the 401 to the 400, north on the 400 until Barrie. There are 5 interchanges, if I were you I would take the Bayfield St exit, turn right and follow Bayfield St right down to the water. There is lots of parking and a nice collection of shops and restaurants within a 5 min walk. I have never seen bike rentals but you can rent Sea Doos. A good place to try bike rentals is Cyclepath on the main drag (Dunlop St) if anybody would have rentals it would be them.

 

[Toni]

Would it be possible to visit the beaches in Barrie and have lunch there and then drive over to ST.Marie Amoung the Hurons? My 8 yr is fixated on this.

As always I appreciate the wonderful responses.

 

[MaryannF]

The hours for Ste. Marie Among the Hurons are:
May 12 to October 8: open daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - last admission 4:45 p.m.

Midland is about 30-40 minutes north of Barrie:
Coming from Toronto, follow Hwy. 400 North to Hwy. 93, North to Hwy. 12 and the Midland area. Travel east on Hwy. 12 for 5km. The entrance to Sainte-Marie is across from the Martyrs' Shrine Church.

You will have to judge whether you can get to Midland before the village closes to make it worth your while.