What To See And Do In Ontario

It’s quite amazing to think about how vast Canada is. And how empty. Once you cross the border into Ontario and hop past Toronto it’s just a vast unexplored wilderness. In a way, this makes Canada an exciting place to visit and explore. And for many of us living in the US, it’s an easy place to get to.

I think Toronto is an amazing city and a great place to use as a base for all those trips out into the wild. But the city itself also has a lot to offer. If you’ve got young children a visit to the CN tower can be very rewarding. This obelisk used to be the tallest self-supporting structure on the planet until the towers went up in Dubai. As such, it provides almost unparalleled views over the city and Lake Ontario.

Credit: wikipedia.org

One of the cool things about the CN tower are the glass floors when you get to the observation deck. These can be a little nerve-wracking, standing 1300 feet up and looking straight down at the streets below. But they’re undoubtedly cool. If you go at the right time, you can look down on Toronto’s football stadium and watch a game in action from above. Granted, the players look like ants, but you get the gist of it. Plus, when a goal is scored, you can hear the stadium erupt.

Getting around Toronto won’t cause any problems for the Americans among us. We’re used to 8-lane highways. Plus, we can take our own cars if we live in the north-east. But if you’re from overseas and can’t take your own car to the city, sites like hotwire.com do offer car rental in the area.

Once you’ve got a car, you can start exploring what’s outside the city as well as what’s in it. One of the most beautiful destinations a couple of hours drive out of the city is the Algonquin park. This vast wilderness is home to some pretty stunning wildlife and landscape. The park authorities allow you to camp. From there, the world is your oyster. You could backpack along the shores of the park’s many lakes, or go boating on one of those lakes.

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There’s also the opportunity to go whitewater canoeing, fishing, hunting and trapping if that’s your thing. In the winter, the park is even more stunning. And the best part? The park is crisscrossed with trails for dog sledding. You can go to voyageurquest.com to see what sledding opportunities are on offer. It is a true adventure up there.

When you get back to the city, I think it’s worth getting involved in a little sport, even if that’s not your thing. In fact, if you’ve never been to a sports match, it will be an even more memorable experience. Hockey is a national obsession in Canada, so go and root for the Toronto Maple Leafs, even if they’re on a losing streak. The atmosphere is electric.