Overview

Introduction

With so much to explore, Ontario is as difficult to cover in one vacation as it is to describe in one sentence. It manages to include both Canada's most populous city (Toronto) and areas so remote that polar bears outnumber humans. It has tranquil farm country in the south, but in the midst of that rural landscape are Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake, two small towns that stage some of the finest theater in North America.

There's an incredible wealth of water in Ontario—four of the five Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers and 250,000 inland lakes with hundreds of them linked together by the Trent-Severn Waterway, the country's largest engineering marvel when it was finally completed in 1920. And, of course, there's Niagara Falls, the most famous water spectacle of them all.

Geography

History

Much of Ontario's natural splendor can be traced to the Ice Age, when glaciers carved the Great Lakes and the melting ice left the province a watery land. Paleo-Indians populated the region while hunting for large game.

At the time of European contact, there were various tribes who spoke the Iroquois language—Iroquois, Huron, Petun, Neutral, Erie and Susquehannock—living along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. They supported themselves by farming, fishing and hunting and lived primarily in permanent, densely populated villages of bark longhouses.

Farther north, the Ottawa lived along the Ottawa River Valley. The Cree, Ojibway, Nippissing, Mississauga and Algonquin inhabited northerly parts of the province. Because it was too cold to cultivate crops, they depended on trapping, fishing, foraging and hunting.

French explorer Samuel de Champlain traveled up the Ottawa River in 1613, opening the principal fur-trade route to the upper Great Lakes. The presence of European trade changed the Native Americans' lifestyle and aggravated tensions between the Algonquin tribes and the Iroquois. In the mid-1600s, a massive Iroquois offensive drove the Algonquins out of southern Ontario and disrupted the fur trade for a time, though the French were able to re-establish trading posts and forts in the late 1660s.

When France ceded its dominion over Canada to Great Britain in 1763, Ontario quickly became one of the Canadian provinces most closely tied to England. In the 1770s and 1780s, loyalists fled to Ontario from the 13 rebellious American colonies. They were later joined by more immigrants from the U.S., who came to claim some of Ontario's plentiful land. The province's location on the Great Lakes made it a flashpoint in the War of 1812, when Britain and the young U.S. went to war a second time.

As immigrants (especially from England, Scotland and Ireland) poured into Ontario in the 1800s, the pressure mounted for political reform and some sort of clear status for the region: Until then, Ontario and Quebec were divided into a vague pairing of Upper (English) and Lower (French) Canada, respectively. The newspaper editor and firebrand William Lyon Mackenzie successfully focused attention on the problems—his short-lived rebellions were a key factor in the ultimate confederation of Canada in 1867.

Toward the end of the 1920s, Ontario suffered its own Great Depression that did not let up until the end of the Second World War. Following the war, an influx of immigration increased the province's population considerably. This in turn sent the economy on a quick upswing.

Since that time, Ontario has emerged as one of the most important areas of the country: Ottawa serves as the nation's capital, Toronto is Canada's largest city, and until recently the province has amassed great wealth from its mineral resources, heavy industrialization, forestry, agriculture and fishing. These days, the changing economies have morphed the province from a heavily industrialized frontier to an information economy in banking, health care, education and tourism with only fragments of industry still visible.

Snapshot

Ontario's main attractions include Canadian history, Toronto, the CN Tower, outdoor sports, rivers and lakes, islands, wineries, Niagara Falls, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, museums and cultural events.

With both urban attractions and varied outdoor activities, Ontario has something for just about everyone. Those who crave rugged mountain scenery might be disappointed, but high elevations are one of very few things that can't be found in Ontario.

Potpourri

Thunder Bay is the only place in the world where you can buy a "Persian," a squished doughy bun laced with streams of cinnamon and topped with strawberry icing. For close to 100 years, they've been baked and sold at just about every bakery in Thunder Bay.

The world's highest lift-lock is in Peterborough. It has held this distinction since 1904 when the engineering marvel was completed.

In order to create the seaway along the St. Lawrence River (near Long Sault and Cornwall) in the 1950s, entire villages had to be completely flooded. People from these communities relocated, leaving their belongings and homes, which to this day remain under water.

Serpent Mounds National Historic Site on Rice Lake is home to nine burial mounds that contain the ceremonial graves of native people. The largest mound has a zigzag appearance and is the only one of its kind in Canada.

One out of every three Canadian citizens lives in Ontario.

Toronto's Yonge Street is purported to be the longest street in the world: It runs 1,190 mi/1,900 km through the city and west to the border with Minnesota.

Quetico Provincial Park (west of Lake Superior on Ontario's southern border) preserves one of the greatest concentrations of Native American rock paintings on the continent. There are more than 28 sites in and around the park. More ancient artwork is on display at Petroglyphs Provincial Park (northeast of Peterborough), which contains hundreds of ancient rock carvings. The well-preserved images went unnoticed by anthropologists until 1954.

Famous Ontarians include Justin Bieber, Dan Aykroyd, Margaret Atwood, Paul Shaffer, John Kenneth Galbraith, Wayne Gretzky, Peter Jennings, Morley Safer, Robertson Davies, Shania Twain, Hume Cronyn, Mike Myers, Martin Short, Alex Trebek, Neil Young, Alanis Morissette, Frederick Banting and Alexander Graham Bell.

The Muskoka lakes area is a playground for the rich and famous. Celebrities' multimillion-dollar summer homes are located around Lake Joseph, Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau.

The original Uncle Tom's Cabin (yes, there really is one) is in Dresden. It was the home of Josiah Henson, a slave who escaped to freedom in Ontario and told his story to Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Jumbo, the famous circus elephant, was struck and killed by a train in St. Thomas in 1885. The town erected a statue in his honor.

Brantford is home to Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks, the only designated Royal Indian chapel in the British Commonwealth. The town is also known for its spectacular horticulture.

Overview

Introduction

If you've got time to drive from Ottawa to Toronto, this trip will take you past some lovely scenery and through some historic towns. It runs along the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Thousand Islands and Lake Ontario. If you're starting from Ottawa, take Highway 31 south to Morrisburg, on the St. Lawrence River. (You could also reach Morrisburg by taking Highway 2 southwest from Quebec or by crossing from New York at Johnstown or Cornwall.)

Morrisburg is the home of Upper Canada Village, a living-history museum. The village's core is a cluster of buildings that were moved to their present site when the St. Lawrence Seaway was under construction. Additional period structures create an authentic St. Lawrence Valley town from the mid-1800s. Costumed interpreters make cheese, bread, quilts and cabinets—the small industry occupations of the time. The village's attention to detail makes it more convincing and enjoyable than many other historical re-creations. A ride along a canal in a horse-drawn bateau (boat) provides a relaxing way to see some of the sights.

Leave Morrisburg by heading southwest along Highway 2—parallel Highway 401 may be a little faster, but it's much more crowded and not nearly as scenic. Half an hour down the coast is Prescott, the only deepwater port between Montreal and Toronto. Fort Wellington National Historic Park in Prescott is a restored military post that was active as far back as the War of 1812.

Continue southwest along the St. Lawrence River to Mallorytown, headquarters for the St. Lawrence Islands National Park, which is the beginning of the compact archipelago known as the Thousand Islands. An unusual mix of commercial seaway and thousands of charming little islands, the area has scores of parks and major resort complexes. If you can, sign on with one of the many charter fishing boats.

When you're back on the mainland, continue on Highway 2 to Gananoque, where you can pick up cruise tours of the Thousand Islands (be sure to get one that stops at Boldt Castle on heart-shaped Heart Island). About 20 mi/32 km farther west, you'll reach Kingston.

As you head west from Kingston, be sure to take a break at one of the provincial parks along the lake: Sandbanks, North Beach or Presqu'ile. When you're rested, head for Toronto.

Overview

Introduction

Overview

Introduction

This beautiful colonial city in the isolated southern highlands has a distinctive Mediterranean flavor. Not without reason is it called the Andalucia of Bolivia. It has festivals and special events year-round, including a lively Carnival and a rodeo (mid-April). Its central plaza is a good place to people-watch and spend an evening, and the Mirador Loma de San Juan (a park on the slopes overlooking the city) is a favorite afternoon hangout. The nearby pueblo of San Lorenzo is a pleasant place to spend a Sunday afternoon, where you can soak up tradition and singani, a locally produced alcoholic beverage made from grapes. Much of the region north of Tarija has given over to viniculture. If you fancy a wine-sampling tour—with plenty of samples—head to the Concepcion or Kohlberg wineries. You won't be disappointed.

From Tarija, you can visit the scenic desert town of Tupiza and the nearby village of San Vicente, where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are said to have died. (The famous U.S. outlaws "retired" to South America in 1902 but were still robbing banks when the Bolivian Army caught up with them six years later at San Vincente. Cornered in a local inn and vastly outnumbered, Butch and Sundance died fighting the Bolivian soldiers.)

If you're in Tarija in late October, you'll want to visit the village of Entre Rios (a three- or four-hour drive), which holds a traditional festival celebrating the Guarani people of the region. Tarija is 160 mi/255 km southeast of Potosi.

Overview

Introduction