Things to do when visiting Ontario Canada

Wondering what else to do in Ontario besides the Niagara Falls?

Things to do when visiting Ontario Canada

The Niagara Falls is definitely the most visited tourist attraction in Canada, which is isn’t surprising since the Niagara is an amazing natural wonder you simply cannot miss experiencing. The roaring waters, the spectacular aerial views and the beautiful light illumination at night…simply amazing!

Besides the Skylon and the Maid of the Mist boat tour of the falls, here it’s some more cool things to do when visiting Ontario:

Rent a motor

Recreational activities are a hugely popular pastime on this part of Canada and the best thing is that you can enjoy outdoor pursuits all year round. Hiking, fishing, and snowboarding are really popular; however, if you really want to have a blast while exploring Ontario’s outdoors, it's best you hire a motor!

Snowmobiling, motorcycling and quad biking are really fun and the best thing is that you don't have to own one. If you aren’t bringing your own ATV, you 'll find plenty of companies renting out ATVs in Ontario such as “Algoma Sled Tours”, which offers ATV tours, sled tours and rentals in the northern Ontario area.

Down in southern Ontario, one of the most popular outfitters is “Backcountry Tours”, which is the largest one offering ATV tours for around $70 and full day ATV rentals for around $250. They also offer snowmobile tours ($150) and snowmobile rentals ($300).

As far as motorcycling goes, you can book guided tours with companies such as “Trillium Tours” and “Ride Grey Bruce”, or you could hire a motorcycle from a bike shop in Toronto such as “Admo Tours Toronto” and “GTA Exotics”.

Shopping trip to Manitoulin Island

Souvenir shopping is certainly a popular thing to do in Ontario, and one of the most popular sought-after souvenirs you can get are aboriginal handicrafts. Manitoulin Island is located in central Ontario, which can be a bit of trek to get to if you’re based in southern Ontario.

However, if you really want to buy traditional items made by First Nation artists  Manitoulin is really the best place to go in Ontario. Everything sold at the shops in Manitoulin Island are quality handmade items which include the famous porcupine quill boxes.

Learn about Ontario’s aboriginal peoples

If you’re looking for educational stuff to do, one of the most rewarding things to do when visiting Ontario is learning about the cultural heritage of the aboriginal peoples.

The best place in Ontario to learn about aboriginal way of life is at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford (near Hamilton). The Woodland Centre is truly a fascinating place where you can spend a good few hours seeing over 30,000 artifacts on display, as well as traditional crafts live demonstrations.

Another place worth passing by it's the Iroquoian Village archeological Site at the Museum of Ontario Archeology. The Iroquoian Village is around 500 years and offers a nice glimpse into life in a typical village.

There is also plenty of ancient rock art to be seen in Ontario in the provincial parks of Petroglyphs (southern Ontario) and Quetico (northern Ontario).

Visit an amusement park

If you’re looking for fun stuff to do with friends and family, one of the coolest things to do when visiting Ontario is riding coasters and viewing wildlife.

Ontario has a nice selection of theme/amusement parks, indoor-parks, waterparks, etc where young and old can have a blast. The most popular ones are Calypso Theme Waterpark (near Ottawa), Wild Waterworks (in Hamilton), and Bluewater Fun Park (near London).

The Greater Toronto area also has plenty of great fun parks such as Wild Water Kingdom (Brampton), Canada's Wonderland (Vaughan), the Wave Pool (Richmond Hill) and Centreville Amusement Park (Centre Island).

As far as viewing wildlife, there are plenty of places in Ontario where you can pet animals and get close to cool wildlife. Some of the nicest places are the Toronto Zoo, the African Lion Safari (near Hamilton), Noah’s Farm (south of Ottawa), Bird Kingdom (Niagara Falls), Jungle Cat World (east of Toronto), and Gammondale Farm (not far from Thunder Bay).

Cruise Ontario’s Great Lakes and waterways

Come the warm months, one of the most enjoyable things you can do in Ontario is booking cruises of Ontario's rivers and canals.

You can book day cruises (i.e. dinner cruises, lunch, romantic, sightseeing, etc) for as little as $40 along Lake Huron with “Rock Port Cruises” and “Bay Sail Bay City”. You can also book anything from 3 to 5-night cruises along the Trent-Severn waterway, St. Lawrence River, Ottawa River with “St. Lawrence Cruise Lines”. The Rideau Canal is also popular and it's serviced by the “Ontario Waterway Cruises”.

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