Do you like theatre? If so, here's an independent holiday planned for you. If you prefer other pastimes, this outline readily adapts to alternate themes. Gardens. Golf. Biking. Hiking. History. Photography. Wining and dining. A theme holiday can be anything from art to zoo. And the beauty of going solo is that you may arrange things to suit yourself.
This plan may be modified for a quick two or three-day getaway, a week-long holiday, or a longer grand circle tour of Ontario's Festival Country. Doing it by train, boat and bus adds variety and is more sociable than driving solo, I think. But suit yourself.
Toronto Theatre As Good As It Gets
My plan begins but does not dwell long in Toronto, although you need not go further to satisfy a yen for Thespian pursuits. Choose from almost 200 professional theatre, dance and music companies, including internationally acclaimed productions such as Les Miserables, Rent or Chicago.
Advance planning is essential to be sure of getting into the current hits; otherwise it would be cheaper and maybe more fun to trust to chance and see what crops up for half price at the T.O.TIX day-of-performance ticket booth, which is located in Eaton Centre.
Two weeks might just as easily be filled as three days in and around Toronto, but this holiday plan heads for Toronto harbour and a trip by hydrofoil to Ontario's festival country.
After an hour cruising the shores of Lake Ontario, you dock at the foot of Mellville Street (Editor's Note: this information is outdated and may no longer be available) just minutes from downtown Niagara-on-the Lake. With its gingerbread decor and flower bedecked streets, it is no wonder this town has been voted the prettiest in Canada. It is also host to the acclaimed Shaw Festival.
The Shaw specializes in classics by Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries, which means anything between 1856-1950. From humble beginnings in the town Court House in 1962, the Shaw is now among the most successful theatre festivals in North America, with numerous productions running in three theatres during the May to October season.
A variety of occasional readings, seminars and "Meet the Company" events bring the players and the public together, a nice way to spend a companionable hour or two when you are on your own. As a single it would also be worth going when a seminar is scheduled. You'd participate in workshops, panel discussions, see some plays and fill in spare time sightseeing in the region.
Sipping and Tasting
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a fine base for exploring on foot, bicycle, or by rental car. The countryside is awash with blossoms in spring and ablaze with fall colours in autumn. With the Niagara escarpment as a dramatic backdrop, fruit farms and vineyards meander scenically between quaint rural towns.
Ontario vintners first earned recognition with a superior ice-wine, an exquisite sweet dessert nectar always limited in supply because the grapes can only be harvested after freezing on the vine for a precise period of time. But these days, kudos are also coming for many wines produced from Ontario grapes.
A signposted Winery Route leads to no less than 15 wineries near Niagara-on-the-Lake, many of which offer tours and wine tastings. For a truly sumptuous meal in a refined country setting, lunch or dinner at Vineland Estates should be foremost on a list of winery visits.
Wedged between Lakes Ontario and Erie, and the Niagara River, the village of Niagara-on-the-Lake is strategically located for historic events. Established by United Empire Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, the community subsequently became the first capital of Upper Canada in 1792. During the War of 1812, American troops occupied and burned the town, forcing relocation of the capital to York (now Toronto). A useful booklet called Touring Niagara describes several day-trip excursions around the region. For example, "Freedom Trail" traces the path of 19th century blacks as they fled the U S via the "underground railroad."
More
roisterous entertainment thrives at Niagara Falls, a twenty-minute scenic
jaunt down river (Van-Go, Parkway Commuter). Daredevils are nowadays discouraged
from doing the falls by barrel or crossing over the whirlpool by high wire.
But anybody can get a thrill on the Maid of the Mist ($10 April to November).
The dauntless little vessel that has been challenging the might of Niagara
for 152 years really does get you close. . .and wet and amazed.
Multistoried hotels vie with observation
towers such as the Skylon Revolving Restaurant for the best view of the
falls. Neon-lit horror shows, candy shops, ice cream parlors and a glitzy
casino impose a slightly garish style upon the genteel gardens and parkways
lining the Niagara River. But it is a fun-for-all place, and none can deny
that nature puts on a helluva show at Niagara Falls.
Those whose theatrical thirst has been quenched might quit the trip here and hop aboard one of two daily Via Rail trains (C$23.54) back to Toronto. Or, it could be on with the show at Stratford, Canada's premier festival of drama, only two hours away by car, or a six hour cross country ramble by Greyhound ($48.80) bus.