What are some good day trips from Toronto (ski resort, hotels)

[Chatteress]

I'll be in Toronto later this month through early July and was wondering if there were any day trips that I could easily make from Toronto to explore other areas ... I've looked into Niagara Falls, which I plan to do but what are some other ideas that is accessible without a car?

[willg]

Niagara Falls remains probably the most popular and easiest day trip from Toronto. From personal experience, I would recommend checking out the 1,000 Islands which are east of Toronto, but given that you are only using a day it is a bit prohibitive as the 1,000 Islands are 2.5 hr-3 hr's away from Toronto.

[travis3000]

A few areas of interest:

-Canada's Wonderland if your into theme parks. They have the second largest amount of Roller Coasters of all theme parks in North America and is Canada's largest theme park by far. (20KM north of the city in Vaughan)

-Wasaga Beach- Canada's longest fresh water beach, beautiful Caribbean like sand and lots of activities to do. (120KM NW of Toronto on the southern shores of Georgian Bay)

-Sauble Beach- Canada's second longest fresh water beach on the shores of Lake Huron. Water is much clearer and area has much less "tourists" making it more exotic. You can also check out the surrounding Owen Sound area which has beautiful rock formations and waterfalls, etc. (250KM WNW of Toronto near Owen Sound).

-Scenic Caves- A beautiful day trip in the Blue Mountains near Collingwood, located just 25KM west of Wasaga Beach. Explore actual caves with a 1 hour trek plus mini-golf, a resort style village at the bottom of Blue Mountain with shops, entertainment, restaurants all at Ontario's largest ski resort. Take the gondola to the top of the 500ft mountain and look at the incredible views of Georgian Bay. I highly recommend this, it's always a fun time in the summer.

-Muskoka- Ontario's cottage capital comprised of dozens of small towns, hundreds of pristine lakes, farmers markets, festivals, gorgeous scenery and hotels to stay in. There are also some great old style boat cruises you can take. (150-200KM north of Toronto)

Those are just a few ideas.

[adventuregurl]

She said "without a car", some of these would be too far for a day trip for me with a car, and without it would take SO much longer, as busses seem to stop a lot.

They are all great places though!

Originally Posted by travis3000

A few areas of interest:

-Canada's Wonderland if your into theme parks. They have the second largest amount of Roller Coasters of all theme parks in North America and is Canada's largest theme park by far. (20KM north of the city in Vaughan)

-Wasaga Beach- Canada's longest fresh water beach, beautiful Caribbean like sand and lots of activities to do. (120KM NW of Toronto on the southern shores of Georgian Bay)

-Sauble Beach- Canada's second longest fresh water beach on the shores of Lake Huron. Water is much clearer and area has much less "tourists" making it more exotic. You can also check out the surrounding Owen Sound area which has beautiful rock formations and waterfalls, etc. (250KM WNW of Toronto near Owen Sound).

-Scenic Caves- A beautiful day trip in the Blue Mountains near Collingwood, located just 25KM west of Wasaga Beach. Explore actual caves with a 1 hour trek plus mini-golf, a resort style village at the bottom of Blue Mountain with shops, entertainment, restaurants all at Ontario's largest ski resort. Take the gondola to the top of the 500ft mountain and look at the incredible views of Georgian Bay. I highly recommend this, it's always a fun time in the summer.

-Muskoka- Ontario's cottage capital comprised of dozens of small towns, hundreds of pristine lakes, farmers markets, festivals, gorgeous scenery and hotels to stay in. There are also some great old style boat cruises you can take. (150-200KM north of Toronto)

Those are just a few ideas.

[Average Fruit]

^^^Yeah, the only one doable on the list without a car is Wonderland.

The only other thing I can think of is visiting the city of Hamilton.

[Chatteress]

Thanks guys ... At least I could check out Wonderland (I love themed parks ) and will look into the city of Hamilton as well. Niagara Falls is definitely on my to-do list so I think these three would be enough (I'll only have a week and I HAVE to explore Toronto itself . Next time I'm in Canada, I'll stay in Montreal and do day treks into Quebec City and Ottawa.

[Stumbler.]

It might be much for a day trip but Algonquin Provincial Park would also be a great place to visit if you have the time and if it's your kind of thing, especially nice if you're new to seeing the "north woods" landscape before. It's extremely popular for camping. The chances are high of seeing a moose or two too there, especially in the spring, as it is said to be one of the best places on the continent for visitors/tourists to spot one.

It's probably the most popular or among the most popular parks in the province -- it's within three hours from Toronto, and while it might be tricky without a car, I've heard they have some new bus services that can take you to the park if you look them up online.

[QuaintBrah]

Research the Scarborough Bluffs and "The Beaches", they're quite nice visuals.

[callmemaybe]

You could take a bus to Niagara falls for about $40 round trip i think.

[paprika12]

I would do a day trip to Centre Island - easily accessible by ferry and lots to do if there are children in the mix. Plus it feels like you're leaving the city, even though you aren't.

The other option is a day at High Park, followed by lunch dinner in the Bloor West or Ronscesvalles Area.