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Lake Simcoe, Long Point, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Bruce Peninsula, and Sandbanks are all the places I found myself last summer during a zig-zagged road trip across Toronto. If you're running out of places to visit this summer, then check out this list of places to visit near Toronto!
1. MacRae Point Provincial Park
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Starting with Lake Simcoe, I camped on the NorthEast shore at MacRae Point Provincial Park. This beach was quite extraordinary! You walk out in the water waiting for it to get deeper and deeper but it just does not! MacRae Point is a shallow area of Lake Simcoe which is great for kids, throwing the frisbee around, or floating in the waves. MacRae Point has a private beach to the public so only campers are allowed to enjoy the well taken care of beach and vast area for land sports. With inexpensive campsites and all the amenities you could need, this quiet provincial park is just far enough from Toronto to feel like you're in the country side!
2. Long Point Provincial Park and Beach
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A little further from Toronto is Long Point Provincial Park. This provincial park is located South of Toronto on Lake Erie. Proving to be true from its name, Long Point Beach is a whopping 40-kilometres long with campsites all along the beach! Whether you're looking to rent a beachfront cottage, or camp at their provincial park in sand dunes, it is quite a beautiful place to stay. One of the spectacles of the beach was their enormous waves. Being on a lake you wouldn't think there would be waves at all but with the size of Lake Erie, Long Point's shores get hit with waves big enough to surf on. In addition to big waves, the beach is very flat which is great for a stroll down the beach, skim boarding, or playing volleyball on the shore. This is definitely a place I plan to go back to!
3. The Second City Comedy Club
The Second City Comedy Club is by far the most talented group of professional comedians you could laugh with in Toronto! They perform a show on almost every night of the week with different types of comedy shows being performed, so there's something everyone can enjoy. The show is original, interactive, and completely hilarious! Great environment for either a big group of friends or a date night! Expect an exciting show!
Check out their shows here: https://www.secondcity.com/shows/toronto/
4. Horseshoe Falls
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In Niagara Falls, you can take a boat tour past the American Falls and into the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The Canadian tour company is called the Hornblower tour (which is the Canadian equivalent of the Maid of the Mist). The boat roars its engine at the falls, pushing full throttle into the mist so you're fully immersed in the mist from the Falls. This activity is definitely for those who wanted a full body experience instead of the usual view from above the Falls. My one piece of advice: PREPARE TO GET WET!
5. Clifton Hill Amusement Park
Additionally in Niagara Falls, they have more recently created a fair atmosphere on their main strip, Clifton Hill, to attract tourists to their city. I bought a 'fun pass' so I could check out the ferris wheel, mini putt, arcade, wax museum, and more. No matter what age you are, the fair attraction is a fun and nostalgic activity to fill your day!
Check out their amusement park here: https://www.cliftonhill.com/
6. The Grotto, Bruce Peninsula
The Grotto in Bruce Peninsula Provincial Park is a beautiful natural formation at their furthest point North on Georgian Bay. This picturesque area has hiking trails, a swimming area, jumping cliffs, and an underground tunnel to swim up into the grotto. It's about a 2 kilometre hike from Bruce Peninsula's Provincial Park campsites to the grotto. You can set up your beach towel on the rocks and soak up some sun or take a swim in the bay. It's a great spot to set up for the day to get away from the busy city life.
7. Lion's Head, Bruce Peninsula
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Lion's Head Lookout in Bruce Peninsula is a mountaintop overlooking Georgian Bay. The trail leading to the top is moderately difficult to hike, but even inexperienced hikers like myself could enjoy this view with a little motivation! The hike is about 4 kilometres in to the highest point on the mountain. You can hike the entire 16 kilometre loop if you want to add other viewpoints to your trip. It was truly a surreal feeling being so high up, overlooking the bay. What looks to be a shrub on a rock in the water is actually full grown trees on a piece of the mountain. The elevation for Lion's Head Lookout is 427 metres tall which gives you a vantage point for kilometres! We took the Bruce Trail up to the lookout and hardly ran into other hikers along the way so you won't feel disturbed on your quiet hike to the top.
8. Sandbanks Provincial Park
Sandbanks was my last stop on a two week road trip across Toronto and I could not be more sad that I allotted only one night for this park. The beach was well kept, the water was shallow, there were no waves, the sand was soft, the beach was long and there was an area to play land sports if you brought your volley or soccer ball! My one and only night on the beach was spent eating dinner and enjoying THIS VIEW. The beach is located on Lake Ontario facing West so you always have a sunset! This popular provincial park is definitely one to visit but it's recommended you visit during the week so you beat the rush of other tourists.
Have you visited any of these places? Would you recommend them? Tell me where you plan to go after reading this!