Seeking long weekend destination 3-4 hours from Toronto

June 7, 2019 2:07 PM

My lovely husband has suggested we have a kid-free long weekend over July 26-28. We can go anywhere, do anything... but since it's just the weekend would like to keep travel time to a max of 3-4 hours from Toronto. Where should we go? What should we do when we get there?

I realize this is somewhat similar question to this one, but we're less concerned with taking a class, and are more limited in our geography.
We're pretty standard in our tastes - cool fun cultural stuff and beautiful scenery that doesn't require too much effort to access is ideal (eg an 8 KM hike is fine but nothing more rigorous than that).

posted by dotparker to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Prince Edward County is really nice if you haven’t been - Sandbanks, food, artisans in Bloomfield.
posted by warriorqueen at 2:13 PM on June 7, 2019 [9 favorites]

Fly to Montreal via the island airport, get a BnB downtown?
posted by mhoye at 2:30 PM on June 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

How about Kingston? It's just over a 2-hour drive. Visit Fort Henry and take a Kingston Penitentiary tour. The Penitentiary Museum is pretty interesting and well worth a visit.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:33 PM on June 7, 2019 [3 favorites]

Lions Head for hiking / BnB or check out wineries towards Niagara Falls.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 4:12 PM on June 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

Quebec? Niagara on the Lake?
posted by DarlingBri at 5:04 PM on June 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

You should walk amongst lovely scenery, enjoy some good music and eat pickerel. Go to Parry Sound and visit beautiful Killbear Provincial Park for some lovely short but very rewarding walks and get some tickets for the Festival of the Sound on during that time.
Have a wonderful weekend.
posted by Diomedea at 5:22 PM on June 7, 2019 [4 favorites]

Stratford? Watch a play, wander, eat at a nice restaurant etc. I would recommend staying at the McCarthy house at the Forest Motel and get the outdoor hot tub in the forest cabin. There is a nice museum with a belieber exhibit.
posted by saucysault at 6:05 PM on June 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

That weekend is Garden Walk in Buffalo. A bit crowded, but pretty.
posted by Riverine at 7:09 PM on June 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

Tobermory! I'm not sure if the Hidden Valley Motel has spots, but we love it there. Cows next door, great star watching seats around a fire pit, a friendly dog...
posted by peagood at 5:19 AM on June 8, 2019 [4 favorites]

If it were me, I'd go northeast-ish - like Tobermory or Goderich direction on Lake Huron because weekend traveling along the QEW to the Falls, or anywhere East of the city along the 401 is going to be an absolute fucking nightmare going and coming back and likely to ruin whatever lovely vibes you'd nurtured while away. If you need to rent a vehicle, do it now.
posted by bonobothegreat at 5:37 PM on June 8, 2019

Seconding Stratford. It's lovely, and after the walk in the park you can have a relaxing drink downtown on a sidewalk patio and watch the people go by. Also great shopping and Goderich is just an hour away straight up Highway 8. In Goderich to to the Park House for fish and chips.
posted by Enid Lareg at 6:11 PM on June 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

Speaking of Goderich, Kincardine is about 50 km north, and every Saturday at 8 p.m. in the summer a pipe band marches down the main drag.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:47 AM on June 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, all! We decided to take warriorqueen AND mhoye's advice and road trip to Montreal via PEC.
posted by dotparker at 7:40 AM on July 12, 2019