Sitting in my windowless, flourescent lit, pale yellow office in downtown Toronto day dreaming until the end of the work day about fun things to do this Saturday with my wife, our first free Saturday in a long time. Need to get away for the day!

Any ideas for great fun places for a day trip? We've done the Falls, NOTL, Stratford, Toronto Islands. Nature is good. Willing to drive 2 hours. Any "secret" quick escapes that don't cost an arm and a leg? I hate work. I wish I won the lottery...

If you are interested in architecture...

You could drive east on 401 and then turn back toward the lake, at Port Hope, and visit this town and then continue along highway 2 to Cobourg.

Each of these towns is fetured in Katherine Ashenburg''s Book Going to Town, Architectural Walking Tours of 10 Ontario Towns.

If you can find the book in book stores in either town, you can follow the suggested walks, but if you can't find the book, you can just drive around the towns and enjoy the different things you can see.

I took all the photographs in the book, so I know there's lots to see. The book is generally not available in big book stores in Toronto, but there might be copies on the shelves in the towns themselves.

For the curious, the ten towns are Niagara on the Lake, Port Hope, Cobourg, Picton, Merrickville, Perth, Paris, St. Marys, Stratford, and Goderich.

Each of these has a good Tim Horton's, where I waited for the right light, hour after hour after hour, but there are good little restaurants in them all, too.

You could head the other way, to Paris and St. Marys and Stratford, too.

BAK

HOw about some hiking on the Bruce Trail? Sections of the trail north through Burlington and up through MIlton are beautiful. Stop and visit Crawford Lake, great hiking and also a reconstructed Iroquoian Indian Village. Other sections that are beautiful in this area are Mount Nemo and also Rattlesnake Point.
Then drive down Bell School LIne and stop in at Springridge Farms for a goodie and hot chocolate.

Or how about the Royal Botanical Gardens? I think it could be a good time at the rock garden..it should be full of tulips in bloom.

At least the weather is supposed to get warmer later in the week.

I'd go with BAK's suggestion of Picton and add in the rest of Prince Edward County. There is Bloomfield and a few other little towns. Lots of wonderful restaurants and shops to browse through. Even some wineries and a cidery (is that word?)

I love that area. We already have our B&B and sailing trip booked for July.

Enjoy!

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I forgot that I posted this request so a belated thanks. Will check out the Bruce Trail and some of the towns listed by BAK. Thanks and take care.