Hi Folk's,

Thinking of a family holiday (2 adults and 3 kids 5, 7 and 11 yrs old) for a vacation for 2 weeks in Ontario. We would like to stay in a lodge were there are other families and maybe were they have activities organised for kids. So we rent a lodge however, are close enough to Toronto so we could visit the city over the 2 weeks. Any suggestions ??
Thanks
Joe

Try resortsofontario.com

This appears to be a commercial site, with links to a great many resorts.

There's an Ontario government site somewhere, too, but I did not find it in my 30-second search.

Dependiong on where you come from, different parts of Ontario are more like home, or more different from home.

For 100 years, Toronto people have headed north in the summer to the Muskoka, Halliburton, Georgrian Bay, Kawarthas areas, about 75 to 150 miles north or Toronto, in sort of an arc.

Lots of lodges, resorts, motels, etc.

Being right on the water at one of the many lakes is important, becaue it is hard to find public beaches.

Look around Huntsville, Bracebridge, Haliburton, Honey Harbour, Midland, Gravenhurst...

From all these, it would be a fairly long day to leave, go to Toronto, and come back. But, on the other hand, thousands of Torontonians make the reverse trip for a day, going from, say, Toironto to Huntsville just to look at the scenery and then returning home that evening. Just leave early in the morning and plan to arrive back quite late into the evening.

Even better would be spending a couple of days in Toronto, and the other days at the lodge. Ontario's a big place and there are lots of things your children would enjoy in Ottawa, too.

BAK

No personal experience but we have friends who always take their kids (8 and 10) to Clevelands House Resort in Muskoka. There seems to be a lot for both the kids and the parents to do.

http://www.resorts-ontario.com/resorts/?resort_id=10037

You could also come the other way to a place like Niagara Falls... there's a new Great Wolf Lodge www.niagara.greatwolflodge.com which is a huge indoor waterpark and plenty to do near the Falls as well as an hour drive to Toronto...

Our family enjoyed many family vacations at Fern Resort. It is on the lake just outside Orillia about 90 minutes outside TO.http://www.fernresort.com/

Good Luck!

Or, you cld rent a cottage on a lake for 2 weeks. Check the Toronto newspapers The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star. I saw some in the Globe this week in the classified section. If you were @ a cottage for 2 weeks you cld do a "day trip" to Toronto...maybe Canada's Wonderland and shopping on Bloor Street & other Toronto things. Or, , even stay overnight in Toronto. The Sheraton downtown is a good place for kids. Nice pool.

Just be cautious if you choose to rent that you ask how far the place is from Toronto...Orillia (Lake Simcoe) is close (I.e. within an hour and a half's drive) but a day-trip from parts of Northern Muskoka to Toronto with kids that age is my idea of misery-2/3 hours in a car each way on a hot day...

You may want to try Hockley Valley resort, Orangeville or Horseshoe Resort in Barrie. You would be about an hour from Toronto in different directions. You would be near Canada's Wonderland in the Barrie area.