60 Best Sights in Ontario, Canada

This Second Empire–style house built in 1878 was once home to two of Canada's most important prime ministers, Wilfred Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King. The original furnishings, including King's crystal ball, give a glimpse into the lives of these two men whose political life spanned the two world wars. A section of the third floor duplicates the basement office in the residence of Lester Pearson. The Nobel Prize winner was prime minister from 1963 to 1968.

The popular canal-side (613/594–5127) spills outside in warm weather. In winter it's a cozy vantage spot from which to watch skaters on the canal.

The archives contain more than 60 million manuscripts and government records, 2 million maps, and about 21 million photographs. Genealogists can visit for the parish registers and census returns from across Canada (call ahead). The library collects, preserves, and promotes the published heritage of Canada and exhibits books, paintings, maps, and photographs. Both the library and archives mount exhibitions regularly.

This sprawling 563-acre estate in Gatineau Park is nearly as eccentric as William Lyon Mackenzie King, the long-serving prime minister who made this his summer home in the early 20th century. Imposing ruins that King collected on his travels adorn part of the grounds; formal gardens or natural woodland occupy the rest. You can tour two of the cottages, Moorside and Kingswood, but the cottage where King died, called the Farm, is now the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons and is closed to the public.

A theme park with a marine show, wildlife displays, and rides—as well as a beluga whale habitat with underwater viewing areas—Marineland is 1½ km (1 mile) south of the falls. The daily marine shows include performing killer whales, dolphins, harbor seals, and sea lions. Children can pet and feed deer at the Deer Park. Among the many rides are Dragon Mountain, the world's largest nonstop roller coaster, and tamer fare like Ocean Odyssey for the kids.

On a hill overlooking Ste.-Marie among the Hurons, a twin-spired stone cathedral was built in 1926 to honor the eight missionaries stationed in Huronia who were martyred between 1642 and 1649. In 1930, all eight were canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. The shrine is still active as a pilgrimage site and has daily services.

This complex includes an opera hall, a theater, a studio theater, and a salon for readings and concerts. Inside and outside are sculptures by both Canadian and international artists.

The popular canal-side Le Café (613/594–5127) spills outside in warm weather. In winter it's a cozy vantage spot from which to watch skaters on the canal.

Family

A magnificent glass-tower structure engineered by Canadian architect Moshe Safdie holds the premier collection of Canadian art in the world. It also houses important European and American art collections and hosts major international traveling exhibits. Inside the National Gallery is the reconstructed Rideau Convent Chapel, a classic example of French-Canadian 19th-century architecture with the continent's only neo-Gothic fan-vaulted ceiling. The building also has two restaurants and a large art-focused bookstore. In the Artissimo area, children can produce their own masterpieces, which are hung along a corridor for several days, using provided arts-and-crafts materials.

In the center of this triangular junction in the heart of the city stands the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, honoring Canada's war dead. To the side is the Valiants Memorial, erected in 2006. Statues honor 14 men and women for their roles in Canada's military history over the past four centuries.

The Niagara Grape & Wine Festival group organizes three big events in Niagara. The largest, with an annual half-million attendees, is the 10-day Niagara Wine Festival in September. The three-week Niagara Ice Wine Festival in January is a nod to Niagara's specialty, ice wine. The three-weekend Niagara New Vintage Festival, in June, is a wine and culinary event.

These 100 acres of immaculately maintained gardens are among the most captivating attractions around Niagara Falls. Here you'll find the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory, housing one of North America's largest collections of free-flying butterflies—at least 2,000 butterflies from 50 species around the world are protected in a climate-controlled, rain forest–like conservatory. Between May and mid-October, for C$25 per person, you can tour the gardens in a horse and carriage.

You can spend hours exploring North America's first green energy projects. Wander through turn-of-the-20th-century machinery, explore exhibits, get to know the history of AC and DC current through the eyes of inventor Nikola Tesla, and even take a glass-paneled elevator trip to the mouth of the dam. The station comes to life at night for Currents: Niagara's Power Transformed, an immersive, 40-minute interactive show of sound, light, and state-of-the-art 3-D projection mapping technology.

Niagara Wine Tours International leads guided bike, van, and coach tours along the Wine Route and also offers bike rentals.

Learn how Niagara Falls formed over thousands of years on this 20-minute simulation ride. Standing on a mesh platform surrounded by an uninterrupted 360-degree viewing screen, you feel snow falling, winds blowing, the floor rumbling, and waves crashing as you watch glaciers form, collide, and melt, creating the falls as we know them today. In certain spots you will get wet; ponchos are provided.

Niagara wineries along the Ontario Wine Route are well marked by blue signs between Grimsby and Niagara Falls.

For a full map of the wine route, pick up the free Wine Country Ontario Travel Guide, updated annually and available at wineries and tourist attractions or directly from the Wine Council.

It has been home to Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, among others. Unlike the White House, however, it's not open for public inspection. Lacking an invitation, you can hope only for a drive-by glimpse of a couple of roof gables. Don't even try parking near the mansion; security is tight.

The official residence of the Governor General of Canada since 1867 is where the Queen's official representative welcomes visiting heads of state and royalty. The 1838 mansion has a ballroom and, on the grounds, a skating rink and cricket pitch. The Governor General's Foot Guards are posted outside the main gate in summer. Guided and self-guided tours of the public rooms and grounds are available; call ahead for tours of the art collection.

Explore ancient caves, hike along craggy hilltop trails, get a thrill on zipline rides, or brave the suspension footbridge—25 meters (82 feet) above the ground with amazing views of the bay 300 meters (985 feet) below. Hiking boots or sneakers are required.

Rising 775 feet above the falls, this is the best view of the great Niagara Gorge and the entire city. The indoor-outdoor observation deck has visibility up to 130 km (80 miles) on a clear day. Other reasons to visit include amusements for children, a buffet restaurant, a revolving dining room, and a 3-D theater that lets you experience the falls up close. Admission is free if you're enjoying a meal in the dining room.

One of the last authentic steam trains still in operation in North America plies its way through the scenic Gatineau Hills from the city of Gatineau (formerly Hull) to the town of Wakefield. As you're pulled along by a locomotive built in 1907, the conductor describes the sites and strolling musicians provide entertainment. Once in Wakefield you have two hours to visit the town, dine in one of the restaurants, and watch the train being turned around manually for the return trip. The Sunset Dinner Train serves a four- or five-course meal featuring French cuisine. During fall foliage season, you travel through a world of marvelous colors.

Here the automobile has been banished, and shoppers and browsers can wander carefree in warm weather among fountains, rock gardens, sculptures, and outdoor cafés.

A Jesuit mission was originally built on this spot in 1639. The reconstructed village, which was once home to a fifth of the European population of New France, was the site of the first European community in Ontario; it had a hospital, farm, workshops, and a church. Workers also constructed a canal from the Wye River. A combination of disease and Iroquois attacks led to the mission's demise. More than 20 structures, including two native longhouses and two wigwams, have been faithfully reproduced from a scientific excavation. Staff members in period costume demonstrate 17th-century trades, share Native stories and legends, and grow vegetables—keeping the working village alive.

You can brush up on Stratford and Perth County history with permanent displays and changing exhibits that cover such topics as hockey in Stratford, the city's railroad, the settlement of the area in the early 1800s, and of course an exhibit paying tribute to one of Stratford's most famous locals, Justin Bieber. The museum's open-air Players Backstage theater now hosts its own plays and occasional concerts from the likes of Canadian talent such as Ron Sexsmith by night, and there are hiking trails and picnic areas to explore by day.

Established in 1875, this body became Canada's ultimate court of appeal in 1949. The nine judges sit in their stately art deco building for three sessions each year. The 10-foot-high statues of Justice and Truth flanking the entranceway were forgotten for 50 years and then rediscovered in 1969, buried in their original shipping crates under a parking lot.

The ancestors of the credit card are all here: bracelets made from elephant hair, cowrie shells, whales' teeth, and what is believed to be the world's largest coin (measuring 6½ feet tall and weighing 3 tons). Here, too, is the country's most complete collection of Canadian notes and coins.

This park comprises a peninsula that juts 5 km (3 miles) into Lake Ontario. Created from rubble from construction sites around the city and sand dredged for a new port, the peninsula has quickly become one of the best areas in the city for cycling (quad-cycles are available for rent), jogging, walking, photography, and bird-watching. The peninsula is home to the largest breeding colony of double-crested cormorants in North America, as well as dozens of species of terns, ducks, geese, and great egrets. At the end of the spit of land, you'll find a red-and-white lighthouse, in addition to amazing views of downtown and an awesome sense of isolation in nature. Bird-watching is best from May to mid-October. To get here, head east along Queen Street to Leslie Street, then south to the lake. Dogs and private vehicles are not permitted.

In operation since 1916, this antique cable car crosses the Whirlpool Basin in the Niagara Gorge. This trip is not for the fainthearted, but there's no better way to get an aerial view of the gorge, the whirlpool, the rapids, and the hydroelectric plants.

A self-guided route involves taking an elevator to the bottom of the Niagara Gorge, the narrow valley created by the Niagara Falls and River, where you can walk along a 1,000-foot boardwalk beside the Class VI rapids of the Niagara River. The gorge is rimmed by sheer cliffs as it enters the giant whirlpool.

The largest, and probably best-known, of all the area beaches spans 37½ acres along the coast of Lake Ontario. You'll find beachgoers of all ages swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, strolling the boardwalk, and playing volleyball on one of the numerous outdoor courts. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; sunrise; swimming; walking.

One of the most popular bike rental stores in the area because of its convenient location and many ride options, Zoom Leisure has organized cycling/winery tours and custom-guided and self-guided tours.