Top 10 Towns in Ontario to Visit

1. Niagara-on-the-Lake: (Niagara Region, at the mouth of the Niagara River, about 19,000 people, best known for the Shaw Festival, its beautifully kept Georgian main street, War of 1812 history at Fort George and its Icewine and wineries)
2. Elora: (Wellington County, on the Grand River, about 7,000 people, best known for the Elora Gorge, its 19th-century limestone mill buildings, artisan shops and the Elora Festival)
3. Perth: (Lanark County, eastern Ontario, about 6,500 people, best known for its stone buildings from the early 1800s, the Tay River, a lively downtown of shops and restaurants and its role as a Scottish military settlement)
4. Goderich: (Huron County, on Lake Huron, about 7,600 people, best known for its octagonal town square, its lakeside sunsets, the Maitland River and the world's largest underground salt mine beneath the lake)
5. Gananoque: (Thousand Islands region, about 5,300 people, best known as the gateway to the Thousand Islands, with boat cruises, the Thousand Islands Playhouse and a walkable waterfront)
6. Port Hope: (Northumberland County, on Lake Ontario, about 17,000 people, best known for one of the best preserved 19th-century downtowns in Ontario, the Ganaraska River and the 1930 Capitol Theatre)
7. Picton: (Prince Edward County, about 4,500 people, best known as the hub of Prince Edward County wine country, with a harbour, farm-to-table restaurants, the Regent Theatre and the nearby dunes of Sandbanks)
8. Bayfield: (Huron County, on Lake Huron, about 1,000 people, best known for its charming Main Street, art galleries, boutiques, sunset beach and historic village feel)
9. Bracebridge: (Muskoka, about 17,000 people, best known for its waterfalls in the center of town, the Muskoka River, local breweries and its position as a gateway to Muskoka cottage country)
10. Merrickville: (Rideau Canal, eastern Ontario, about 1,000 people in the village, best known for its restored locks and blockhouse, artisan studios and heritage stone buildings)

Spotlight on Four of Ontario's Most Popular Small Towns to Explore

Spotlight on Niagara-on-the-Lake

Best known for the Shaw Festival, its elegant historic downtown and its place at the heart of Niagara's wine country.

Natural Setting

Niagara-on-the-Lake sits where the Niagara River flows into Lake Ontario, on a flat, fertile plain between the lake and the Niagara Escarpment. The lake keeps the climate mild, which is why the area supports orchards, vineyards and tender fruit farms found nowhere else in the province. The Niagara Parkway follows the river from town to Niagara Falls, passing gardens, fruit stands and lookouts over the rapids, and the lakeshore parks offer views across the water to the Toronto skyline on clear days.

Historical, Cultural & Economic Importance

The town was founded by Loyalists and called Newark, and in 1792 it became the first capital of Upper Canada under Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe. The capital was moved to York (now Toronto) a few years later, and during the War of 1812, American forces burned Newark in December 1813. The town was rebuilt in the following years in a Georgian and Regency style, and many of those buildings still line Queen Street today. Fort George, the reconstructed British fort, and the nearby Queenston Heights, where General Isaac Brock was killed in 1812, give the area a strong military heritage.

Culturally, the town is best known for the Shaw Festival, which began in 1962 with a small group of amateur actors and grew into one of the leading repertory theatre companies in North America, specializing in the plays of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. The festival runs from spring to fall in three theatres within walking distance of each other. Queen Street is lined with shops, tea rooms, a clock tower cenotaph in the middle of the street, a historic pharmacy museum, and inns and restaurants that range from casual to formal.

Wine tourism supports the local economy alongside theatre. The area is famous for Icewine, a sweet wine made from grapes that freeze on the vine, and for Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. Dozens of wineries within a short drive offer tastings and meals, and many visitors tour them by bicycle along the lakeshore and Niagara River trails. Its mix of history, theatre and wine makes it one of the best small towns in Canada for a weekend away.

Spotlight on Elora

Best known for the dramatic Elora Gorge, its historic stone buildings and its arts and music scene.

Natural Setting

Elora is built around a deep limestone gorge cut by the Grand River, where steep cliffs, up to about 22 meters (72 feet) high, rise above the water, and the Irvine River joins from the side. Cedar trees cling to the rock walls, and the gorge is popular for hiking, camping and tubing on the river in summer. A quarry just outside of town has been turned into a swimming hole, with clear, deep water and rocky ledges. The village sits in rolling farm country about an hour from Toronto, and the surrounding trails, including the Elora Cataract Trailway, make it easy to explore on foot or by bicycle.

Historical, Cultural & Economic Importance

The village was founded in the 1830s as a milling community beside the falls of the Grand River, which provided power for a series of mills. The old Elora Mill, built in the 1830s, was a grist mill for generations and is now a hotel and spa overlooking the falls, though the exact details of its history are best confirmed locally. Many of the limestone buildings of the old downtown date from the 19th century, and they now hold shops, galleries, studios and restaurants along Mill Street and the surrounding lanes.

Elora has a strong reputation for arts and music. The Elora Festival, a summer classical and choral music festival held since the late 1970s, uses the old quarry and nearby halls as venues, and local artisans and potters run studios in town. The neighboring village of Fergus, with its Scottish Festival and Highland Games each August, adds to the area's mix of culture and heritage, and the hilly countryside is dotted with farm stands and bed-and-breakfasts.

Tourism now drives the local economy, supplemented by farming and the artists who live here. The compact center is easy to explore on foot, and visitors can spend a day wandering the gorge, shopping on Mill Street and enjoying a meal by the falls. It is one of the most popular day trips in Southern Ontario.

Spotlight on Perth

Best known for its remarkably preserved stone buildings, the Tay River setting and a lively, walkable downtown.

Natural Setting

Perth lies on the Tay River in Lanark County, in the rolling hills of eastern Ontario between Ottawa and Kingston. The river widens into a basin in the heart of the town, and the Tay Canal, part of the Rideau Canal system, links it to the Rideau waterway. Stewart Park, on the water's edge, has a bandstand, a river walk and gardens, and the surrounding countryside is a mix of farms, forests and small lakes, with Murphys Point Provincial Park and the Rideau Lakes nearby. The fall colors are especially good.

Historical, Cultural & Economic Importance

Perth was founded in 1816 as a military settlement, laid out for retired British soldiers and later settled by Scottish immigrants, many of them stonemasons. Their skill shows in the town's collection of stone houses, shops and public buildings, which give downtown Perth its solid, handsome look. The Perth Museum, in the Matheson House, a stone mansion from the 1840s, tells the story of the community. The town is also known for a darker episode, the last fatal duel in Canada, fought in 1833 between two local law students, Robert Lyon and John Wilson.

The Perth of today balances heritage and creativity, with a downtown of independent shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants along Gore Street and Foster Street. It hosts a number of festivals through the year, including the Stewart Park Festival, and local artists, food producers and craftspeople are a big part of the community's identity. A farmers' market runs on summer Saturdays, and the quiet streets are very walkable.

Tourism, local services and light industry support the economy, and the town is a popular stop for visitors traveling between Ottawa and Kingston. Its well-kept architecture and slow pace make it a favorite among those who like historic small towns without the crowds of Niagara or Muskoka.

Spotlight on Goderich

Best known for its unusual octagonal town square, its Lake Huron sunsets and a reputation as one of the prettiest towns in Ontario.

Natural Setting

Goderich sits on a bluff above Lake Huron at the mouth of the Maitland River, with a sandy beach below the cliffs and a working harbour on the river. The lake is famous for its sunsets, which are a daily event on the beach and at the Lighthouse lookout, and the surrounding countryside is a gentle landscape of farms and rolling hills. The Maitland Valley Trail and the Goderich-Auburn Rail Trail follow the river, and the beach offers warm, shallow swimming in summer.

Historical, Cultural & Economic Importance

The town was founded in 1827 by the Canada Company, a land development company led by John Galt and William "Tiger" Dunlop, who planned its distinctive layout, with streets radiating from an eight-sided central square, called The Square. The Huron County Courthouse stands in the middle of it, and the town is often called the "Prettiest Town in Canada," a title it has long used. A historic jail, built in the 1840s, and a museum, tell the story of local justice and early settlers.

The local economy has long depended on shipping and salt. Salt beds lie deep beneath Lake Huron here, and the Goderich salt mine, run today by Compass Minerals, reaches under the lake and is one of the largest underground salt mines in the world. In August 2011, a powerful tornado hit the town, damaging many buildings and the historic square, and the community rebuilt it over the following years. The downtown's restored shops, galleries and restaurants reflect that recovery.

Visitors come for the beach, the harbour, the boutiques and the relaxed atmosphere, and the town hosts a number of summer events, including music, craft and heritage festivals. The Square is the center of a compact downtown that is easy to cover on foot, and the town is a gateway to the lakeshore villages of Bayfield and Grand Bend.