Ontario Residents What are Your Summer Plans?

[shaycamp21]

So I am seriously mourning the loss of my Disney Trip. First world problem I know, but if there was anywhere I was hoping I could lament it would be on a WDW forum lol. We would have flown to Florida this Friday to start a five night beach vacay followed by 9 nights at Disney with free dining sigh, sniff . With my Disney dreams dashed as summer approached I was then hoping maybe we'd get to explore either Canada's east or west coast but with travel restrictions in place that possibility ended too. After months of being cooped up we need to get out and do something just not sure what. We don't own a cottage and don't go camping. We live in the GTA and DH has 3 weeks off (I am off for the summer) and would have our youngest DD 8 with us.

Just wondering what other Ontario residents are doing this summer to get some ideas? Day trips? Overnight trips?

 

[MoreTravels]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/bc-alberta-border-towns-1.5580513
We have a Wexit problem... so I don't think GTA visitors would be welcomed in Alberta. If you go, you may want to rent a car locally with local plate.

 

[TammyLynn33]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/bc-alberta-border-towns-1.5580513
We have a Wexit problem... so I don't think GTA visitors would be welcomed in Alberta. If you go, you may want to rent a car locally with local plate.

same here in Kingston . We have a few restaurants I know if that’s not serve non residents on the patios. ( they are asking for ID) the city is mad it will ruin tourism but the locals are being told to stay safe stay home , very confusing messages right now

 

[shaycamp21]

I know travel to other provinces is strongly discouraged that's why I was wondering what Ontario residents were planning within the province. I agree the messages are confusing. One article you read encourages local tourism while another discourages it, so it's hard to know what to do.

 

[SaraMc]

I’m going to Porta Mybackyarda

 

[bababear_50]

I'm in the Mississauga area
For me mostly day trips outside

: local farmer's market
https://stjacobsmarket.com/
: local waterfalls/walking trails

: Cambridge Butterfly conservatory
https://www.cambridgebutterfly.com/
: local outdoor gardens/Royal Botanical Garden/Centennial Gardens,,I'll pack a picnic lunch.

: maybe African Lion Safari

: maybe an afternoon/evening trip to Niagara Falls to see the lights.


sorry I'm not very creative.
Hugs
Mel

Virtual Campout....sorry I am so not a camping kind of person......lol
This is as close as I get to it

 

[Iralyn]

We rented a cottage on Manitoulin for a week. It has been on my travel bucket list for a while but we have been going on bigger trips in recent years instead. So this is the year for that

I'm off for the summer and I think it is going to revolve around skate parks, beaches and some (non-adventurous) hiking. We have also gotten into going on kind of random drives through rural-ish areas. Something that I totally grew up doing (Sunday drives!) but never really did with my kiddo in pre-pandemic times.

We did the Toronto Zoo drive thru safari but I wouldn't really recommend it. It is very Covid safe so if you are not comfortable being out and about with other people, it might be a reasonable option, but it really wasn't very exciting. But we may do African Lion Safari.

Looking for more outdoor options of interesting sights to see. Things like the Big Chute Marine Railway.

 

[juniorbugman]

Today we took our 2nd Toronto Zoo Safari tour and they have changed it from the first time we went. It was really cool to go where only the staff and the Zoomobile can go. The new part was like going on an African Safari tour - the animals are free to roam around and you have to close all the windows in your vehicles and just drive. If the animals walk in front of you just stop and let them go. Don't honk or rile them. It was different this time as well because the Zoo has reopened to people now so in some parts the cars and the people are on the same roads. As of right now they are selling tickets up to July 19th so it looks like it will be here for awhile.
Also we have a cottage so will may be going up there for a weekend or 2. We will take all of our supplies up with us and just hang at the cottage.

 

[wdwmom3]

We have a cottage rented for a week in August. We will be taking most of our own supplies up and pretty much stay there (and mask up if we stop in a store for anything).

Other then that not much.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I'll be right here... on the DIS, occasionally moving on to youtube in between my other regular chores.

 

[deedubb]

We were supposed to leave for WDW in 11 days. First stay at Beach Club, so we are pretty bummed out as well. I think the summer will be spent in our backyard. So glad to have a pool!

 

[pixie_mtl]

Staycation is no vacation for me, so I've come up with this vacation plan... I find the price p r e t t y steep to travel in Canada. I will look into Groupons, CAA, etc. in the days to come

2 days in Coaticook, QC: parc de la Gorge de Coaticook + Foresta Lumina
3 days in Ste-Anne-des-Monts, QC: Extreme Chic-Chocs ride
3 days in Gaspe, QC area: Forillon national park + Geopark of Perce + Carleton-sur-mer
2 days in Quebec, QC before heading back home

Lodging $1,100. Activities for 2 $350. Fuel $250. Food and miscellaneous $500

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Camping and outdoor activities like hiking, going to beach, fishing.
We are lucky in Northwestern Ontario. Lots of space to have fun and social distance. Yesterday we went to a beach and there were 5 other groups there. Plenty of space.

We are camping next week, then I lucked out, seeing a friend's FB post almost as soon as he posted it about a camp rental. So I booked 2 weeks at the end of August for an incredible price, right on the lake. I plan to do some work from there though, but it will be easier answering emails from a deck overlooking the water than in the 4 walls I've been stuck since COVID struck.

There are a ton of all inclusive resorts (or just cabin rentals) in Northwestern Ontario looking for customers since the border is closed, if anyone is interested in fishing. Most have lots of activities like kayaking, water slides, etc. for kids too. If you're into the outdoors and love beautiful scenery, you won't be disappointed with a road trip along the North Shore of Lake Superior either.

 

[pigletto]

We are on our way to our only vacation plans for this year. Family cottage on a small island about an hour from Sudbury . It’s beautiful up there and we are lucky to be able to vacation in such a quiet and safe spot. We are very conscious this year of not stopping in the town nearby for groceries . We don’t want to bring illness to them unknowingly , which could be very bad for a small community. We’ve only stopped in large parking lots to let the dogs pee off behind some stores in the grass , and once for gas ... paid at the pump masked and hand sanitizer before and after .
Canadas virus numbers are great right now , butl let’s not kid ourselves , this is still the first wave and there is more to come . I think in order to keep our numbers manageable we need to travel safety and respectfully.

ETA.. I really wanted to camp for the civic holiday but we are tent campers and I can’t get past the shared public bathrooms. I read an article sometime in May or June where they traced the spread of a particularly virulent outbreak of COVID-19 along a highway and determined it was likely spread by the use of rest stops and rest stop bathrooms. Makes sense . Again , I’m not terrified to get sick .. but I will not be an unwitting spreader if I can avoid it .

 

[grantclaire]

same here in Kingston . We have a few restaurants I know if that’s not serve non residents on the patios. ( they are asking for ID) the city is mad it will ruin tourism but the locals are being told to stay safe stay home , very confusing messages right now
[/QUOTE
Kingston is on our short list of places to visit this summer! Every couple of weeks I hear of another city that does not want visitors. I usually email some restaurants and ask if all are welcome, have not had any confirm they have restrictions. You are right such mixed messages!

 

[Nagle]

i have a fishing camp way up in the woods near La Tuque Quebec. It is very isolated so I will be heading there for a week in August. I can get there with minimal interaction with local residents so that should keep me and them safe.
We have already cancelled a trip to Cleveland with friends and a couple of weeks at WDW in September.

 

[hdrolfe]

We have no plans this summer, I am hoping water parks will be able to open so we can go a couple times. Otherwise, we'll be staying close to home and visiting my parents.

 

[ABCanada]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/bc-alberta-border-towns-1.5580513
We have a Wexit problem... so I don't think GTA visitors would be welcomed in Alberta. If you go, you may want to rent a car locally with local plate.

This is BC residence keying cars with Alberta plates in BC not Albertans getting upset with cars from BC. (Found this amusing as at the time the number of BC plates in AB was very high. I am sure they would be traveling back to BC and have the same or more COVID risk as people from AB going to their vacation properties. Also while the COVID rate in AB was higher than BC the deaths were lower. Suspect it could be more and better testing. Demographics is also a factor.)

Everyone is welcome in AB. (Just leave the attitude and misconceptions in Central Canada and BC. Suggestions like unemployed Albertans, many are Engineers or Geophysicists, should replace migrant farm workers are not appreciated. This is not saying that an Albertan would not do whatever work needed to be done and not be ashamed.)

Hope this is not too political
I would say the majority of Albertans do not want WEXIT and were once proud to be Canadian but do feel we have been unfairly treated, Canada has lost its way somewhat and that the opinions of many of the residence other provinces is more their ignorance than fact. The education level in Alberta, especially in the STEM fields, is high ("study" degrees not so much). Ranching and farming, that some seem to look down upon, is a high risk, high capital investment operation. In Alberta, a successful farmer or rancher is not a hillbilly and needs to understand financial instruments as well as the latest farming techniques and equipment. We have our share of 'rednecks' but no more so than any of the other provinces based on what I have seen.

Great year to come to Alberta. You may not want to leave.

 

[FigmentSpark]

This is BC residence keying cars with Alberta plates in BC not Albertans getting upset with cars from BC. (Found this amusing as at the time the number of BC plates in AB was very high. I am sure they would be traveling back to BC and have the same or more COVID risk as people from AB going to their vacation properties. Also while the COVID rate in AB was higher than BC the deaths were lower. Suspect it could be more and better testing. Demographics is also a factor.)

Everyone is welcome in AB. (Just leave the attitude and misconceptions in Central Canada and BC. Suggestions like unemployed Albertans, many are Engineers or Geophysicists, should replace migrant farm workers are not appreciated. This is not saying that an Albertan would not do whatever work needed to be done and not be ashamed.)

Hope this is not too political
I would say the majority of Albertans do not want WEXIT and were once proud to be Canadian but do feel we have been unfairly treated, Canada has lost its way somewhat and that the opinions of many of the residence other provinces is more their ignorance than fact. The education level in Alberta, especially in the STEM fields, is high ("study" degrees not so much). Ranching and farming, that some seem to look down upon, is a high risk, high capital investment operation. In Alberta, a successful farmer or rancher is not a hillbilly and needs to understand financial instruments as well as the latest farming techniques and equipment. We have our share of 'rednecks' but no more so than any of the other provinces based on what I have seen.

Great year to come to Alberta. You may not want to leave.

I would be stunned that anyone would key another person's car, but I was once at a skate park with my kids when I saw a man (young skateboarder) purposely push a sharp metal edge of his board into the side of my van, as he walked by. I was mad, but also, being alone with elementary aged kids, was not going to cause an argument with any man that would do that. Anyway, it makes you wonder about people and hope they get their retribution one day.

Alberta is an awesome place. And the boom they had a few years back means probably everyone knows someone who moved there for work. I hope you all stay Canadian, too, but as a former westerner (Sk), I totally understand the frustration of turning on the TV on election night and finding the government already elected by the East.

 

[Lizardsoccernut]

Cottage rental in July, camping trips most weekends and then likely Alberta in September as a replacement for our cancelled April Mexico vacation. And yes: fully prepared to not want to leave AB once we get there! Seems like my kind of place with my kind of people