Ontario fall Colors, enjoy them while you can

Nothing is more beautiful than to drive through the Ontario landscape on a sunny day in the Fall and leaves are turning colors.

I emigrated from Holland to Canada in the winter and by next fall I had my own car. I had heard so much about the fall colors and people invited me to their cottage up north, so I had lots of opportunity to be awe inspired by the colors. I remember taking my old 8 mm film camera along and trying to make artistic movies, which off course never turned out like you see them on TV.

Fall is still my favorite season of the year. And my favorite place to see the fall colors is the bush behind our house. It has bright yellow from the birch and poplars, and flaming red from the few maple trees we have. We like to go on some tours during the fall and Travel Ontario www.ontariotravel.net has maps to guide you when choosing what area to visit.

Beginning mid-September through till the end of October, you will be able to enjoy the splendor of the fall colors. You don’t have to go all the way up-north, South Western Ontario offers lots of one day tours.

This is also the time of harvest so plan your tour to taste some of the local produce. Apple, wine, pumpkin, or savor Muskoka’s natural bounty at Bala’s Cranberry Festival.

Referred to by Winston Churchill as the world’s prettiest Sunday afternoon drive, take the Niagara Parkway and visit wine country. See Canada’s largest maple tree, the Comfort maple, just outside of Pelham. This maple tree is more than 500 years old.

Visit the Botanical Gardens. Our family in Holland is in the flower business and usually the comments beforehand are that there isn’t much in the area of flower gardens they haven’t seen yet, but once they see the Botanical Gardens all of them are impressed.

We love the shagbark hickory trees in our bush and a good place to see those are in Rondeau Park while nearby Point Pelee National Park is known worldwide for its stunning Monarch Butterfly migration.

Visit millionaire’s playground Thousand Islands, either on bike along the 23 mile Bikepath or drive along the 1000 Island Parkway from Cornwall to Kingston. Then take a cruise down the Rideau Canal, from Kingston to Ottawa, an engineering masterpiece of lakes and rivers connected by man-made canals and locks. The locks are still operated today as they were in 1832.

Another of our favorite areas during the fall is Stratford and surroundings. We love the antique shops in Shakespeare, from there travel west to Stratford, home to world class theatre. Make sure you buy Thompson Chocolates, they are absolutely addictive. Then travel on to Millbank for a good homemade meal at Anna Mae’s Bakery and Restaurant.