May 2024

Father’s Day Gift Ideas For Ontario Dads

Things To Do Father’s Day For All Kinds Of Dads

Father’s Day in Ontario is on June 16, 2024.

Ontario Dads are pretty special. They do an amazing job at teaching their children not only all the fun things to do in Ontario, but how to enjoy them like a kid. Ontario offers all kinds of activities that fathers love and love to teach their kids.

Spending time with Dad on father’s day weekend is always quality time. Spending the day with your father and doing something dad loves is a wonderful way to show your appreciation for everything he does. Summer-like weather means there are plenty of things to do in Ontario on Father’s Day.

Perhaps plan a hike, golf or fishing outing. Make a reservation on his favourite patio and get a bite to eat. Definitely make some reservations no matter what you choose to do.

If you’re staying home maybe you can plan an outside bonfire and watch his favourite movie outside with popcorn and snacks. If you have a bonfire, make sure you make the ToDoOntario Dessert Cones!

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

If you’re looking to get something special for your dad this year, here are a few fathers day ideas that are getaway packages or experiences you can send Dad out to do, or do together.

SPA TIME FOR DAD AT A HYDROSPA

Let Dad go and soak or steam his stress away at JW Marriott the Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa’s Hydrospa. They offer indulgent spa services with gorgeous Muskoka views.

After a relaxing spa visit Dad can dine and then experience the Crystal Head Vodka Ice Bar.

BOOK NOW

JW MARRIOTT MUSKOKA SPECIAL EVENTS – TBA

TBA.

More information: JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka

FRIDAY HARBOUR SPECIAL EVENTS – TBA

TBA.

Learn More

SEND DAD ON A FISHING TRIP

For a night, for a weekend, for a whole week, send Dad off to recharge his batteries on an Ontario fishing trip.

View Fishing Getaway Packages

RELAX AND CRUISE GEORGIAN BAY

Any Dad would love to join Island Queen Cruises as they cruise through the inner islands of the Big Sound, an area many locals consider to be home to some of the most beautiful islands and channels on the Bay, including the famous Hole in the Wall! This non-stop two-hour morning cruise is the cruise that started it all.

Learn More About Island Queen Cruises

Celebrate Father’s Day – Join Sunset Cruises for SPECIAL Cruises on Lake Rosseau!

Dads cruise for FREE with one paid cruise ticket.

Calling all families and adventure seekers! This Father’s Day, give Dad the ultimate treat with an unforgettable experience aboard Peerless II, on the picturesque Lake Rosseau.

Sunset Cruises does not have any online reservation available, you must contact the office – 705-645-2462 or email info@sunsetcruises.ca to book your tickets.

See Cruise Schedule

FORE THE LOVE OF DADS

Ontario has no shortage of beautiful golf courses and driving ranges. Buy your father a gift certificate to enjoy a course he loves or even a new one to try!

View Ontario Golf Courses

Climb Like A Kid Again Canopy Tours & Treetop Trekking

In the treetops or on a zip line are a great way to have fun and make memories with Dad. Ontario has some pretty cool canopy tours and activities that will have your dad feeling like a kid again.

Haliburton Forest Canopy Tours Ontario Treetop Trekking locations

PLAY IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF ONTARIO

Enjoy the great outdoors at Blue, ride the attractions on the mountain or shop and dine at Blue Mountain Village.

Blue Mountain Village Blue Mountain Resort

Does your dad like caving, hiking and incredible views? Scenic Caves Nature Adventures is a great place to explore the caves AND check out the view from the 420ft suspension bridge.

Explore Scenic Caves

EXPLORE CAVES & SCENIC VIEWS

Explore caves with Dad and take in picturesque views of The Blue Mountains and Collingwood. Situated within one of Canada’s eighteen UNESCO biosphere reserves and dating back 450 million years, our location is steeped rich in history and heritage. Explore new heights from the longest Suspension Bridge in Southern Ontario, or take in our Hiking Trail Centre offering 15 kilometers of trails meandering through 370 unspoiled acres of natural beauty. Experience the unique views of the 200 year old forest, with well-marked trails offering gentle rolling slopes to steep climbs, and expansive, world class views!

Learn More

TAKE DAD OUT FOR LUNCH OR A TREAT, ORDER HIM MAPLE SYRUP

Find a fun spot for a road trip near you and take your dad out for summer fish and chips or (and?) ice cream! Read out past blogs to easily find a place to try if you’re looking for something new.

If you’re 19+, read our blog about tips for visiting microbreweries in Ontario and have fun (safely) with Dad exploring some Ontario craft beers. The blog section contains YOUR list of favourite Ontario fish and chips places and also YOUR favourite Ontario ice cream shops. Does he love all things maple? Order him some Ontario maple syrup or maple products and have them shipped right to him.

SEND DAD TO FORAGE FOR MUSHROOMS

This immersive wilderness learning experience will bring your dad into the forest with a single delicious goal in mind: how to find, identify, and harvest wild edible mushrooms! This isn’t for every dad, but for those who love nature, being the woods and learning about Ontario’s wilderness, this is for him!

Book Dad's Mushroom Foraging Workshop

TAKE A HIKE, DAD!

We’ve all done a ton of hiking since the pandemic but this guided hike in Haliburton is extra special. Sign your father up to join a knowledgeable hiking guide for a 2-3 hour hike around the Barnum Creek Nature Reserve, learning about everything the region has to offer, and the rich history and stories of the area.

Book Dad a Hike

There are so many great things to get dads or do with dads this year.

Check out the ToDoOntario Events Calendar for events and experiences your dad might like and our list of summer getaway packages for more inspirational gift ideas.

May 14, 2024 Algonquin Park, Almaguin Highlands, Muskoka & Parry Sound, Bruce Peninsula, Southern Georgian Bay & Lake Simcoe, Featured, Greater Toronto Area, Haliburton Highlands to the Ottawa Valley, Hamilton, Halton & Brant, Huron, Perth, Waterloo & Wellington, Kawartha Northumberland, Niagara Falls, Northeastern Ontario, Northwest Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie - Algoma, South Eastern Ontario, Southwest Ontario, York, Durham, Headwaters

Arts Orillia presents GATHERING: Festival of First Nations Stories

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13th, 2024

Arts Orillia presents GATHERING: Festival of First Nations Stories, May 31st and June 1st, 2024!

Don’t miss this anticipated event with award-winning authors, storytellers and musicians.

Everyone is coming to Rama First Nation as events kick off Friday, May 31st at 7 p.m. with a Story Welcome Circle at Rama Community Hall. Festival host Sherry Lawson and (Gimaa) Chief
Ted Willams will lead the community welcome for visiting authors and presenters Alicia Elliott, Armand Garnet Ruffo, Brandon Reid and Drew Hayden Taylor. You’ll also meet Rama First Nation’s own celebrated author and artist, Chief Lady Bird as well as award winning filmmaker Keesic Douglas.

But that’s not all! Stay for the party. Anishinaabe DJ and producer Boogey the Beat will hit the stage at 8 p.m. All the way from Winnipeg, this performer will build percussive heartbeats with
passion as he reminds audiences that, “at one time it was illegal for us to sing these songs, play these drums, and go to these ceremonies – now it’s a time for celebration, and for us to take over the main stage.”

Don’t stay up too late! On Saturday June 1st, the Sunrise Circle at Victoria Park in Rama starts at 5:30 a.m. and it’s followed by a comprehensive day of learning and entertainment back at Rama Community Hall, beginning at 9 a.m. Enjoy readings with our guest authors, and a session about Indigenous Governance with Christa Big Canoe and Julie Williams. You are also warmly invited to a screening of Welcome Home. A Healing Journey Back to Community created with members of Rama First Nation Binoojiinyag gaa bi giiwejig – Children Who Came Home. Arts Orillia is proud to bring our guest speakers to local elementary and secondary schools as part of Gathering: Festival of First Nations Stories.

See Arts Orillia’s website for a complete schedule. All events are free of charge, but making a reservation is encouraged, to secure your seat. Gathering is made possible through the generous support of private donors along with federal, provincial and corporate funders. Close to home, we would like to thank Mariposa Folk Foundation for its commitment to Indigenous music artists at Gathering: Festival of First Nations Stories. In addition, many thanks to our supporters at Orillia Community Foundation, City of Orillia, and Rama First Nation.

Media Contact: Kate Hilliard, Artistic Director: (416) 455-3657.

May 13, 2024 Bruce Peninsula, Southern Georgian Bay & Lake Simcoe

Voyageur Quest makes it easy to Experience Algonquin

Learn How to Enjoy Algonquin Park With This Toronto Connection

Part of Algonquin Park’s appeal is its remoteness, seemingly a world apart from the urban sprawl of southern Ontario. It’s a vast wilderness – larger than Prince Edward Island – with so much to offer, every season holding its own distinct appeal.

Unfortunately, for some, the park’s distance from Toronto – three hours to the nearest entry points – represents an obstacle to enjoying this crown jewel of Ontario’s provincial park system.

But this needn’t be the case, thanks to Voyageur Quest.

Specializing in organizing excursions into the Algonquin’s interior, Voyageur Quest also makes it easy to get to the park by providing packages that include bus transportation. No car, no problem. It’s part of the company president Dave Langford’s mantra that the wilderness is for everyone.

Founded in 1991, Voyageur Quest has earned plaudits for offering a wide range of authentic guided and self-guided wilderness adventures in Algonquin Park, including moose safaris, winter snowshoe and dogsled excursions, and epic canoe trips into the most secluded, least visited parts of the park.

But these experiences aren’t merely for hardened adventurers. Voyageur Quest seeks to promote outdoor activities in Algonquin by smoothing out the edges of a typical camping experience. You don’t need to rough it to enjoy the wilderness. Voyageur Quests offers gourmet backwoods dining, for example, and as a basecamp guests enjoy a rustic, six-bedroom log lodge with a dining room wrapped around a huge stone fireplace, a lounge and library, hot showers and even a sauna.

World class adventure meets glamping, if you will.

To ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to access the park’s natural wonders, Voyageur Quest provides a shuttle to meet patrons at the South River bus terminals.

Ontario Northland’s Algonquin Park Bus departs twice daily return and departure routes from Toronto, while Northern Airport Passenger Service buses connect to Pearson International Airport. Both stop at South River, where Voyageur Quest’s vehicles meet guests to bring them to the Kawawaymog Lake cabin.

Voyageur Quest’s shuttle and pre-trip ‘transport’ package includes shuttle to and from the base camp, a BBQ dinner on the licensed patio, cozy lakeside cabin accommodations, and breakfast.

“About 90% of our shuttle and pre-trip transport’ packages are for our guided trips,” says Langford. “Our customers arrive the day before their trip. We pick them up at 230pm (Ontario Northland) or 530pm (Northern Airport Shuttle). Some of our self-guided (DIY) customers take advantage of the service—mostly international travelers who don’t want to rent a car and the odd solo traveller from the GTA who does not drive.”

In addition to offering guided adventures, Voyageur Quest also serves as an outfitter. The “complete outfitting” package is ideal for those coming by bus, as it includes all equipment and meals.

Voyageur Quest will also offer shuttle service to connect with South River trains once Ontario Northland resumes operation, scheduled for 2026.

Guests love the fact that Voyageur Quest bases its operation in the more remote, less trafficked northwest corner of Algonquin Park. It’s very different from the busier, more crowded Highway 60 Parkway Corridor. People come to Algonquin for wilderness – the hushed quiet of the forest, the mirror-like reflection of a smooth lake, the dusk call of a distant loon – and here they truly find it.

Voyageur Quest’s shuttle package makes your backwoods adventure more accessible, more convenient, and more comfortable.

“Personal pick up, in town, a nice dinner, a glass of wine, the quiet,” enthuses Langford, “is a great way to start your adventure.”

For more information and to book your adventure packages go to: Algonquin Park Adventures – Canoe Trips and Lodge Adventures (voyageurquest.com)

Article written by Andrew Hind.

May 2, 2024 Algonquin Park, Almaguin Highlands, Muskoka & Parry Sound, Featured