Ontario for Free (and Almost Free)

David E. Kemp is head of the Drama Department at Queen’s University.

This wonderfully handy guide details more than 600 free Ontario
attractions. Whether you are resident or visitor, this seems to be one
book that should reside permanently in your car’s glove compartment.

The author provides information on the major museums and exhibitions
offering free admission at specific times or on certain days, as well as
on the smaller ones that are always free. He also provides information
on guided tours of historic sites, mills, wineries, breweries, chapels,
farms, and zoos.

The book is divided into 12 chapters—one for each of the Ontario
Ministry of Tourism’s 12 regions. Each chapter includes a map of the
region, and a smaller map placing the region within Ontario; a calendar
of the region’s festivals, carnivals, celebrations, and special
events; an alphabetical list of the region’s towns; and the major
attractions each town offers.

What is so special about this book is its idiosyncrasies. Besides
highlighting a region’s obvious attractions (e.g., natural phenomena,
museums, galleries, and recreational areas), Scott also includes the
more ephemeral ones, such as where to find the world’s shortest
covered bridge to the world’s largest culvert, or a 28-foot goose, or
Canada’s largest used-book store, or a garden featuring every plant
mentioned by Shakespeare.

This guide has a good feel about it, not just because it focuses on
things that are free, but because of its eclecticism, sense of fun, and
outright charm.