Historic Inns of Ontario: A Guide to Accommodation & Dining

Toby Rupert was a librarian living in Toronto.

This directory of 102 places (not all of them offering accommodation) has been arranged by eight regions in Ontario. This includes “Festival Country” (i.e., Stratford), Caledon Hills, Toronto, Niagara, the Bruce Peninsula, Trent, Muskoka, and the Rideau. Almost all of the inns are at least 75 years old; most of them have been recently renovated or modernized. Within each region, the inns are listed alphabetically by place, with an historical account of the inn, a contemporary description about the innkeepers (including a line drawing of the building), plus the normal travel data of phone number, rooms available, rates (early 1982), credit cards, facilities, times open (both for the season and for food service), and directions on how to get there.

Most of the inns are small, such as the Breadalbane Inn (Fergus) with six rooms, but the Chateau Laurier, with 500 rooms, is also included. And, as mentioned above, some have no rooms, such as the Spike and Spoon (Collingwood), but are meant strictly as restaurants. Country Inns and Dining, Brochure L-11, available from the Ontario Ministry of Industry and Tourism is quite similar, but not as extensive. It is also free.