Great Getaways: A Guide to Fun-filled, Scenic, Tasty and Historic Adventures and Explorations in Southern Ontario

Dean Tudor is a journalism professor at the Ryerson Polytechnical
Institute and founding editor of the CBRA.

Zyvatkauskas’s columns appeared almost weekly in The Globe and Mail
travel section from 1980 to 1990. Here are 69 of the better jaunts, all
updated of course. The main criteria are as follows: Southern Ontario,
less than a day’s drive away, a visit for a weekend or two days or so.
The changes over the decade reflect new interests: there are many more
restored living-museum type places, such as at Penetanguishene, Crawford
Lake, and Barnum House. There is also more interest in birding.

The author has arranged the book by themes, such as outdoors and walks,
living history, historical houses, scenic waterways, museums, festivals,
flora and fauna. She gives a description of the features and explicit
directions on how to get to the area. You can go to Tyrone Mill for
apple cider, and to Richters Herbs for condiments. And, of course,
associated with all the visits are industries such as
bed-and-breakfasts, concession stands, and places that mind the children
or look after the car. (If you have the time, it might be better to go
midweek, when the crowds are smaller.)

The book concludes with a guide to annual events and a loosely drawn
map. The exhaustive index is one of the best I’ve ever seen in a work
of this nature.