Year-round maple adventures
By Carol Patterson The maple is on Canada’s flag and on gift shop shelves, but Ontario’s Lanark County – a 60-minute drive from Ottawa – is bringing maple-themed sophistication to culinary, spa and outdoor adventures. There’s enough year-round activity to keep
Celebrate the season at the Quebec Winter Carnival
By Jane Muller Quebec City hosts the world's biggest winter carnival with a history dating back to 1894 and a rebirth in 1954 when it became an annual winter celebration. While the February event is steeped in tradition, it’s not frozen in
Take in Toronto
By Christine Davis Playing tourist close to home is a fun take on a staycation that actually lets you leave your house. Toronto has plenty of family fun to offer – enough to keep you more than busy for at least a
Vacation Like A Kid
Remember those childhood summers, when you didn’t get up until noon, or when you got up before dawn to go fish down at the dock; when you spent the whole day just reading on the porch, or when you did
Intergenerational family travel blossoms in Ottawa
Story & Images by: Jacquie D. Durand When the warm weather arrives, everyone is a little ‘antsy’ to get outside again. My family’s solution was a road trip to Ottawa to see the annual Tulip Festival. Representing three generations: a mother
In search of Ontario’s Monarchs
By Carol Patterson Sweat trickled down my back as I got off the Parks Canada shuttle and started the short walk to the tip of Point Pelee National Park, the most southerly point of mainland Canada. The forest hummed with the
A real summer vacation
Just as a head’s up, I’m going to do some complaining. It’s possible that you’ll even be one of the parents I’m complaining about here, so I’m apologizing up front, but I’m going to complain anyway. There are no kids to
Family camping back to basics
My wife and I took the kids camping this past weekend. We went with a few friends and a few friends of theirs who we didn’t really know, so there was quite a gang of us. To be clear, we didn’t
It’s worth the drive to Pumpkinville
Where the heck is Pumpkinville? It’s a question followed by an equally puzzling answer. Pumpkinville is near Ellicottville. Where is Ellicottville? It’s just about a half hour south of the Buffalo border crossing in up-state New York and it’s not just for skiing
Beyond Las Vegas
By Diana Ballon As we head northeast from Las Vegas toward the Valley of Fire, we listen to an iPod playlist of Gram Parsons’ Ooh Las Vegas, Joni Mitchell’s The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines and Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas.
Sherkston Shores
By Christine Davis Nestled on the shores of Lake Erie is a place unto itself. You’d barely know it was there when driving past – save for the long driveway running parallel to a quarry turned swimming hole. But when you
Discovering Vienna’s Love of Life with The Love of My Life
By Dee-Anne Wessel As we touch down at Vienna International Airport, my first thought is that we’ve come a long way and I’m not just talking distance. On this our 30th Anniversary, we aren’t as financially strapped as we were when
Travel games
By Tiffany Doerr Guerzon During school break, many families will be hitting the road! With kids strapped into car seats or seat belts they can quickly get bored. Avoid the “Are we there yet?” chorus by packing a few games
The California Desert with Family
By Diana Ballon The desert has that expansive barren quality that makes me feel small and insignificant, like how kids probably feel much of the time, except I’m all grown up. In California, it’s a place where flat beige land bumps
The Long Road
We go up to my brother’s place on Manitoulin Island for an informal family reunion every Victoria Day weekend. He runs cottages at Dominion Bay, which is on the south shore of the island. On the Saturday, we generally help
Between steep mountains and deep blue sea: Charlevoix is a place of beauty
Story and photos by Diana Ballon Ah Charlevoix. Here is a place you can go to be seduced by beauty, immersed in culture, inspired by the art, and sated by its bounty. If you live in central Canada, the seduction can occur
A weekend away
My wife went away to the cottage this past weekend with a few girlfriends from college. It’s an annual event. The participants change slightly each year depending on who can escape work and family responsibilities, but there’s a core of
Take the stress out of packing for March Break travel
By Susan Toth March Break is around the corner. Your vacation destination awaits you and your family. Have you started to think about what to pack? Planning ahead will make your travel experience and the fun adventures ahead of you far
Jamaican me crazy
By Christine Davis There’s an old saying that goes: Once you have kids you no longer go on vacation, you take trips. But what if you could take a vacation – one in which both parents and children can relax, explore and
Discovering a Different South
We’re fair weather travellers. Neither myself, husband Mark or 17-year-old daughter Kate are content to lie on a crowded beach and soak up the sun as we’d much rather be on the move making new discoveries in a temperate climate.
