Family friendly places to go/stay in Canada

[banana87]

We've booked a holiday to Toronto for a week because we are first visiting family in the US and it seemed like a good idea at the time. We fly into Toronto and stay for a week. Any recommendations on where to stay? Or renting a car and going a bit further away from Toronto? Any experiences?

It really depends on the time of year. In the summer and indeed in the autumn there's loads of beautiful countryside around Toronto, but it wold be harder work in the winter. Toronto is always a fun city and there's lots of fun family things like the Ontario Science Centre, the CN Tower, Toronto Island, lots of good parks, ravines etc. Good luck and enjoy

this
is great. We went a few years ago and visited one evening. DS loved it.

We stayed in the city centre and wished we had stayed longer than a week. There was plenty to do and loads of fab restaurants.

We did hire a car for one day to explore but bought an organised trip to Niagara. In hindsight, car hire for Niagara would have been better.

Do you want to stay in the city or see the great outdoors.

I would recommend going to a resort in the Muskoka region (2-3 hours north of Toronto). It's what Toronto families do.

I want to see some city, but mostly I want to rent a cottage or house and go swimming, see waterfalls, go on bike rides, etc.

I looked at a few places near Niagra Falls with a zoo close by and shopping, and eating. Might just book a place there!

Do consider Muskoka area (Lakes Muskoka, Rosseau and Joseph, centred on Port Carling). There are loads of cottages to rent that have boat docks, diving platforms etc, and also with decks, hottubs, screenrooms and very comfortable living areas. Parry Sound also has some good cottages, especially if you are after a non-motorised lake.

Niagara is good for about half a day if you just look at the Falls and have lunch. If you want to do everything, then two full days. You can buy a very reasonable pass that gives you access to 4 or 5 major attractions - Maid on the Mist, IMAX etc - which would definitely take 2 days to work through. They also have the casinos in the newer hotels, and outlet shopping.

Niagara on the Lake is a different destination that has quite a good reputation for theatre, eg a Shakespeare festival in the summer.

You do have to go to Niagara Falls though - it is absolutely amazing.