Get out of town! Our guide to great day trips and weekenders from Toronto — many accessible by transit

Destination dining

Want the finesse of fancy dining with less pomp, circumstance and credit card anxiety? Savvy diners will leave these spots fully sated.

Award-winning burgers in St. Catharines

St. Catharines is a great place for a weekend getaway — the bus from Toronto takes an hour ($18) and the main drag, St. Paul Street, is packed with gems. Di’s Pizza Pies makes a mean cheese pie ($25), while Helliwell Hall offers music nights and nice flights of four 5-ounce beers for $16. On Tuesdays, seafood-centric bar Les Incompetents serves a decked-out seafood platter for two plus two glasses of Cava for $60.

But it’s the Michelin-recommended restaurant Fat Rabbit (34 Geneva St., St. Catharines) that has secured the only Canadian spot on this year’s list of the world’s best burgers. After 5 p.m., chef Zach Smith’s menu is a meat lover’s paradise: rib steak, porterhouse, striploin and Miami short ribs, served by the pound and flame-kissed to order. But during the day, a more chilled-out menu features breakfast and comfort staples, most notably the smokehouse burger ($23), served with a house-ground patty, white cheddar, house-cured beef pancetta, crispy onions, and a swirl of hot pepper relish and burnt lemon mayo.

The local expert’s take: “As a chef, Zach and Fat Rabbit have food I want to eat every day. It’s craveable. It’s worth driving for. Especially the burger.” — Joel Gray, owner of Down Home Restaurant, a destination-worthy restaurant in Grey County

The fine dining farmstand in Grey County

Down Home Restaurant (135299 9 Line, Markdale) specializes in long, leisurely lunches and dinners with tasting menus that highlight produce from the on-property farm, cooked over a live fire. But you can also stop into their farm stand for ultra-fresh veggies, herbs, preserves and eggs (wave at the chickens), plus local treasures like Donald’s honey, Good Family Farm’s regeneratively grown pork and beef (try the jerky), and Lovebird’s sunny Pale Ales.

The hot reservation in Hamilton

Pay a visit to this cosy French-ish bistro to scope out its TV ties: In “Heated Rivalry,” Shane and Rose went on a date to Le Tambour Tavern (345 James St. N, Hamilton). It’s the sister restaurant to Union on Ossington, so you know the food is good, and it offers plenty of weekly specials: half-price wine on Mondays, $35 steak frites on Sundays, and a $55 three-course prix fixe on Wednesdays.

Michelin-starred baked goods in Jordan

If you can’t afford (or get) a reservation at Restaurant Pearl Morissette in the Niagara region — ranked Canada’s best restaurant for two years running — stop into the farm-restaurant’s no-reservations bakery-slash-café RPM Bakehouse (3839 Main St., Jordan).

Similar to the two-Michelin-starred restaurant, RPM leans on local purveyors and farm-grown veggies to make its incredible house-baked goods, chef-level sandwiches and smart small plates. Grab a mixed basket of pastries ($29), which includes buckwheat financiers, scones and croissants.

The local expert’s take: “When I lived in Paris, my friend and I would get taramasalata and bread from the boulangerie, crack the windows open and sit looking over the street with a cold glass of Chablis. When I went to RPM Bakehouse and saw their scallop roe paté, it shot me right back to that blissful Paris night.” —Teo Paul, chef-owner of Toronto’s Union, Grey County’s Hearts Tavern, and Hamilton’s Le Tambour Tavern.

Wild (and cuddly) experiences

From donkey picnics to ostrich feeding, Ontario is full of quirky and delightful animal encounters.

Cuddle with baby goats or highland cows

For a fraction of the cost of therapy, you can enjoy a mood-boosting snuggle with bouncing baby goats for $30 at Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life (906200 Township Rd 12, Bright), 90 minutes west of Toronto. More farm experiences include bonding time with mini highland cows, fibre crafts with alpacas, picnics with donkeys and goat yoga.

Feed an ostrich

Pull off Loyalist Parkway, the road leading into Prince Edward County, and pay $10 for a self-guided tour around Struisvogel Ranch (3555 County Rd. 3, Carrying Place), which specializes in raising ostriches. Feed and chat with the world’s largest birds, stand on an egg to prove that each can hold 485 pounds with breaking and, if you’re lucky, pet a newly hatched chick.

Wineries worth the trip

Wine country isn’t all fancy flights and pricey bottles. These unique spots are unlike any other in the province.

Beachfront sipping

Ontario’s only beachfront winery is Sprucewood Shores Estates (7258 Essex County Rd. 50, Amherstburg). Linger on the shaded patio, underneath vined pergolas by the pond, or at picnic tables overlooking the beach and enjoy a flight of four pours for $11 per person. If you’re looking to make a day of it, the best move is to get the beachfront experience ($56), which includes a pitcher of sangria and a picnic basket.

A value-packed wine tour

With Wines of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s tasting pass ($60), you get one weekday tasting at 25 wineries (including Reif Estate’s ice wines, Château des Charmes’s sparkling wines, or Marynissen’s smart Rieslings), and it’s valid for a full year.

The island getaway

Canada’s oldest commercial winery isn’t in the middle of rolling vineyards: it’s on an island. A ferry ($7.50) cruises you over to Pelee Island to relax in the outdoor garden and partake in a $20 tasting. The island also offers hiking and biking paths (island e-bike rentals start at $59), a lighthouse and a butterfly sanctuary.

Drive-ins to remember

Don’t spend your summer in an air-conditioned Cineplex — pile some friends in the car and catch old favourites and new releases under the stars.

The wine-country drive-in

Prince Edward County’s retro Mustang Drive-In shows movies all summer long on giant outdoor screens (1521 Prince Edward County Road 1, Bloomfield; there are also locations in Guelph and London). Tickets ($35) are good for a carload of people so bring family and friends and stop by for a double feature like “Toy Story 5” and “Hoppers,” or “Disclosure Day” and “Obsession.” BYO snacks or if you get really hungry, grab a taco party box from Rebel Taco on-site (4 tacos for $25).

Hollywood and vine

While the scenic vistas and tasting rooms make wine country enough of a draw on its own, Trius Winery (1249 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake) is turning the vineyard into a cinema this summer. Grab a blanket and a glass — $30 tickets include a glass of wine in a souvenir cup — and watch, say, “Mamma Mia” or “Coyote Ugly.”

Art in the open air

Appreciating the arts isn’t only an indoor pastime, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. There are free galleries — en plein air — all around the province.

Take an art-filled hike

In the Haliburton Highlands lies the Haliburton Sculpture Forest (297 College Drive, Haliburton), where over 40 sculpture and art huts, crafted by Canadian and international artists, are woven through a 1.4 km trail through the forest. Entry is by donation.

Visit an alfresco sculpture gallery

Behind Prince Edward County’s slick contemporary art space Oeno Gallery (2274 County Rd. 1, Bloomfield) is a three-acre sculpture garden filled with more than 100 grand and creative pieces (entry is free). A few feet away, Huff Estates Winery houses an excellent patio and pizza oven. Grab a glass there and explore the art.

Wander a waterfront art trail

Closer to home, in the recently opened Biidaasige Park, the new Lassonde Art Trail (39 Commissioners St., Toronto) is 4.2 kilometres of interconnected trails with 14 sculptures, which will rotate frequently to welcome in new artists. While it’s in the city limits, on the waterfront south of the Keating Channel in the Port Lands, it’s a trek for west enders, and definitely worth it. Reward yourself afterward with delicious wings ($16) at the nearby Keating Channel Pub & Grill.

The perfect picnic

Eating out adds up, but plenty of great restaurants and shops offer gourmet park-ready picnic boxes with everything you need for a rustic yet gourmet lunch on the ground. Just BYOB (blanket).

Nibbling in Niagara

The Niagara region is an agricultural paradise, so why not dine on its produce al fresco?

Pique-Nique (166 Russell Ave., St. Catharines) will pack a to-go picnic for two for $30, including cured meats, local cheeses, crunchy pickles, jams, fresh bread and crostini.

The local expert’s take: “Niagara is made for picnics,” said Pique-Nique owner Katy Hodgson. Not sure where to set up your basket? “In downtown St. Catharines, Montebello Park is stunning.” She loves the old pavilion and rose garden designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect behind Central Park.

For waterside nibbling, head to Lakeside Beach Park or Jaycee Gardens Park, which has “waterfront views but more of a tranquil vibe,” Hodgson said. “There are lots of mature trees and a bridge that takes you across the bay with views of Henley Island — you might catch a rowing race!”

Snack your way through Stratford

The Stratford Festival runs a direct bus ($42, round-trip) between downtown Toronto and the city’s main theatres. Catch a show and a deal: On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can see two shows for the price of one. You can also book in advance for pay-what-you-can pricing, or book same-day for 50 per cent off rush tickets.

While you’re there, snack your way through town by opting in to the Savour & Sip tasting pass ($40), which includes five vouchers valid at 38 stops. Redeem them for delicacies like sausage rolls at Black Angus Bakery, craft beers at Black Swan Brewing or preserves at Bradshaw’s Berry Farm.

Get Outside

Make the most of a hot Ontario summer by partaking in activities in the great outdoors.

Soak in thermal waters

Take the thermal waters at Prince Edward County’s swish Nordic spa, Wander The Spa (15841 Loyalist Pkwy, Bloomfield), which has a 10,000-square-foot thermotherapy circuit, beachfront saunas and a sunken fireside lounge. After 5 p.m., passes drop from $95 to $55 on weekends; Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays are $50.

Note: Wander’s indoor spa offering massages has been closed since April due to a fire but should reopen within weeks; the thermotherapy circuit is open.

Walk an Indigenous plant medicine trail

You can easily spend a full afternoon at The Royal Botanical Gardens, which spans 2,700 acres between Hamilton and Burlington and can be reached by taking the Go Train to Burlington and hopping on a route 1 bus; or a 30 minute bike ride from Aldershot Station.

There are rock gardens, waterfalls and a Medieval garden of plants used for tinctures and dyes. Explore the Indigenous medicines trail, built in collaboration with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, which weaves through the grounds and into the Cootes Paradise nature sanctuary, with stops along the way to learn how Anishinaabe peoples use the plants of the area.

Stop and smell the flowers

Break up a day at Clifton Hill or the falls with a trip to the (free!) Niagara Botanical Gardens (2565 Niagara River Pkwy., Niagara Falls). Ninety-nine acres of gardens are groomed to bloom with lush florals (80,000 of them) and sculptured shrubbery. The displays are spectacular all season long — daffodils and magnolias in the spring, roses and canna lilies in the summer, and chrysanthemums when the weather starts turning cool.