Southwestern Ontario

While this region is perhaps best known for its importance to Canada's high-tech industry, there are also many tourist attractions and events both in and outside the urban areas of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

Kitchener-Waterloo's Oktoberfest celebrates the region's strong German heritage with a nine-day festival, the largest of its kind in the world (outside of Bavaria).

The town of St. Jacobs is an ideal travel destination, for its tourism-focused main street shops, its Mennonite heritage and the ever-growing permanent Farmers Market located just outside of town.

Wellington County is where you'll find the heart of Grand River Country.  Explore the small town shops of Fergus, Erin and Minto.  Float down the majestic Elora Gorge.  Take in the acclaimed summer festivals in Guelph's beautiful Riverside Park.

Perth County is home to Stratford and the Stratford Festival - certainly one of the most prominent arts festivals in all of Canada.  Other regional attractions include the beautiful limestone buildings of the town of St. Mary's, home of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and the region's historical focus on agriculture means many opportunities for fresh and organic food and produce in the county's Farmers Markets.

Huron County and its county seat of Goderich make up much of the travel region known as "Ontario's West Coast", lying along the western shores of Lake Huron. This region is home to many fascinating features and attractions, from Canada's largest drag racing facility, to an ice sculpture gallery, to historical marine museums.

Dufferin County has a lot more to offer the day tripper than just its close proximity to Toronto. In the county seat Orangeville there's the Farmer's Market, the town's collection of tree sculptures, the scenic Credit Valley Explorer Tour Train ride, and much more!

Grey County sits on the shores of Georgian Bay, and boasts some of the finest trout fishing in Canada.  The city of Owen Sound is the gateway to a countryside filled with outdoor adventures and quiet getaways.

Bruce County, occupying all of the Bruce Peninsula separating Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, has long been a tourist haven.  The town of Wiarton is known for "Wiarton Willie", the albino groundhog who predicts the weather each February 2nd.  In summer, the town's perfect bay sees hundreds of pleasure boats off on expeditions up and down the coast.

Sauble Beach is a quiet family-oriented lakeside town with seven miles of pristine beaches, the largest of all of the beaches on the Bruce Peninsula.  The town of Tobermory is known as one of the world's best fresh-water diving locations, with many unfortunate yet fascinating shipwrecks from previous centuries.