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Marie - Ontario Wanderer

@msurlaroute

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Helping you plan Ontario getaways ✨
Weekend itineraries • Cozy stays • Small-town gems
2025 Travel Media Photography Award 🏆
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If you’re only planning one Ontario road trip this summer… you’re doing it wrong.

There are so many good ones, you just need the right route.

So I mapped out 7 road trips you can actually follow step-by-step, with the exact stops, hikes, viewpoints, and small towns worth pulling over for.

No endless Googling. No “what do we do next?” moments. Just solid, well-planned itinerary!

Inside you’ll find:
 • Thousand Islands + Kingston • Muskoka, Algonquin + Haliburton • Sault Ste. Marie + Thunder Bay • Belleville + Prince Edward County • Collingwood + waterfalls • Bruce County + the Peninsula • Peterborough + the Kawarthas

Save this now so you don’t waste another summer weekend figuring it out later 👀

And follow for more Ontario getaways you can actually plan.

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#ontarioroadtrips #ontariotravel #exploreontario #ontariogetaway
r taken in Ontario, Canada by @msurlaroute

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7 months ago

Ottawa has this quiet superpower that most people overlook. Within two hours, you can be walking along a UNESCO canal, standing on a lookout over a lake, or eating the best pizza of your life on a patio beside a waterfall.

And yet somehow, most people spend their weekends doing the same thing in the city when all of this is sitting right outside their door.

Scroll through to see my list of nine day trips, all under two hours from Ottawa. One of them might end up becoming your new regular.

Which one is going on your list first? Drop the name below 👇

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#exploreontario #ontariotravel #ottawaweekend #daytrip #ontariogetaway taken in Ottawa, Ontario by @msurlaroute

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5 months ago

If someone asked me where to spend a weekend in Ontario, these are the small towns I’d recommend again and again. 🤍

Not because they’re the biggest or the most famous, but because every time I visit, I leave wanting to come back!

Inside this guide, you’ll find more than just towns, I’ve included my favourite coffee shops, restaurants, experiences, and little tips to help you plan your visit.

I hope it makes planning your next Ontario road trip just a little easier. 🚗🍁

Which of these towns have you already visited, and which one is next on your list? I’d love to know! 👇

💛 Save this guide for the next time you’re planning a weekend getaway.

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#OntarioTravel #OntarioRoadTrip #ExploreOntario #OntarioCanada #SmallTownOntario taken in Ontario, Canada by @msurlaroute

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3 months ago

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2 days ago

Some weekends I want the beautiful hotel room and dinner downstairs. Other weekends, I’m very happy bringing my own bedding if it means waking up in a little cabin by the river. Anyone else? 😂🤍

For the final stop on our @orillialakecountry Road Trip, we’re visiting Rama, home to the Chippewas of Rama First Nation @ramafirstnation. And I have two very different stays to share with you.

@casinoramaresort is the one for when you want to check in and have everything close by. I loved the room, but that pool definitely deserves some attention too. You could easily spend a good part of your stay relaxing before getting ready for dinner and a night out, all without leaving the resort.

I had a delicious meal at @matchpublichouse, and between the casino and the shows, there’s plenty to make an evening of it. Make time for the boutiques, too, including @thegatheringplacerama, and keep an eye out for souvenirs made by Indigenous artists.

But if you’re craving some time outside, wait until you see the view from my cabin at @blackriverwildernesspark. 🌿

The cabins are rustic, and you’ll need to bring your own essentials, including bedding and pillows. For me, being able to have my morning coffee overlooking the river was a big part of the appeal. I could happily spend a long time right there.

There’s also a detail I loved: easels set up along the trails overlooking the river. Bring your paints and a canvas, find a spot you like and spend the afternoon painting. How cute is that? You can also choose a campsite or yurt if that’s more your style.

📍 Day 4 of 4: Rama First Nation

And that’s our Orillia & Lake Country Road Trip! All four regional Reels are now up, so you can put together your own getaway using your favourite stops.

Which stay would you choose: the resort or the river cabin? 👀

#OrilliaLakeCountry #RamaFirstNation #CasinoRama #OntarioGetaway #ontarioroadtrip taken in Rama, Ontario by @msurlaroute

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4 days ago

🍂 GIVEAWAY 🍂 Your next fall getaway could be on us!

I’ve teamed up with @explorewaterlooregion and their partners to give you and your favourite travel buddy a little Waterloo Region escape, with a hotel stay, something toward dinner, and two fun stops along the Fields & Flavours Trail. 🎃

Here’s what you could win:

🛏️ A one-night stay in a standard room at @deltawaterloo 🍴 A $50 gift card to @abe_erb 🎃 Two general admission tickets to @benjamintreefarm 🌽 Two general admission tickets to @snydersfarm

Now, who are you bringing? 👀

HOW TO ENTER:
 1️⃣ Follow @msurlaroute, @explorewaterlooregion, @deltawaterloo, @abe_erb, @benjamintreefarm, and @snydersfarm.
 2️⃣ Tag your getaway buddy in the comments. Each separate comment tagging a different friend counts as one entry.

3️⃣ Share this post to your Stories for an extra entry each time! Tag @msurlaroute so I can keep track.

Entries close Sunday, October 18 2026, at 11 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner will be contacted directly by @explorewaterlooregion .

The prize must be used by October 31, 2026, so make sure you and your travel buddy can squeeze in a fall escape before the month ends!

Good luck! 🤎

Ad | In partnership with @explorewaterlooregion

#ExploreWR #StayCurious #FieldsFlavours #OntarioGiveaway #OntarioGetaways taken in Waterloo, Ontario by @msurlaroute

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7 days ago

If you also consider trying a new coffee shop a vacation activity, I think you’ll like Orillia. And we should probably travel together. ☕️

For day three of our @orillialakecountry Road Trip, we’re spending some time downtown, and my advice is to give yourself more than a quick coffee stop.

I loved being able to wander into the local boutiques, check out the art and take my time browsing. There were plenty of cute cafés to choose from, too. I’ve put my favourites in the Reel so you can find your own excuse for a second coffee break. 🤍

The food deserves some attention here. @thehogandpenny was a delicious lunch stop, and they often have live music, which is always a good reason to stick around. For dinner, @fare.restaurant felt a little more special, with beautiful views over the lake. Definitely one to save if you’re planning a date night away.

While you’re there, take a walk around @leacockmuseum, the former home of Canadian writer and humourist Stephen Leacock. I couldn’t go inside the museum during my visit, but I still enjoyed exploring the grounds. It’s such a beautiful spot by the water.

And please leave your evening open for @coochcruises. This new experience is run by the loveliest mother-daughter duo, and getting out on Lake Couchiching at sunset was such a highlight. A drink on the water after a day of exploring? I was very happy with that plan. 🌅

📍 Day 3 of 4: Orillia

Send this to your getaway buddy and save it for a weekend when you need a little time away.

And if you are loving this series, we’ve got one more region to explore! 🚗

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#OrilliaLakeCountry #Orillia #DowntownOrillia #OntarioGetaway #OntarioRoadTrip taken in Orillia, Ontario by @msurlaroute

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8 days ago

An entire weekend built around apple picking, pumpkins, and good food? You really don’t have to ask me twice. 🍎🍂

I spent a fall weekend exploring Waterloo Region’s Fields & Flavours Trail, a self-guided trail connecting local farms, markets, and food stops. You pick what sounds fun and build your own getaway, which, in my case, meant making quite a few stops.

I started at Cambridge Farmers’ Market, because fall is my favourite time to browse a market. Then it was off to Downey’s Apple Farm for some apple picking before stopping nearby at Good Family Pumpkins.

And this little family farm had something I wasn’t going to pass up: pick-your-own flowers! So yes, there was a bouquet coming home with me too. 💐

The pumpkin search continued at Benjamin Tree Farm, with so many shapes, colours, and sizes to choose from. Then Snyder’s Family Farm turned into a whole afternoon of hayrides, food, and exploring, with a campfire experience you can add for your own fire pit and s’mores. A pretty lovely excuse to sit down and stay a little longer.

I made a weekend of it with dinner at Abe Erb, a local craft brewery in Uptown Waterloo, a stay at Delta Hotels Waterloo, and breakfast at their on-site restaurant, Proof Kitchen + Lounge.

What I liked most was getting to meet some of the people behind these places. Following the trail gave me a reason to stop at farms I might otherwise have driven past—and those little discoveries are always my favourite part of a road trip.

Swipe through for the stops, then pick your favourites and plan your own Fields & Flavours weekend. 🎃

💛 Save this guide + send it to your road-trip person.

Ad | In partnership with @explorewaterlooregion

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#ExploreWR #StayCurious #FieldsFlavours #OntarioRoadTrip #OntarioGetaways taken in Waterloo, Ontario by @msurlaroute

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9 days ago

Apparently, my ideal getaway involves a spa robe AND a zip-line harness. Just a few hours apart. 😂🌿

Oro-Medonte Township was day two of our @orillialakecountry Road Trip, and if you’re travelling with someone who has a very different idea of a fun day, save this one.

You want to spend the morning between pools and saunas? There’s @vettanordicspa , easily one of the most beautiful spas I’ve visited. Your travel buddy wants a little adrenaline? There’s @treetoptrekking . Personally, I was very happy doing both, even if leaving the spa took a little convincing.

@quaylesbrewery is worth leaving yourself extra time for, too. I went for lunch and delicious beer, but also got to join a hop harvest tour! Check their activity calendar before you go; you might find something fun to plan your visit around. 🍻

And if you’re bringing the kids, keep @horseshoeresort ’s activity pass in mind: scenic chairlift rides, mini golf, a climbing wall and more to keep everyone busy.

A couple more things to save: @hqtaphouse Golf for dinner (pickle lovers, order the pickle Caesar!), and @carriageridgeresort , where I stayed, was central to all these stops.

📍 Day 2 of 4: Oro-Medonte

Who are you bringing, and are you heading straight to the spa or into the trees? 👀

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#OrilliaLakeCountry #OroMedonte #OntarioGetaway #OntarioRoadTrip #ExploreOntario taken in Oro-Medonte by @msurlaroute

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10 days ago

There’s something about a good coffee shop that makes me want to plan an entire road trip around it. Especially in the fall. ☕🍂

Give me a colourful drive, a cute small town, somewhere to wander for a couple of hours and a really good coffee somewhere in the middle of it all, and I’m happy.

So I went back through some of my favourite coffee stops around Ontario and gave this guide a little fall update, including a few new favourites I discovered on recent road trips.

And because I will never tell you to drive two hours just for a latte, I’ve paired every coffee shop with something nearby so you can turn each stop into a proper fall day trip.

Basically, come for the coffee and stay for the road trip. 🍂

☕ Save this for your next fall drive + send it to your coffee person.

And please tell me: what Ontario coffee shop am I still missing? I clearly need material for Part 2. 😂

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#OntarioCoffee #OntarioFall #OntarioRoadTrips #OntarioGetaways #ExploreOntario by @msurlaroute

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11 days ago

Coldwater is officially making my list of the cutest small towns I’ve visited in Ontario. 👀🤍

And when you add a beautiful stay by the water in nearby Port Severn, you’ve got a getaway worth saving.

For the first stop in my @orillialakecountry Road Trip series, we’re exploring Severn Township, and this day had so many of my favourite things.

Coffee at @_emscafe, which came highly recommended by the locals, followed by browsing downtown boutiques, checking out the art and getting outside for a walk on the Uthoff Trail. Nothing complicated, just time to enjoy somewhere new.

Then there was lunch at @4agefood, right on the water, where I had the best brisket I’ve ever eaten!

Over in Port Severn, I immediately fell in love with @tradingpostcabin. Definitely one for your coffee-shop list. ☕️

And @rawleyresort was such a beautiful way to turn the day into an overnight. I stayed in a waterside loft, with a gorgeous view, a pool, sauna and hot tub to enjoy, and dinner right onsite at Lighthouse45. Give yourself time for this part, you’ll want to enjoy the stay too.

📍 Day 1 of 4: Severn Township : Coldwater & Port Severn

Save this for your next Ontario getaway + send it to someone who loves a small-town adventure.

More of the series is coming soon! 🚗

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#OrilliaLakeCountry #SevernOntario #ColdwaterOntario #PortSevern #ontariogetaway taken in Severn, Ontario by @msurlaroute

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15 days ago

I think there are two kinds of people when planning a getaway: the people who want to be out exploring from morning until night… and the people who see a private sauna and immediately cancel the rest of the itinerary.

I am very capable of being both, but lately I’ve become a BIG fan of booking stays where relaxing is actually part of the plan.

Give me a cabin in the woods, a sauna, a hot tub, maybe a cold plunge I’ll spend 20 minutes convincing myself to get into… and suddenly I’m perfectly happy having absolutely nowhere else to be.

And Ontario has some REALLY good stays for exactly that.

Some have their own private little spa setup, others give you access to a full spa experience, and a few just happen to combine a ridiculously cozy stay with a sauna or hot tub in the woods.

So I went through some of my favourite stays and pulled together 8 Ontario getaways with SERIOUS spa vibes. 🧖‍♀️✨

Basically: save this one for the next time you decide you need a weekend that involves a robe and very few responsibilities. 😂

Which one would you book first? 👀

🇫🇷 La version française est dans les commentaires.

#OntarioGetaways #OntarioTravel #OntarioCabins #OntarioSpa #exploreontario taken in Ontario, Canada by @msurlaroute

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16 days ago