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This family vineyard boasts over five generations of wine-growing experience, with ancestral roots in Frances’s Alsace region. A tasting bar, shop, and splendid rose garden.

This city takes full advantage of Niagara Escarpment scenery. Nearby Blue Mountain, a high point of the escarpment before it dips to lake level at Collingwood, is Ontario’s best ski hill. At Scenic Caves Nature Adventures, walk Ontario’s longest suspension footbridge, set high in the treetops, or explore the limestone and ice caves.

Georgian Bay’s rugged landscape is characterized by the windswept rock and pine trees of the Canadian Shield. Thousands of islands – some just mounds of granite – dot the Bay; 59 of them make up the park. Access to the largest island, Beausoleil, with its hiking trails, sandy beaches, forest, and the largest variety of reptiles and amphibians of any national park in Canada, is via a 40-minute water taxi ride from the town of Honey Harbour.

Founded in 1827, this town on the shores of Lake Huron has a rich marine history and fine Victorian architecture. Its downtown streets radiate from an unusual octagonal “square,” at the center of which is the town hall (1890). The Huron County Museum has a superb collection of old farm equipment and military artifacts. Other stops of interest include the Huron Historic Gaol, a jail built 1839–42; an 1847 lighthouse; and a marine museum in an old lake freighter, open seasonally.

The city of Gravenhurst is a good base from which to explore the Muskoka region. It is also the point of departure for lake cruises aboard an 1887 steamship – the oldest operating steamship in North America. Stretching from Algonquin Park to Georgian Bay, Muskoka has over 1,600 lakes and rivers and is a fantastic summer destination. Hundreds of beaches offer excellent swimming opportunities; boats can be rented at launches throughout the region; outfitters organize canoe trips to secluded areas.

Along with estate tours and tastings, Hillebrand hosts specialty events, such as wine country cycling tours (May to October) and an icewine festival (January).

One of Ontario’s oldest quality vineyards, established in 1975 and famous for its icewines, has guided and self-guided tours. The shop and tasting bar are in a 1920s barn.

One of the most technologically advanced facilities in the region. Tours and tastings.

This world-renowned refuge for migrating birds, especially waterfowl, has been recognized by the United Nations as a biosphere reserve. Formed over thousands of years by sand washed from Lake Erie’s shoreline, the 25-mile (40-km) sand spit has white sand beaches; the lake’s shallow depth ensures warm water throughout the swimming season. Spring and fall are excellent for bird-watching; miles of trails through dunes, forests, wetlands, and grasslands can be enjoyed year-round. Campsites are equipped with showers, laundry facilities, and electrical hook-up.

In a region known primarily for its white wines, this organic vineyard produces excellent reds. A tasting room is set amid huge production tanks.