Ontario travelers choose from 61 Best Western hotels.

Ottawa
Canada's Capitol Region

With the sight of over a million tulips blooming across Canada’s Capital Region, you know spring has arrived in Ottawa and central Ontario. Now celebrating the 60th year, the Canadian Tulip Festival has become a springtime ritual in Ottawa. The season to get outside has begun. Ottawa race weekend brings the world's elite racers to Ontario in May for Ottawa Race Weekend, with the Ottawa Fringe Festival, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival and outdoor Ottawa Jazz Festival following through the spring and summer. Outside the Capital Region, events liven up central Ontario’s communities from Bancroft’s Annual Rockhound Gemboree to Cornwall's Lift-Off Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Nothing signals spring in Ottawa like the Canadian Tulip Festival. 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the festival, with over 50 varieties blooming across Ottawa and Gatineau. Visit Commissioners Park and follow the tulip route along the Rideau Canal, to witness the colourful tulip in bloom. Festivities are held May 4th through the 21st, with performances, lectures and live concerts across the Capital Region.

The 2012 Ottawa race weekend is May 26th and 27th, bringing elite runners and fitness enthusiasts to one of Canada’s premier sporting events – The Ottawa Marathon. Race Weekend events include the marathon, half-marathon, wheelchair marathon, along with a 10K, 5K, 2K and the finish of the Y kids marathon. Marathon weekend includes events for active visitors and plenty of fun and festivities for supporters and fans.

June brings a variety of festivals to Canada’s capital city, including the Ottawa Fringe Festival and Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. June 16th through the 26th artists and audiences invade the city for fringe’s unrestricted artistic expression. Venues range from Academic Hall and Studio Leonard-Beaulne at the University of Ottawa, to Bring Your Own Venues in the parking top Hi-Ottawa Jail Hostel, Café Alt and Luna’s Place. Enjoy the latest cutting edge entertainment at the Ottawa Fringe Festival.

Music Fans plan your getaway to the 2012 TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival. Set for June 21st through July 1st, Ottawa’s Confederation Park host’s performances by Ninety Miles on June 22nd, Trombone Shorty on June 25th and Chris Botti accompanied by the National Arts Centre Orchestra, on June 29th - to name just a few. With an amazing line-up, jazz fans don’t miss the summer Ottawa Jazz Festival.

Take advantage of spring and summer to visit Cornwall and the Seaway Valley. At the north end of Ontario’s Waterfront Trail Recreational Path, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy over 100 km of trail, following the path of the St. Lawrence River. An ideal destination to enjoy hiking, bicycling or strolling along the river, visit Gananoque, Brockville or Cornwall, hit the path and enjoy.

July brings Ontario’s only hot air balloon festival, the Kinsmen Cornwall Lift–Off Hot Air Balloon Festival. The 2012 events run July 12th through the 15th in Cornwall’s Lamoureux Park. Along with the breathtaking sight of brilliantly coloured hot air balloons lifting off, festivities include live entertainment and fireworks. Enjoy a 2012 summer getaway to Central Ontario!

Toronto Skyline

From the Oshawa Peony Festival to Brampton’s Art of Jazz Global Jazz Festival and Toronto’s GoodLife Fitness Marathon, south to Hamilton's Spring Tulip Classic – Festival of Dance, warm weather and festival season is here in the greater Toronto area. With must-see attractions from the spectacular views from atop the CN tower to the thousand-pound crocodile at Reptilia in Concord, plan your getaway carefully to geteverything in. Don’t miss CN Towers' newest attraction, the Edge Walk – the 2012 season opens in May. Also the season for a walk, run or bike ride on Toronto’s Islands and a visit to Centreville Amusement Park.

Serious runners set your marks for the 2012 Toronto Marathon, Sunday May 6th. Over 14,000 runners converge on Toronto representing 45 countries from across the globe. Events include the marathon, half marathon and 5k races, along with a relay. The marathon course is a point to point, with the finish in downtown Toronto’s Queen’s Park. Join the excitement of this world-class event in the dynamic city of Toronto.

Thanks to tremendous growth and popularity, the Spring Dancesport Challenge has expanded to the Hamilton Convention Centre, and changed names to the Spring Tulip Classic – Festival of Dance. The 2012 North American Show Dance Championships come to Hamilton, May 18th through the 20th. With multiple dance floors and a full schedule of events, dance enthusiasts will compete for top honours in their specialties and attend workshops as well. Come cheer on your favourite dancers, the talent is amazing.

Not your typical beach destination; Toronto, however hosts the 2012 Beach BBQ & Brews Festival, June 15th through the 17th. Held in northeast Toronto's Woodbine Park, this is a great place to take Dad for Father's Day. Beach BBQ & Brews is free, the BBQ delicious and there is plenty of entertainment including live music and a kid’s area. Get some BBQ tips from the pros, enjoy a beer and browse the craft vendors for a full weekend of fun, food and entertainment.

Oshawa, less than an hour east of Toronto on Ontario Highway 401, is home to the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens and North America’s largest contemporary peony collection. Late spring, the city hosts the Oshawa Peony Festival in honour of its prize collection. A sure sign springtime has come; the 2012 festival is June 16th and 17th - enjoy a beautiful weekend outdoors viewing over 300 varieties of peonies, listening to live music and enjoying cultural performances.

The Oshawa Folk Arts Council presents one of Ontario’s most popular festivals, Fiesta Week. The 2012 Fiesta Week is June 17th to 23rd, when residents and visitors to the Durham Region are treated to a week-long multicultural festival. Appropriate for families, the week begins with the Fiesta Parade on Father’s Day. Memorial Park hosts the Fiesta Concert following the parade, kicking off a week of sampling food and entertainment from around the globe. Look for your favourite cuisine in pavilions set up across Oshawa.

Niagara Falls

Celebrate summer solstice in Ontario’s Niagara wine region. Over 35 of Ontario’s wineries join in the 2012 Niagara New Vintage Festival, the weekends of June 16th and 17th, and June 23rd and 24th. Events kick off with the TD Tailgate Party on the 16th, featuring a casual setting filled with farm-to-table cuisine, live entertainment and the best wines of the region. Continue your wine tour and discovery at vineyards across southern Ontario showcasing their wines with tastings and food pairings. From Ontario’s wine route to summer festivals, this is season to getaway and see southern Ontario’s sights.

Theater fans get ready for Shaw Festival 2012. Now featuring works on four stages, Niagara On The Lake hosts the festival April 10th through October 28th. Marking its 51st season, Shaw Festival continues to showcase the best in contemporary theatre, both past and present.

The Festival Theatre season includes performances of Ragtime, Present Laughter, and His Girl Friday. Among the shows at the Court House Theatre are Shaw’s The Millionairess, with the Royal George Theatre featuring Misalliance in its lineup. The Studio Theatre presents Helen’s Necklace, with shows July 15th through August 31st. Shaw enthusiasts can join the Shaw Symposium, a collaboration of the festival and the International Shaw Society, July 27th through the 29th.

Summer is the season for a thrilling Niagara Falls experience. View the falls from high above on a Niagara Helicopter or get a bit closer on the Whirlpool Aero Car, taking viewers near the Niagara Whirlpool via cable car. From late April or early May, enjoy a ride on the Niagara River past American Falls to the basin of the spectacular Horseshoe Falls or for the ultimate in Niagara tour excitement, board a Whirlpool Jet Boat Tour for a ride through the Class 5 rapids to the base of the falls. A dome for protection from the water is optional! Refresh yourself and your senses at Niagara Falls this summer.

Calling itself Canada’s premier World Music Festival, London’s TD Sunfest 2012 is July 5th through the 8th at Victoria Park. Festival admission is free, supported by Sunfest paid concerts scheduled throughout the year. Join fellow music fans for four days of outstanding world music, in London.

Close your summer with real serious fun at London’s 2012 Western Fair. From September 7th through the 16th, enjoy all the fun of a traditional country fair featuring livestock and agriculture exhibits, live entertainment, and amusement rides and games. Kids love kiddyland at the fair. Get the teenagers to compete in the youth talent search, while you enjoy some time in the Molson Music Garden.

For a quick summer getaway from the city, check out Orillia, located 90 minutes north of Toronto between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching, on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Canada Day is a great time to visit for a day of fun at Couchiching Beach with live music and handicrafts, along with fun and games for the kids. Stick around until dusk for the fireworks, topping off a full day of fun.

Pukaskwa National Park

Northern Ontario transforms into an outdoor paradise with summer season's long days and sunshine. Algonquin Provincial Park in the Near North comes to life as one of North America’s premier moose spotting habitats – visit May and June for prime viewing season - and don’t miss Thursday nights in August as crowds gather to listen to the wolves howling. Thunder Bay in Ontario’s Lake Superior North, celebrates the blues in July, while North Bay in Ontario’s Near North lets go in August at their Summer in the Park Festival. Or enjoy the raw beauty of Northern Ontario on a train ride through the Wilderness Region.

Music fans mark July 6 – 8 on your calendar for the 2012 Thunder Bay Blues Festival. This 11th anniversary event is held at Marina Park in Thunder Bay. The festival kicks off on Friday evening with Jonny Lang on stage, with Teceshci Trucks Band and .38 Special, headlining Saturday and Sunday’s lineups. Join friends for an exceptional Thunder Bay experience, filled with the magic of blues music, great food and warm summer days.

Thunder Bay closes summer with the 2012 Bay Street Film Festival, September 6th through 9th. A showcase for independent film, filmmakers from Northern Ontario, Canada, and the globe, gather for BSFF. Thunder Bay’s Finnish Labour Temple, now a community auditorium hosts screenings and event. The festival prides itself in screening films for the people, exposing audiences to cutting edge themes and topics, artfully explored through film. A must see for film buffs, join the festival to see the latest in independent film and interact with filmmakers and fellow fans.

Northern Ontario’s city of North Bay, situated northwest of Algonquin Provincial Park, is a commercial and cultural hub for the Near North region. North Bay’s location of the shores of Lake Nipissing brings summer days at the beach. Residents and visitors enjoy strolling on the boardwalk and bicycling or skating along Kate Pace Way.

Outdoor adventures around North Bay are abundant – check out Duchesnay Falls, the Sturgeon River and Algonquin Provincial Park – there are three entrances to the park near North Bay. Visit the Heritage Railway Company for a train ride, looping around North Bay’s waterfront. Don’t miss a ride on the North Bay Heritage Carousel and take note of the detail in the design and workmanship.

Celebrate the joys of summer at the 2012 North Bay Summer in the Park Festival, August 3rd through the 5th. Live music and entertainment are the main attraction, with daytime activities for everyone. Join friends and family for amusement rides, food vendors, face painting and fun.

Surrounded by Ontario’s wilderness, Cochrane is situated on Ontario’s east-west Highway 11. Home of the Polar Bear Express, visitors can ride through Ontario’s pristine Boreal Forest from Cochrane to Moosonee. Remember, there is no Saturday service in summer, and the 2012 schedule runs June 25th through August 31st. The Polar Bear Express is an ideal way to view Northern Ontario’s landscapes while enjoying live music and dining on the train.