Our Senior Product Manager, Gary Worthington, has just returned from a whirlwind FAM trip through Ontario, from the trade show floor of Rendezvous Canada in Toronto to the thunder and spray of Niagara Falls.
Between baseball under an open retractable roof, a helicopter sweep over Horseshoe Falls and an afternoon among the vineyards of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Gary's seen (and felt) pretty much everything this corner of Canada has to offer. Here are the moments that stood out most.
I landed in Toronto with barely enough time to drop my bags before finding myself at the Rogers Centre, watching the retractable dome peel back for the first time all season — an early-summer sky opening over the infield, with the CN Tower standing sentry beyond the outfield wall. For a downtown stadium of this calibre, the ticket prices were pleasantly surprising, and with games taking place throughout the season, it's an easy evening to add to a Toronto itinerary.
Rendezvous Canada, the country's flagship travel trade show, was the reason for the trip, but Toronto made its own case as a destination long before the first meeting began.
A city tour paired with a Lake Ontario cruise proved an efficient introduction. A loop past the CN Tower, St Lawrence Market and Casa Loma, before a short crossing to the Toronto Islands, where the skyline arranges itself into a cinematic backdrop against the water. It's easy to see why it features so prominently in Ontario itineraries.
The trade show's opening event, held at the CN Tower, offered another perspective after dark. Glass-floored elevators carried us to the observation level, where Toronto stretched out beneath us in a grid of lights reaching all the way to Lake Ontario.
Three days of meetings and networking followed before the show closed in style at the Royal Ontario Museum, a striking building of crystalline angles and heritage stonework, well worth the visit before you've even reached the exhibits.
No Ontario itinerary is complete without Niagara, and the region has spent recent years reinventing what a falls visit can mean beyond the postcard shot.
Niagara Parks Power Station is the sleeper hit. A former hydro-electric plant turned museum, telling the story of how the falls' raw force was harnessed to power homes across Ontario and New York State, punctuated by a Tesla coil that conjures loud musical notes from nothing but electricity. The main event is a 180-foot glass-walled descent into the old tunnels, ending at a platform at the foot of Horseshoe Falls, a vantage most visitors never reach.
Niagara Takes Flight, the region's newest attraction, is a slick 4D simulator sweeping from the base of the falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake in a seven-minute flight with wind, spray and scent effects thrown in.
Two experiences stood clear above the rest.
Niagara Helicopters. Lifting a couple of thousand feet above the river delivers a bird's-eye perspective that reframes everything seen at ground level. The ten-minute flight traces the gorge from the Whirlpool, past the American and Bridal Falls, to a final sweep over Horseshoe Falls, the single best vantage point in the region.
Journey to the Falls. This famous boat cruise to the base of Horseshoe Falls remains one of the great Canadian tourism experiences. Boarding opposite the American Falls, the vessel eases past Bridal Falls before nosing into the plunge pool at the foot of Horseshoe Falls, where sound and spray arrive as a single physical sensation. You will get soaked. It is entirely worth it.
After two days of surging water, a thirty-minute drive north to Niagara-on-the-Lake offered a change of key. This is a town built for slow afternoons. Lunch at the Prince of Wales Hotel, then time to drift through boutiques with Lake Ontario and Toronto's distant skyline on the horizon.
The surrounding countryside is home to one of Canada's most significant wine regions, and several estates welcome visitors for tours and tastings. At Chateau des Charmes, knowledgeable guides walked us through vineyards known especially for icewine, a rare, intensely sweet wine made from grapes left to freeze on the vine before harvest.
A Niagara Falls day trip from Toronto, complete with an included boat cruise, is an excellent choice if time does not allow for an overnight stay, ensuring you do not miss one of Canada's most iconic natural wonders.
A Niagara Parks Pass bundles several attractions, including the Power Station and Niagara Takes Flight. It's worth adding to any multi-night Niagara stay.
The new Hyatt Regency on Fallsview Boulevard offers direct views over Horseshoe Falls, with the STK restaurant on-site also overlooking the falls.
The falls are illuminated nightly, with fireworks at 10pm. It's worth building into any evening itinerary.
For a static, uninterrupted view, the top of the Skylon Tower is hard to beat.
For close-up, ground-level views, the Niagara Parkway at Table Rock remains the best free vantage point in the park.
Ask your travel agent to contact Lusso and together we will create a bespoke luxury itinerary to experience Canada. Our latest travel brochures are a good place to start, along with any current special offers on our website.
