Road Shows: a wanderluster’s guide to bucolic cultural day trips

Road Shows: a wanderluster’s guide to bucolic cultural day trips

(Image: Map by Aleksandar Janicijevic)

 

elora-badge

The Elora Festival features a lineup of jazz and classical concerts in an open-air barn near Guelph. July 10 to 26, 136 Metcalfe St., Elora.
 1.5-hr drive
Pit stop: The carrot-hued Cheltenham Badlands off the Bruce Trail, now sadly only viewable from a distance.

Gravenhurst
The Tree Museum showcases art designed to live beneath a leafy Muskoka canopy. 1634 Doe Lake Rd., Gravenhurst.
 2-hr drive
Pit stop: A crème brûlée milkshake at Ice Dreams Soda Shop in Bala.

Millbrook
4th Line Theatre stages new Canadian dramas on a creekside farm. June 30 to August 29, The Winslow Farm, Millbrook.
 1.5-hr drive
Pit stop: The 300-foot Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge in Ferris Provincial Park.

Aylmer
The JamJam Forest Festival transforms a woodsy treescape into a hippie indie music commune. Sept. 5, Springwater Conservation Area, Aylmer.
 2-hr drive
Pit stop: A tour of Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese in Woodstock.

Niagara
Jackson-Triggs’ moonlit amphitheatre welcomes Sam Roberts Band, Stars and Joel Plaskett. June 12 to Sept. 11, 2145 Niagara Stone Rd., Niagara.
 1.5-hr drive
Pit stop: A trolley ride through the vines at Small Talk Vineyards.

prince-edward-county
Hayloft Dancehall features honky-tonk hoedowns and indie concerts all summer long. From May 15, 311 Salmon Point Rd., Picton.
 2.5-hr drive
Pit stop: Fresh local asparagus from Greenridge Farms’ roadside stand.