Ontario likes to think it dominates the travel conversation in Canada with top attractions like Niagara Falls and the CN Tower, and maybe it does through sheer demographics, but there’s more to visit in the province beyond the obvious tourist traps. Ontario is filled with weirder, quieter and more interesting oddities than you can imagine. Here are three lesser-known stops that show the province’s offbeat side.
Relive the Cold War in the Diefenbunker
Buried in the sleepy town of Carp, just west of Ottawa, is one of Canada’s most fascinating Cold War relics: the Diefenbunker. Built in secret during the 1960s as a fallout shelter for government officials (including Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, hence the nickname), it’s now a national historic site and one of the quirkiest museums in the country.
Constructed four storeys underground, this concrete labyrinth is a perfectly preserved time capsule of mid-century paranoia, complete with war rooms, blast doors and rotary phones waiting for the atomic attack that never came. Walking through it feels like you’re on the set of a Cold War thriller, except it’s all real.
An especially fun way to experience the museum is through a thrilling escape room game organized by Escape Manor that transforms the bunker into a giant playground.
Ontario has its own badlands? Head to Caledon!
When you think of Ontario’s natural beauty, you immediately think of vast vistas of forests and lakes, especially if you’ve spent any time driving across the northern parts of the province, but there’s much more to discover. The Cheltenham Badlands in Caledon are a perfect example.
This rolling, rust-red landscape looks more like the surface of Mars than something you’d find an hour’s drive from Toronto.
Formed by erosion and made striking by their iron-rich soil, these exposed hills were once farmland until overgrazing revealed the undulating terrain beneath. It has since been designated as a conservation area that visitors can explore via an elevated boardwalk that winds around the fragile formations.
It’s a quick stop, but one that leaves a lasting impression, especially when the afternoon light hits the undulating landscape just right.
https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca/attractions/cheltenham-badlands
Discover Thunder Bay’s towering secret, the Kakabeka Falls
Just 30 kilometers west of Thunder Bay, Kakabeka Falls proves that Niagara doesn’t hold a monopoly on spectacular waterfalls in the province. At 40 meters high, this thundering cascade on the Kaministiquia River has earned the nickname “Niagara of the North,” but that comparison actually sells it short. The wild, untamed character of these falls is something its famous southern cousin lost to mass tourism long ago.
The falls plunge over ancient rock formations in a dramatic display that was carved by thousands of years of rushing water. What makes Kakabeka particularly striking is how it sits within pristine boreal forest, surrounded by hiking trails that let you experience the falls from multiple angles, from the spray-soaked base to panoramic overlooks where you can feel the power of the cascading water rumble in your chest.
The falls are worth visiting any time of year, but are at their most spectacular during the spring runoff when snowmelt swells the river into a roaring torrent. During the wintertime, the partially frozen falls create otherworldly ice sculptures that photographers love.
https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/kakabekafalls
