The Atlas Obscura Guide To Ontario

160 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Ontario

Updated August 30, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Ontario

The Bilio-Mat

Toronto, Ontario

The Monkey's Paw

A book collector's dream, this Toronto bookstore has the world's first "Biblio-Mat," a random book vending machine.

The Winter Garden Theatre.

Toronto, Ontario

Winter Garden Theatre

A botanically themed auditorium blooms within the world’s last operating double-decker theater.

View of Casa Loma from the garden

Toronto, Ontario

Casa Loma

A 98-room castle in the middle of Toronto that bankrupted a 19th century electricity multimillionaire.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Toronto, Ontario

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

One of Canada's most incredible rare book collections holds hundreds of thousands of gorgeous tomes that the general public can touch.

This peacock was part of the 2017 holiday show. Its tail feathers are made from kalanchoe and echeveria.

Toronto, Ontario

Allan Gardens Conservatory

The Victorian-era greenhouse is stuffed with tropical plants, and open 365 days a year.

You could fit a lot of Ninja Turtles in there.

Toronto, Ontario

Sewers of Toronto

A well-preserved network of cavernous tunnels have spent silent centuries removing Toronto's waste.

Extinct woolly rhino skull.

Toronto, Ontario

SkullStore Oddity Shop

A collection of human remains, animal body parts, and other macabre curiosities all legally for sale.

The Grotto

Tobermory, Ontario

The Bruce Peninsula Grotto

This natural sea cave hides a small wonderland of natural turquoise beauty.

See All 160 Things To Do in Ontario

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Ontario

Maple syrup bottle.

Saint Jacobs, Ontario

Maple Syrup Museum of Ontario

This quaint museum taps into the sweet history of the maple syrup industry.

Toronto, Ontario

Redpath Sugar Refinery Museum

In the back of a bustling factory lurks a quiet museum honoring the history of Canadian sugar manufacturing.

Cream of fiddlehead and broccoli soup.

Ohsweken, Ontario

Yawékon by Chef Tawnya Brant

This Haudenosaunee restaurant is a delicious tribute to indigenous cuisine.

Colborne, Ontario

The Big Apple

This giant roadside fruit is home to an array of apple-based treats.

See all 7 Places to Eat in Ontario

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Stories About Ontario

These Intrepid Surfers Chill Out Riding the Great Lakes' Wintry Waves

Stressing the need for proper gear and training, members of this close-knit community say their sport gets them through the long, cold season.

by Eden Arielle Gordon

February 23, 2023

The calm waters of McGreevy Harbor, in the Slate Islands, belie a violent meteorite strike 450 million years ago that led to the archipelago's formation.

These Tranquil Canadian Islands Are Remnants of a Violent Space Rock Impact

Lake Superior's Slate Islands are home to what's likely the world's largest shatter cone, evidence of an explosive event 450 million years ago.

by Demetria Dickinson

September 20, 2022

Lake Superior batters a Minnesota shoreline.

Are the Great Lakes Really Inland Seas?

Well, yes. And no. Actually, it depends on where you stand, in more ways than one.

by Gemma Tarlach

"The Perfect Little Ladies" was a social club of single women in Rochester, New York, who chose friendship and careers over marriage and motherhood. They loved exploring the outdoors and several of them bought islands in Georgian Bay in the early 1900s.

A Paradise for Single Ladies

These adventurous turn-of-the-century women announced their independence by buying their own islands in Ontario's Georgian Bay.

Canoes are the traditional vehicles for gathering wild rice.

The Cross-Border Indigenous Battle for Wild Rice

In the Great Lakes region, what some consider a weed is actually a sacred seed.

February 12, 2020

An oil spill experiment from summer 2018.

Meet the Scientists Who Pollute Lakes on Purpose

For half a century, researchers have been spilling chemicals in the waters of northwestern Ontario.

by Chloe Williams

Kate Crooks, among the wildflowers.

In Ontario, a Quest to Rediscover the Work of a Groundbreaking 19th-Century Botanist

Who is Catharine McGill Crooks, and what happened to her specimen collection?

Listen up!

The Bat-Loving Naturalists Translating the Silent Language of the Night

Listen in as they swat away mosquitoes and brave a dark forest to eavesdrop on echolocation.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

August 20, 2018

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