Fall is such a beautiful time to travel through Ontario – the leaves turn red and gold, the air is crisp and fresh and every farm stand is overflowing with corn, squash, and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.
If you’re itching to leave the city to experience this fall wonderland, look no further than this guide to flavourful escapes, all of which are just a quick 90-minute drive from the GTA. Fall fiends, this one’s for you!
Read on or click below to jump directly to the destination that strikes your fancy:
- Farm adventures in Durham Region
- Weekend getaways in Peterborough & The Kawarthas
- A world of craveable flavours in Mississauga
Gather at the Farm in Durham Region
Located directly east of the GTA, Durham Region is a huge area that stretches eastward from Pickering to Newtonville, and northward from Lake Ontario to Beaverton on the shores of Lake Simcoe.
There is an overwhelming amount of fall goodness to be had in the area, but luckily, you can find a round-up of all the fall fun in Durham Region on the Gather at the Farm website. Grab your kiddos or your besties (or both!) and set the GPS for one of these twelve great fall farm adventures:
Pingle’s Farm Fall Harvest Festival
Where: 1805 Taunton Rd, Hampton, ON. (View Map)
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In September and October, Pingle’s Farm near Oshawa becomes a fall wonderland! The Fall Harvest Festival includes corn mazes, barnyard animals, wagon rides, and pick-your-own apples, corn, flowers, and pumpkins. After exploring the fields, treat yourself to something sweet or savoury, like flame-roasted corn or a fried apple sundae! You’ll be sure to find treats perfect for your tummy and the insta feed.
The best part? These folks are Feast On® certified so you can feel good knowing they’re growing and sourcing Ontario products.
Applewood Farm Winery Corn Maze
Where: 2055 Saintfield Rd, Sunderland, ON. (View Map)
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Applewood Farm & Winery has been producing unique, award winning fruit wines, cider and mead in Seagrave, ON for over 24 years. Starting on September 21, join them for fall fun, including a pumpkin patch, corn maze, wagon rides and more!
Brooks Farms Fall Fun Festival and Spooky Festival
Where: 122 Ashworth Rd, Mount Albert, ON. (View Map)
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Head north in Durham Region and you’ll encounter the Brooks Farms Fall Fun Festival in Mount Albert, which runs weekends in September and October. Enjoy delicious fall eats including homemade donuts and fresh cut fries. Check out pumpkin cannons, pig races, zip lines, corn maze, and even singing chickens!
Buzzing Bees Adventure Farm Corn Maze and Fall Activities
Where: 1070 Brock Concession Rd 5, Sunderland, ON. (View Map)
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Buzzing Bees Adventure Farm in Sunderland produces a variety of delicious products, including haskap (also known as Honeyberry or Blue Honeysuckle), maple syrup, and of course, honey! Their fall corn maze is a bit larger than 23 hockey rinks and takes months to prepare. Enjoy activities such as pumpkin bowling and tic-tac-toe, pedal karts, giant checkers, and more.
Castle Creek Farm Pick Your Own Pumpkins
Where: 1800 Farrow Ave, Newcastle, ON. (View Map)
Castle Creek Farm is a newly-established farm in Newcastle, ON. Pay them a visit on Saturdays or Sundays in October for pick-your-own pumpkins. You can even pose photos in front of their old Chevy after you pick your pumpkin!
Cooper’s CSA Farm and Maze
Where: 266 Ashworth Rd, Zephyr, ON. (View Map)
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The Cooper family has been farming for 7 generations and counting! Their farm in Zephyr, ON offers lots of fall-themed adventures, including pick-your-own pumpkins and a (non-scary) night corn maze under the stars. Don’t forget to stock up on pasture-raised meats, jams and jellies, maple syrup, and other goodies in their farm store.
Forsythe Family Farms October Harvest Festival
Where: 1025 Cragg Rd, Uxbridge, ON. (View Map)
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Forsythe Family Farms is located in the village of Greenbank in Scugog Township. Their October Harvest Festival has fun for the whole family, including farm trails and scavenger hunts, wagon rides, a play train, and of course, pumpkins!
Knox’s Pumpkin Farm Pick Your Own Pumpkins
Where: 6325 Enfield Rd, Hampton, ON. (View Map)
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Knox’s Pumpkin Farm, located just north of Oshawa, is a family-owned operation that traces its roots back to 1832! Enjoy “farmtastic” fall fun daily from September 21 to Hallowe’en. This is also a beautiful spot to take a few family photos for your holiday cards.
Linton’s Farm Market Kids Fall Activities
Where: 571 Raglan Rd E, Oshawa, ON. (View Map)
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Linton’s Farm in North Oshawa is the perfect spot for families to enjoy the fresh air and fall colours. Activities include corn bowling, a corn maze, the ‘Farmer 500’ tricycle track, a giant slide, and more. Don’t miss the pumpkin cannon shows every weekend in October! Plus, shop for just about every colour of pumpkin you can imagine.
Nature’s Bounty Farm Fall Activities
Where: 651 Scugog Line 2, Port Perry, ON. (View Map)
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Nature’s Bounty is a picturesque orchard with more than 20 varieties of high-quality apples, located near Port Perry, ON. Wander past the towering sunflower patch on your way to visit our flock of friendly sheep, say “hello” to the llama as you head to our corn maze and obstacle course, and don’t forget a wagon for your apples and pumpkins!
Watson Farms Fall Festival
Where: 2287 Durham Regional Hwy 2, Bowmanville, ON. (View Map)
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Watson Farms is an easily-accessible spot on Route 2 in Bowmanville, ON. Their fall activities include wagon rides, photo stations, access to the petting zoo and the Watsonland Playground, and lots of pick-your-own goodies (even PYO pears!). Don’t miss the huge fall market on September 7th, featuring food trucks and over 150 local vendors!
Willowtree Farm Pumpkin Palooza
Where: 975 Durham Regional Rd 21, Port Perry, ON. (View Map)
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Willowtree Farm in Port Perry has fun fall activities for the whole family! Take a wagon ride to check out the pumpkin patch, play pumpkin bowling or pumpkin golf, lose yourself in the tricky maze or take a walk through the Spooky Story Forest if you dare! Tickets include a free shot at the pumpkin cannon.
Looking for a list of Durham Region farm stores open in October? Click here to check it out.
*Bonus tip: If you want to see some fall colours on your way to the region, take Kingston Road/Route 2 out of Scarborough or Highway 7 out of Markham and prepare to ooh and ahh!
Spend a Wonderful Weekend in Peterborough & The Kawarthas
Peterborough & The Kawarthas is a great destination for peak fall cuteness – you’ll find foliage and pumpkin patches around every corner! This area is a pleasant 90-minute drive from Toronto, and there’s so much to see and do that you’ll definitely want to stay an extra day. Our recommendation? Book a cute place to stay, check out some of the Durham Region activities on your way to Peterborough & The Kawarthas, and make a weekend out of it!
Ready to hit the road? Here are a few weekend activities to inspire your planning:
Indigenously Infused Candle-Making Workshops
Available weekly; check the website or email for scheduling
Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario
Located north of Peterborough, Curve Lake First Nation is located on a beautiful peninsula with Buckhorn Lake on one side and Chemong Lake on the other. There, you’ll meet Robyn Ivory Pierson, the creator of Indigenously Infused. Workshops begin with a tour of the greenhouse and medicine wheel garden, where Robyn and her partner John grow the four Anishinaabe Sacred Medicines: tobacco, cedar, sage & sweetgrass. Together, these medicines are known as Mashkiki in anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe).
Tobacco from the garden serves as an offering while harvesting the medicines to create the candles. Next, you’ll head into the workshop to learn the art of candle-making and select the medicines to infuse into your candle. Enjoy this wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Ojibwe culture while you create your very own candle to take home!
Wanderlight Alpaca Experience
Available daily; check the website for scheduling
Lakefield, Ontario
The Wanderlight Alpaca Experience connects you with a curious and wondrous animal — the alpaca! After meeting the 12 alpacas in the herd, you’ll select a companion for your private, guided trail walk through the rolling hills of the farm. Intrepid visitors can also participate in an escape room-style outdoor game to find and free the imperiled alpacas that are hidden on somewhere on the grounds! Wanderlight Alpaca is suitable for children and folks of all ages (note that children aged 2-5 will be walking their alpaca with an adult).
Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour
Sept. 28-29, 10am-5pm each day
Peterborough, Ontario
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The Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour (KAST) is one of the longest continually running Studio Tours in Canada, and offers the public a chance to explore the work of the talented artists from across the Peterborough-Kawartha region.
Artists open up their working spaces to the public and share their artistic practice, connect with potential supporters and the community, while also promoting their work. This is a great opportunity to check out some fall colours, stop at some area cafés and restaurants (we’re lowkey obsessed with the pizza at the Night Kitchen and cappucinos from Black Honey), and explore beautiful art along the way. Use hashtag #KAST2024 to share your favourite pieces on social media.
Applefest at Lang Pioneer Village
October 6, 10am-4pm
Keene, Ontario
Tempt your taste buds with Applefest, a sweet event at Lang Pioneer Village! Come out to Lang for a colourful fall celebration of apples and the harvest. See the Cider Mill in full operation, enjoy historic demonstrations, apple treats, games and so much more.
The Norwood Fair
October 12-14, 9am-5pm daily
Norwood, Ontario
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Is there anything better than a small town fall fair? The Norwood Fair has been a tradition since 1868! Head to the picturesque village of Norwood for the annual fall fair. Enjoy the antique car show, horse shows and other animal demonstrations, giant produce and pumpkins, and a classic midway filled with games, rides, and tasty treats.
This year’s theme is “Country Roads Take Me Home,” so grab your best denim and cowboy boots and get ready for a good time!
Pumpkinfest at McLean’s & Buckhorn Berry Farm
Weekends in October, 11am-5pm each day
Lakefield, Ontario
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As the fall season progresses, the harvest becomes even more bountiful. In October, McLean’s & Buckthorn Berry Farm welcomes the community to the farm for their annual Buckhorn Pumpkinfest!
Visitors can take a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch, pick a pumpkin, play on straw bales, and explore corn mazes. Visit the farm store, enjoy food truck fare, get spooked in the haunted forest, and even watch the pumpkin cannon blast off!
Spooky All Hallows’ Eve at Lang Pioneer Village
October 25-26, 6-9pm each day
Keene, Ontario
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In late October, the historic Lang Pioneer Village transforms into an array of spooky fun scenes that include ghostly graveyards and witches’ lairs. This all-ages event features fortune telling, tractor and wagon rides and lots of Halloween spirit. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes to blend in with the spirits and ghosts lurking in the Village!
*Bonus tip: Feeling peckish? The area surrounding Peterborough and the Kawarthas is known for butter tarts! To learn more about the Butter Tart Trail, check out this article.
Taste Craveable Cuisines of the World in Mississauga
Fall is the perfect time for a food crawl: it’s not too hot, not too cold, and the fresh air really opens up the appetite. We’ve got just the place for it, too – Mississauga!
As Toronto’s easterly neighbour, this destination is sometimes overlooked as a place to traverse on your way elsewhere, but trust us when we say that the city is filled with hole-in-the-wall gems and family-owned international restaurants featuring delicious cuisines from all over the globe.
Ready to see Mississauga in a whole new light? Here’s a small sampling of delicious spots where you can start hunting for your next incredible meal:
Bao Bar
Where: 4310 Sherwoodtowne Blvd #5, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
Bao Sandwich Bar specializes in the popularized concept of Vietnamese sandwiches and Taiwanese steamed buns, known as bánh mì and Gua Bao. They take a modern approach to a variety of Asian cuisines, focusing on traditional staple foods and innovative flavour combinations. It may be hard to spot this pocket-sized restaurant from the street, but the search is worth it!
Brasas Churrasqueira Rotisserie & Grill
Where: 2385 Burnhamthorpe Rd W, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
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Brasas Churrasqueira offers authentic Portuguese cuisine: think flame-grilled chicken, drowned in deliciously addictive piri piri sauce, served with rice, potatoes, or even Bacalhau, a traditional Portuguese side dish made with salt cod and potatoes. Brasas might be located in a small strip mall near a busy intersection, but the friendly atmosphere is enough to transport you to Portugal.
Kunafa’s
Where: 3058 Hurontario St A, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
Kunafa, also known as Kanafeh, kunafeh or kunafah, is a traditional Palestinian cheese and dough pastry drizzled in a sweet, sugary syrup. Kunafa’s has a few locations in the GTA, where they’re doing this classic pastry right. This shop on Hurontario St. primarily does takeout, with minimal seating inside to make room for trays upon trays laden with classic Middle Eastern desserts and chocolate bars. Not sure where to start? Ask their team for a recommendation!
La Novita Bakery
Where: 25 John St, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
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La Novita is a bakery, pastry, restaurant, coffee shop and convenience shop all rolled into one! This bakery turns out custom cakes alongside their pies, macarons, and malassadas (Portuguese donuts). On the go? The menu includes tons of hot and cold sandwiches along with cake by the slice so you can put together an easy picnic to take to nearby Mississauga Valley Park.
Lazros Greek Grills
Where: 6700 Montevideo Rd, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
What Lzaros lacks in dining room size, it makes up for in flavour! This authentic Greek family restaurant offers generous portions of their Greek bifteki (spiced ground beef), calamari, and souvlaki. If you’ve got room for dessert, bougatsa is a cousin of baklava. This pastry is crafted from sheets of crispy phyllo, filled with a lightly-sweetened semolina custard, then baked to golden and creamy perfection. You’ll want to practice saying the word “nóstimo” so you can thank the staff at the end of your delicious meal.
Maranello Cafe
286 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
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When it comes to traditional Italian cooking, nothing beats the combination of fresh ingredients and recipes passed down for generations. This takeout spot has been sharing their delicious Italian cuisine with the local community since 1994. On the menu, you’ll find a range of pasta, hot and cold sandwiches, and the must-try traditional veal or chicken parmesan. Mangia bene!
Pho Ngoc Yen
1090 Kamato Rd unit 17-19, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
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Pho Ngoc Yen is in the middle of an industrial park, but don’t let the location throw you off; this family owned and operated restaurant serves elevated Vietnamese classics in an upscale space accented with lots of greenery and twinkle lights.
While the menu is classic Northern and Southern Vietnamese, the chefs incorporate lots of seasonal and local Canadian ingredients, like asparagus or Brussel sprouts. Don’t miss the chicken wings glazed with fish sauce and honey, and order an iced or hot Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk (cà phê sữa nóng) for a refreshing sip with your meal.
Pizza Nostra
Where: 362 Lakeshore Rd W, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
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Founders Marco and Andrea were raised in the food industry, working from an early age with their father, Rosario, at his butcher shop on Jane Street in Toronto. After a stint at their cousin’s New Jersey pizza shop, they now run Pizza Nostra, a Port Credit pizzeria slinging Jersey-style thin crust pizzas with rich tomato sauce and a blistered, crispy crust. Can’t make it to Mississauga? Their frozen pizzas are also available at select retailers across the GTA.
Shandra’s Roti Shop
Where: 5030 Maingate Dr Unit 19, Mississauga, ON. (View Map)
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Look for the bright-coloured sign in the 5030 Maingate strip mall and you’ll spot Shandra’s Roti Shop. This laid-back Trinidadian take-out and dine-in spot features Caribbean specialties, like rice and peas, stewed oxtail, and seriously spicy jerk chicken or goat.
This spot gets incredibly busy, so order ahead to skip the wait or prepare to make a few new friends while waiting in line.
*Bonus tip: Want more insider info? In 2023, Mississauga teamed up with renowned food and travel writer Suresh Doss to create the ultimate guide to Mississauga’s vibrant cultural cuisines. Short of Suresh personally chauffeuring you around the city, this pass is the most sure-fire way to ensure that your taste buds get the best that Mississauga has to offer. Click here to learn more!
Delicious Eats Await
No matter which of these delicious destinations you choose to visit, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wealth of flavour each one has to offer. Want more delicious fall trip ideas? Keep reading.
