Tuesday, April 25, 2006

get outta town


I've been thinking about escaping the Big Smoke (as much as I love it so) this upcoming weekend to explore a small city or town outside of Toronto. I was born & raised here but in typical urban dweller fashion know very little about the larger area that surrounds me. Apparently Ontario is Mine to Discover, so I figure I should get on it.

The thing is, I've been at a bit of a loss as to where to go, so I was happy to spy the poster above (created and hand printed by Thomas Dannenberg) at
The Paper Place, literally pointing me to Grimsby for the 28th Annual Wayzgoose Book-arts Festival (see below for Festival deets). I may also trek over to neighbouring Jordan, which apparently has a bunch of antique shops, galleries, cafes and the like.


I would love to hear some suggestions for future trips and for others interested in exploring the hinterland - especially places that have art/craft stuff happening like galleries, workshop/studios, or thrifting/antiquing options.

Festival info:
28th Annual Wayzgoose Book-arts Festival
Grimsby Public Art Gallery
Saturday April 29th
10:00 to 5:00
Fair features private press binders, papermakers, book-binders from across southern Ontario, and so much more!
Be sure to get your copy of the Annual Wayzgoose anthology, a compilation of work by many creative and talented artists and artisans. Past years' anthologies are still available.

9 Comments:

Blogger Heather said...

I really like the St. Jacob's area. It can be a bit dicey on Saturdays with the crowds but if you get there early enough... Another thing fun to do is just drive, explore, and stop when you see something interesting.

9:39 p.m.  
Blogger Saira said...

My family tends to go fairly often to Bellfountain. Is quite beautiful and quaint but a bit of a trek from Downtown. However if you take the 401 part of the way, shouldnt be too bad.

http://www.belfountain.ca/

9:27 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You should go to Guelph, there are some great little shops downtown and a couple of cool restaurants/bars and bookstores. I have also heard Dundas is a nice little area to visit. I used to work in St Jacobs, it get's crazy there on the weekend's especially in the summer. If you haven't been there before it's an alright place to go, the farmer's market is kind of fun.
I have heard there is a great flea market near Guelph called aberfoyle. There's also a great drive-in movie theatre up there called The Mustang.
Jill

9:27 a.m.  
Blogger toronto craft alert said...

yes yes, the aberfoyle market (flamboro) is awesome - i will be posting about it soon - the season is starting. i will head over to guelph afterwards to check it out.

thanks for these tips - i am taking notes...

10:16 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Elora is another beautiful place to visit, especially the Elora Gorge.

Jill

11:00 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I grew up in Grimsby and the Wayzgoose is always a hit. Good choice. If you're heading to Jordan, I'd recommend following Main Street East (also known as Hwy 8) all the way to Jordan. This will take you through the lovely little towns of Beamsville and Vineland on your way. I always take this route when I feel I need a break from the city. Jordan can be a bit pricey, but there are both craft and wine shops you should enjoy. My other escape is Stratford, which is lovely even without the theatre.

4:25 p.m.  
Blogger toronto craft alert said...

laurie - can i walk to jordan? i hear there is no bus between the two towns and i am without wheels...

5:09 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello again,

No, Jordan is too far trek there on foot. It's approximately a 15 -20 minute drive from Grimsby to Jordan. And you're right, there is no local transit system.

Grimsby does have some nice little shops in the library end of town, just south of the library on Main St. So, if you're stuck, you could probably fill an afternoon wandering in town. There's a new quilt shop that I have yet to see, there's a nice little gift shop called Cocoon. Beside Cocoon is a trendy clothing store called Trixie's Closet - a bit expensive but they have some good deals. There's a secondhand shop further down Main St across from the TD. My mom volunteers there and she's always picking up great scraps of fabric, yarn and other things for me, all really cheap. And past the thrift shop is The Smiling Dog Cafe, which has good coffee and good food.

There are taxis, but you'd have to call for one in town and it would be pricey to go all the way to Jordan. There is a Greyhound/Canada Coach bus service that stops at all the little towns from Grimsby to St. Catharines. You might try their website to see if their service would be of use to you.

Hope that helps, and hope you have fun! I'll be at the Creative Needlework and Craft Show which you've handily posted for us!

11:47 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have been meaning to get to St. Jacobs to check out the quiltiness of it all. Apparently the quilt shows are on at the end of May and it looks like a pretty good place to see most of on foot.

http://www.stjacobs.com/html/St.JacobsQuiltShows_000.html

Great topic, every summer I wonder how to properly get out of the city without a car too!

4:36 p.m.  

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