If you live or are visiting Toronto, you may want to head out of the metropolis for a weekend getaway to experience something different. One of the best day trips in Toronto is just over an hour drive to the quaint, small town of Paris, Ontario, voted “the prettiest little town in Canada.”
In a previous post on some of the best road trip ideas across Europe, we shared our thoughts on European road trips that are perfect for anyone who loves to drive, enjoy scenic routes, and get yourself immersed in the local culture. While we cannot venture outside of Canada at this time of the pandemic, there are still tons of options for day trips. One of the options we explored this summer was a day trip to Paris, Ontario.
Have you heard of the term plaster of Paris? It refers to the gypsum plaster out of a fine white powder that hardens when moistened and allowed to dry. In medicine, it is used to make casts to immobilize broken bones while healing. However, its most common use is for precast to hold parts of ornamental plasterwork placed on ceilings and home décor pieces.
Paris, Ontario, was named after the gypsum deposits in the area used to create such plasters. This small town incorporated in 1850 became a busy spot as plasters were exported more and more. It made history 24 years later when the receiving location of the first-ever telephone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell from Brantford, around 13 kilometers away.
The town of Paris is situated at the point where the Nith and the Grand Rivers meet. While it is famous for being named “the prettiest little town in Canada,” it is also known as the “cobblestone capital of Canada” with its rich cobblestone buildings and other architectural gems.
Paris is located within Brant County in Southern Ontario and is only around 15 minutes northwest of Brantford, well-known as the “Telephone City” because of its famous resident, Alexander Graham Bell. From Brantford, you can reach it by taking Paris Road and Brant County Highway 2.
If you are driving from Greater Toronto Area, the easiest and quickest route will be via Highway 403 to Brant County Highway 2, passing by the city of Hamilton. If you are coming from Waterloo Region, you can take Ontario 24 South to Regional Road 14 if you are coming from Cambridge or take the scenic route via the Trussler Road if coming from Kitchener.
While in Paris, you should be able to find several parking lots downtown, although they are limited to 2-3 hours. Otherwise, you can find some street parking just outside the town center and start your exploratory walk from there.
There is so much to explore and discover in this quaint town. Also known as the cobblestone capital of Ontario, Paris is littered with architectural gems of various styles. You can explore and admire the architectural treasures and other attractions right at downtown.
Our day trip was a spur of the moment decision when we saw the perfect day-trip weather forecast. All we had was a downloaded self-guided walking tour courtesy of the Paris Museum. The itinerary allowed us to discover some of Paris’ highlights at a relaxed pace, enough to fill our day. Here are some of the architectural gems we admired during our walk around Paris downtown.
We did not want to miss another attraction – the Penman Dam, which was built way back in 1918 by the textile industrialist John Penman as a source of power to operate his clothing company mill. A great view from the William Street bridge, it is just a short walk through a shaded pathway. But you can also drive up there, with lots of parking close by.
With good viewing areas, it looks like a great area to relax and enjoy the sound of the water flowing through the dam while admiring its picturesque view, with the train bridge hovering above it. You can also find a few benches and picnic tables where you can have your lunch while admiring the area and the sight.
While we were at the dam, several people (adults and kids) were enjoying fishing. Being quite accessible, it is also a vantage point for those going for kayaking or paddling activities on the river. We also learned that the dam is lighted at night, offering a romantic view.
Your day trip will likely give you great memories, which you would want to capture through travel photos. These photos will be handy when telling your experience back home and reminisce about a great time during your trip. To have quality and vivid shots, it is always good to have a quality camera on top of your smartphones. Check out our previous post, comparing the camera to smartphones.
In addition to a good camera, you should also plan to bring with you several essential-for-travel items that can make your trip not only memorable but also attach colors and drama to each experience. Stunning landscapes, wildlife sightings, spectacular architecture, good food, and exciting adventures may greet you during your trip. You can ensure that you will not miss any of these by bringing essential gadgets. Check out our post on the items we brought during one of our trips involving similar travel experiences.
As we only had the day to spend in Paris before heading back to Toronto, we brought with us our packed lunch, which we consumed at one of the picnic tables at the Penman Dam Park. However, if you have time or extending your stay, some of our friends suggested a few dining places worth considering:
As you can tell by now, there are so many things to do in Paris and nearby areas. Chances are you will want to be back or even decide to extend your stay! Either way, here are some accommodations you might want to consider.
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While in the locality and have extra time, you may want to explore other nearby places or attractions, such as:
Before driving back to Toronto, we took advantage of the outdoor shops at the Marketplace at the parking lot where we parked at the front of The Wincey Mills Building. They were starting to pack-up for the day, but one lovely lady sold us a bunch of flowers for a song. We also had a few scoops of Bixby Ice Cream to cool us down.
This Paris had no Eiffel Tower or River Seine, but the charm of this little town in Ontario rivals its namesake in France. With a good day exploring this town, and a bunch of fresh flowers to take home, we decided to head back to Toronto at around 3 pm. The drive back was easy as we listened to our playlist of relaxing summer hits.
If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the Greater Toronto Area, hop on your car and have one of the best day trips in Toronto by heading out to Paris. A short, rewarding drive to experience a bit of history, nature, and architecture. We hope that the information we shared above useful for you to plan your day trip to Paris, Ontario. Following the day trip out and you would like to plan other activities, click the banner below.
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You may want to share it with some of your friends. Share with us as well, and our other readers, your thoughts and experience with this incredible place by leaving comments below.
Thank you, Your page is wonderful from my perspective. Well put together, lots of very interesting information that catches the readers attention and keeps them reading until the end. I like how you have so much usable information like how to get there, what the highlights are once you get there, places to eat and also some information about the nearby city. Have fun exploring and thank you for sharing.
Hello Emma,
Yes, we always aim to have fun exploring places and things and glad to share them to be useful for others. Glad to know that you consider our page wonderful and kept you reading until the end. Thank you for spending the time and going through our story. All the best to you. Hope you can the chance as well to #DiscoverOntario and other beautiful places in Canada.
Hello there, thanks for this really nice article. It’s nice to get all the knowledge you’ll need before going on the trip and so many of us has failed to get the relevant information needed and have sometimes often suffered bad climates and other things as well. I realm like as you’ve given us all the guide we will be needing and also idea of places to visit
Hello Justin,
Thank you for your comments and glad that you found useful all the information and story we shared. Do let us know if there are other things you think we should cover.
I love traveling a lot and it is always my pleasure to look for interesting places to go to and spend time with my family. Ontario is a very lovely place to be and I e read quite a lot about it, I love the food and the activities that are Tobe enjoyed there. I’ll definitely add this to my bucket list, thanks for sharing
Hello Bruce,
Glad to share our stories as we #DiscoverOntario. It has indeed a lot of interesting places to explore and things to do. This quaint, small town of Paris is surely one of them that we enjoyed a lot. And a road trip is perfect! If you have done and enjoyed road trips, would be glad to hear about them as well.
Thank you so much for what you have shared here. Honestly, I really fancy what you shared here. In all honesty, I have always wished to visit Canada. Though I have been to several places but Canada has a way of always eluding me. So definitely I will make it a point to plan my very next exploration to be Canada next year. Good one to read about Ontario here
Hello Nath,
Thank you for your comments. There are indeed a lot of beautiful places to visit in Canada. We do hope that you will have the chance to do that soon. Looking forward to your stories when that time comes.
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