Thursday, November 10, 2016

Tourist attractions in Ontario, Canada - 3

Fort William Historical Park : Fort William Historical Park is the reconstruction of the inland headquarters opered by the Northwest Company of the Canadian fur trade from 1803 to 1821. Situated on the banks of the Kaminstiquia River in south Thunder Bay the Fort comprises 57 buildings on 250 acres.Each summer fur traders voyageurs and first nations people would converge upon the Fort for the annual rendezvous which saw the transfer of tons of furs coming in from western posts with trade goods coming from Moneal all conveyed by birch bark cans within one season. This system enabled the Nor Westers to emerge as a dominant force in the fur trade. The Fort offers a fascinating spctrun of fur trade life touching upon themes from furs and food to muskets and medicine and highlighting a cultural mosaic of Scottish fur traders French Canadian voyageurs farmers and artisans aboriginals and Metis.

Thousand Islands : Dotted over an 80 kilometer stretch of the St. Lawrence is a scenic natural area known as the Thousand Islands. The islands are on a granite shelf extending from the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains tn the United States with the US-Canada boundary actually running between the islands. It is one of the oldest and best known holiday areas in Ontario popular with cottagers boaters and those looking to get away from the cities of Southern Ontario during the hot summer months. Acruise through this maze of islands is highly recommended. Gananoque is the principle resort town in the area and the main gateway to the Thousand Islands.

Art Gallery of Ontario: In downtown Toronto the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of Canada's most prestigious art galleries. It hosts a particularly impressive collection of Canadi paintings with a focus on artists from Ontario and Toronto. It also holds Canada's largest collection  African and Oceanic Art displayed in a museum. Other highlights include paintings and sculpture by European masters and Modern and Contemporary collections from North America and Europe. Temporary exhibitions are held throughout the year.