1000 Islands Playground: St. Lawrence Seaway

Estimated distance: 180 km/112 mi.

Formed over thousands of years from an ancient mountain chain that was flooded by the St. Lawrence River, the 1000 Islands are in the heart of the St. Lawrence River, running along the Canadian side of the border from Kingston to Cornwall. The Thousand Islands Parkway is one of the province's prettiest drives and well worth the detour off the 401. It connects a string of attractive riverbank communities from Kingston to Cornwall.

In keeping with the season, Ontario's newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fort Henry and the Rideau Canal, transitions for a short while into Fort Fear and is host to the Festival of Fear. From mid September through to early November animatronics, live ghouls, scare stations and walking tour route test your nerves with ghoulish characters and settings. Ghosts of the Fort tours are also available. 40-minutes long these tours explore the real-life ghost stories of Fort Henry are offered by the Haunted Walk of Kingston.

For an idyllic way to view the changing colours of the Seaway Valley take a scenic cruise with Gananoque Boat Lines. Learn tales of pirates and Prohibition-era rumrunners, sunken ships and romantic stories of self-made millionaires from the Guilded Age. Be sure to tour the magnificent Boldt Castle. If you have your bicycles in tow, try some, or all, of the 37-kilometre (23-mile) pathway adjacent to the 1000 Islands Parkway, which runs parallel to the St. Lawrence River.

Brockville's King Street is dotted with stately old homes including the remarkable Fulford Place, now a national historic site. Fulford Place was built on a fortune made in patent medicine and the family were friends with such notables as William Lyon Mackenzie King who was introduced to his famous séances here. The mansion is impressive and the stories about the people who lived here are fascinating.

The sights and sounds of an 1860s village in the midst of the harvest are yours to discover at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg. Every September they host a traditional Fall Fair where you can see the "best of the best" in 19th century agricultural products, livestock, garden-grown vegetables, crafts, cooking, and handiwork. The annual Quilt Show on the last weekend in September has a variety of activities to keep avid quilters busy. Visit a quilting bee, view Upper Canada Village's quilts on exhibit, hear talks from noted quilters, and see a colourful Quilt Show hosted by guilds from across Eastern Ontario.

The Apples and Art Studio and Heritage Tour in Cornwall is a great venue for starting your Christmas shopping. The tour map will be available in September at Cornwall & Seaway Valley Tourism's office on Water Street.

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