Praise for the 4th edition:

"The sights stand out for their splendor or quirkiness. Some are natural wonders, others are man-made. They might be tricky to find, or perched so close that you'll wonder how you missed them...."
-- Toronto Star

Thoroughly researched and written in an inviting style, Ron Brown's descriptions offer fascinating stories with background, location and accompanying color photographs. Most places are easy to reach from Ontario's major population centers and bordering American cities and towns.

Just a few of the 25 new unusual places in this edition are:

• The Huron Fishing Weirs
• Muskoka's Torrance Barrens
• The Log Heritage of the Ottawa Valley
• The Ruins of Fort St. Joseph
• The Church on the Rock; St. Peter's of Stoney Lake
• Toronto's Graffiti Alleys
• The Luminous Veil, Toronto's Unusual Suicide Barrier
• Ontario's Alligators
• Trenton's Ad Astra Stones
• Kingston's Penitentiary Museum
• The Stoney Creek Pillar
• The Ghost Ship of Jordan Harbour
• The Coldwater Mill
• Ontario's Beastly Bridge, the Parry Sound Wildlife Crossing.

Each of the 150 destinations is updated with detailed maps that pinpoint every location.

 

Ron Brown is a freelance travel writer and photographer. He has published twenty books on the visual heritage of Ontario, including The Lake Erie Shore: Ontario's Forgotten South Coast; Behind Bars: Inside Ontario's Heritage Gaols; The Train Doesn't Stop Here Any More: An Illustrated History of Railway Stations in Canada; Ontario's Ghost Town Heritage; and Top 100 Unusual Things to See in Ontario. He is past chair of the Writers Union of Canada, and is active with the Travel Media Association of Canada, Access Copyright, where he sits on the board of directors, and the Book and Periodical Council. He lectures and directs bus tours based on his book topics. He lives in Toronto.

Ron Brown's profile page

Most places listed in this indispensable guidebook for daytrippers, shunpikers, and Ontario loving travellers are free to enjoy... Brown's enthusiasm for storytelling shines brightly and provides almost a lifetime of exploration of treasured spots near and far from home.

London Free Press

[Review of a previous edition:] Brown's books are always interesting and bring to mind adventures.

Muskoka Today

[Review of a previous edition:] [Brown] has the gift of finding lots of things interesting and of them being able to write beautifully about those things.

Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay)

[Review of a previous edition:] [Brown] collects the very best trips from the most unexpected and surprising sights in the province.

The Sun Times (Owen Sound, ON)

[Review of a previous edition:] [For] travellers who want to stay close to home but still enjoy an adventure.

The Ottawa Citizen

[Review of a previous edition:] Few people know more about Ontario's oddities than Toronto-based author Ron Brown...[and] they're almost all here in this new revised edition.

The Toronto Sun

[Review of a previous edition:] The table of contents alone will make you curious to see such places as Ontario's Taj Mahal.

Guelph Mercury

[Review of a previous edition:] Ron Brown continues to impress and entertain with his amazing finds and why you should visit them, and soon.

Shelf Life

[Review of a previous edition:] Thoroughly researched and written in an inviting style.

Midland Mirror

[Review of a previous edition:] The sights stand out for their splendor or quirkiness. Some are natural wonders, others are man-made. They might be tricky to find, or perched so close that you'll wonder how you missed them.... If your holidays are over and the budget is maxed out, the dog days of summer may be a perfect time to go exploring unusual spots close by.

Toronto Star

Thoroughly researched and written in an inviting style, Ron Brown's descriptions offer fascinating stories with background, location and accompanying color photographs.

Fifty-Five Plus Magazine

[Review of a previous edition:] While the book includes some of the adventures from the author's previous books on sightseeing in Ontario, there are also new destinations.

ProtoView

[Review of a previous edition:] Most locations are easy to reach from Ontario's major population centres, and a few are for more adventurous explorers.

Northern Life

[Review of a previous edition:] We can hope that [Brown's] efforts to celebrate Ontario's past and present wonders will attract a new generation of readers and travellers.

Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal