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 Take in the colours of autumn. (Clipart.com) |
Q: I would like to take the kids for a drive to see some fall foliage. Where can I learn more about fall drives in Ontario?
-- D. LEVY, HAMILTON
A: Tourism Ontario has a great resource available online at distinctivegetaways.ca.
Type "fall drives" in the search engine and 12 pages will result. Click on "Drives We Love," which will bring you to "Great Fall Drives." This has details for 18 spectacular drives under headings such as "Dynamic Hues: Sudbury and Killarney," "Tip of the Escarpment: Grey, Bruce," and "Waterway Wonders: Kawartha Lakes."
DistinctiveGetaways.com describes the Dynamic Hues: Sudbury and Killarney drive as a 130-km route with stops at Killarney Provincial Park -- considered one of Ontario Parks' crown jewels -- and Onaping Falls for spectacular fall colours at A.Y. Jackson Look-out. The site provides a printable map, more route details and a phone number for local travel information.
In addition, individual regions across the province highlight scenic fall drives. For instance, Northumberland Tourism has a fall drive route titled "Outstanding views/Fall drive," which you can access at northumberlandtourism.com/en/getaways/fall.asp. The Hills of Headwaters is another with great fall drives online. See thehillsofheadwaters.com/experience/index.php?ep=4.
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Q: Does it make sense to drive to Michigan to see any of the Frank Lloyd Wright Homes? We've been to a couple of other states and were thrilled at some of the homes but haven't been there yet.
-- S. CHIARELLI, TORONTO
A: Yes. Being a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, you will not only be able to see some of the of 27 homes he designed in 11 Michigan cities but also have a chance to stay in one if you wish.
Most of the homes Wright built in Michigan are in private hands and not open to the public but one worth checking out is the prairie-style Meyer House (meyermayhouse.steelcase.com) in Grand Rapids. Built in 1909 and marking its centennial, it's open to the public, has free admission and includes docents on-site. The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust is hosting an excursion Oct. 2-4 in celebration of the Meyer May anniversary. The tour begins at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Ill. See GoWright.org.
Another Michigan home of note is Palmer House in Ann Arbor. It's not open for tours but owners Kate and Jeffrey Schox rent it for short stays.
Shortly after finishing law school, Jeffrey "stumbled across' the Japanese-inspired triangular-shaped home while out for a run, he says. Built for Bill and Mary Palmer, the triangle design prevents sound from travelling from room to room and creates a serene environment, Jeffrey says.
The Schox consider themselves "custodians" of the property and rent it out for weekends and special events. Overnight rates run $299-$399 US or $1,999 US per week. Visit flwpalmerhouse.com.
For more on Michigan, contact the Michigan Tourism Office at toll-free 1-888-784-7328 and ask for a free copy of their Michigan Travel Guide.
ILONA@MYCOMPASS.CA