On July 12 and 13, 2008 I took a little jaunt out of the city. I wanted to plan a getaway that would be within less than an hours drive from Toronto, as a little experiment to see what tourism opportunities there are close to the big city. Well, I lucked out, I found a beautiful bed and breakfast, Landfall Farm B&B, just outside Port Perry. On Saturday morning I went rollerblading on the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail in Ajax and marveled at the summer fog that was hanging over the lake. No photo opportunities there… Then finally on Sunday the weather cleared up around noon and gave me the perfect opportunity to shoot some photos and videos in the bright sun. My first stop on my way home was Port Perry: a quaint Victorian era town that was first settled in 1848. Port Perry is located on Lake Scugog, an artificial lake that was created when a local settler dammed the Scugog River to power his grist mill in 1834. Today Lake Scugog is a popular destination for fishing, and it features several daily sightseeing cruises aboard the MV Woodman, a vessel built in the style of 19th century steamships. Port Perry is also very popular for all the specialty stores, restaurants and boutiques that are located on its main street, Queen Street. The town’s Victorian era architecture has been lovingly restored and maintained. After a drive through the beautiful rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine I made a final stop in Uxbridge, a quaint small town in Durham Region that was first surveyed in 1805. Although not quite as dressed up as Port Perry, Uxbridge is an attractive town with a Victorian Main Street that features a variety of retail stores and restaurants. I drove home towards the city on a number of small country roads, past forests, farmland and a variety of golf courses. Tourism opportunities definitely do exist within less than an hour of Toronto. Check out our upcoming video viewing contest at http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm. Distributed by Tubemogul.