A fabulous guide for anyone who wants to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

Day Trips Around Toronto is the essential guidebook for urban dwellers looking to explore the many attractions that lie beyond the city's borders. The book offers intrepid day-trippers more than 50 destinations with activities ranging from hiking, biking and skiing, to fall leaf-gazing, theater retreats and wine sampling.

Designed for adults and those with young children alike, the guide covers an area roughly centered on Yonge Street and Highway 401, reaching to Peterborough, Orillia, Collingwood, Kitchener and the Niagara Peninsula -- all within 90 minutes by car from Toronto.

Other destinations include Lindsay, Guelph, Brantford, Hamilton, Oshawa and Creemore as well as Stratford, the Kawartha Lakes, Prince Edward County, and pieces of "Cottage Country."

Divided into four regions -- East, West and South, North -- readers can link up two or more destinations on the same trip. Descriptive text provides insight into why the day trips are worth taking, what visitors will see and can do, as well as overview maps, the area's geography and highway and road routes.

Hints for side trips are included with main destination suggestions. For example, if rafting on the Grand River near Paris, which was first settled in 1829, a sidetrip to see that lovely town's unusual cobblestone architecture is a must. After a visit to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, a leisurely cycle tour along the River Road to Lakefield would be refreshing before driving home. Hidden treasures include Hamilton's Steam Museum, Brampton's Great War Flying Museum and houseboating in the Kawarthas.

The book is illustrated with dozens of the author's photographs giving readers an advance peek at the adventures that await and enticing them to head out of the city to enjoy some of Ontario's many attractions.

John Barber is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. He regularly contributes to the Guardian as well as other publications, including the Toronto Star and the United Church Observer. He was a long-time columnist for the Globe and Mail.

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This book is the essential guidebook for urban dwellers looking to shake off city life for a day and explore the many attractions just outside of Toronto's borders. There's something in here for everyone whether you love an outdoor adventure, an afternoon in a museum or a tipsy tour through wine country.

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