A Guide to Visiting Stratford, ON

Stratford-Upon-Avon as you surely know is the birthplace of the Bard, Billy Shakes himself. The Stratford we’re discussing in this article, however, is the one located in southern Ontario, an hour west of Toronto. This quaint quiet town is a perfect weekend getaway.

What to Do

The Stratford Festival

Let’s be real, the main reason to visit Stratford is to attend the Stratford Festival. This festival showcases a dozen plays yearly, modern, musical, and classical with an strong emphasis on Shakespeare. This festival makes Shakespeare crazies like me twitch with anticipation just thinking about it. I seriously can’t stop gushing about the Hamlet production from two years ago and the King Lear production from the season before that. I even have them on blu ray and watch them from time to time, like favourite old movies. The high caliber productions of Shakespeare’s classics are not the only reason to attend, there are many modern and other time-honored plays on production as well. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to see Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist which had me and the rest of the audience in stitches the entire time.

If at this point you’re thinking “ugh I’m not interested in plays, Shakespeare’s old, boring, and I can’t understand him,” let me try to convince you otherwise. First, plays are like movies, except better in that the audience and the actors can interact. The best moments are when actors break character for a second to giggle along with us, or to hand some poor confused spectator a prop. Second, Shakespeare is not incomprehensible, his work isn’t highbrow pompous stuff like high school teachers would have you believe. Trust me, it was written for the 16th century lower class (aka us dumb peasants) and is chock full of crude phallic jokes. When it’s done right, like it is here, the old language isn’t a barrier -- the whole thing feels alive and familiar and bleeds truth. Seeing a play with proper comedic timing is a far cry from taking turns reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the 9th grade. Ok, enough. Rant over.

Tour of the Stratford Festival Warehouse

If you just can’t get enough of the plays themselves,  try a tour of the Stratford Festival Warehouse. During this tour you get to see all the costumes from past seasons up close. The level of detail that the artists put into each piece is astounding, and it’s a shame most of it can’t be seen on stage by the audience. It’s nice to appreciate the effort that goes into each production by all staff members, not just the actors, writers, and directors.

Walk Around

Stratford is such a historical and adorable town! It’s one of those places you need to just wander around and soak up the atmosphere. Duck into a quirky shop or stop for an ice cream cone, walk along the river and watch some swans.

Photo taken and generously shared with us by Riley Lange. Check out his awesome instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rileylange/. Seriously, just do it.

Hit the Elora Gorge Conservation Area

If you’re wanting to do some outdoor activities and have several free hours, Elora Gorge Conservation Area is an hour northeast of Stratford. This park has camping, tubing, swimming, and hiking. It’s a very scenic spot, perfect for beginner hikers and families. Going for only an hour is probably not worth the parking fee, so make sure you plan on doing more than a picnic.

Elora Gorge is a popular spot for tubing and fishing.

Heron spotted in the Elora Gorge!

Check out the local brewing company

Guess what? Stratford has it’s very own brewery: The Black Swan Brewing Company. Why not give it a sip? They’ve got some good brews -- like their Northern Wander Women appropriate Road Trip ale.

Black Swan IPA

Shopping

There are lots of shopping opportunities in Stratford, which tend to be quite appealing when waiting the few hours between two plays. The town is packed with artists and artisans that sell anything and everything. Anyone who likes looking at original art, clothes, jewelry, and decor will find somewhere to spend their time (and money!).

Stratford is also THE place to go if you’re into antiques. There are many antique stores in and around the town. I personally like the Antique Warehouse east of town. You feel like you’re walking through an Alice in Wonderland esque maze of old things and history.

I couldn’t talk about shopping in Stratford without mentioning the abundance of used and antique book stores. There are a ridiculous number of them clustered in the center of town. It’s heaven for booklovers. My personal favourite is the Book Stage. Right next to the Studio Theatre, it’s a converted house filled with stacks of books from floor to ceiling, run by a charming knowledgeable fellow. Kyla’s favourite is the Wee Little Book Shop where you can also dress up in costumes and have pictures taken.

The Book Stage - heaven for nerds

St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market

If you’re willing to head out of town, or if you’re self catering while in Stratford, why not check out the farmer’s market in St. Jacobs, only a half hour’s drive away? It’s a great bustling market with heaps of fresh produce, tasty treats, all kinds of artisanal wares, the list goes on. Make sure you grab a basket of fresh juicy peaches or a warm buttery pretzel while you’re here!

This pretzel was so good, it needed to be immortalized in this post.

Where to Eat

Rather than describing what I like about each of these places and ending up with my keyboard coated in drool, I’ll just list the places you should seriously consider eating at when in Stratford.

Fancier Fare - Pazzo, Revival House, Mercer Hall

Make sure to make reservations for Pazzo, it's always packed.

Pub Fare - The Red Rabbit, Boar’s Head, Bentley’s, Molly Bloom’s, Erie’s Drive-In

Tasty veggie burger at the Red Rabbit!

Breakfast/Cafe - Foster’s Inn, Sirkel, Features (for a classic stick-to-your-ribs breakfast), Revel Cafe

A word of warning: the restaurants in Stratford during festival season are always packed. It can be very difficult to eat at some of the places I've listed without reservations made quite a bit in advance. On the other hand, places like the Red Rabbit are typically always completely booked, but they save a few tables for walk-ins so just make sure you arrive shortly after opening time.

Where to Stay

If you can manage to book this busy airbnb, my favourite place to stay is at the Mad Poet. However other motels and hotels are just as good, if only pricier. The As You Like It Motel is a charming option.

Have you ever visited Stratford, Ontario? I’d love to hear about your favourite spots! Please add them in the comments below so Kyla, I, and our readers can check them out too.

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Special thanks to Riley and Katie for their help with this post.

Note that we are not being compensated in any way by the businesses mentioned above. These are just places I love going to and think you will too.