This August, for perhaps the 5th time in 25 years but the first time since the pandemic, we are going to spend a week at the Stratford Festival. If you have never been, it’s a fantastic way to beat the heat and see some terrific theater. Stratford is a quaint city with wonderful B&Bs and a few nice hotels. It is also the home of the Canadian culinary institute (or some similarly named institution) so the restaurants there are often staffed with aspiring chefs. So it’s a chance to have great meals and see great theater. There is always a Shakespeare emphasis (it used to be called the Stratford Shakespeare Festival), but plenty of modern classics and new plays as well. Also musicals. The festival runs for about 6 months of the year. The prices are much more reasonable than Broadway and the shows are, in most cases, the equal of either London or Broadway.
So that’s my PSA if you are looking for a different summer trip, something that can be well accomplished in 4-5 days. Can fly into Detroit and drive or fly to Toronto, which is about 90 minutes from Stratford.