Here are a few places within Waterloo that you might enjoy visiting during the evenings of the Training Program week:
- Contestoga Mall. Conestoga Mall is the largest shopping centre in Waterloo. Here's a map showing the location of the Mall in in relation of the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
- Masala Bay Restaurant. Masala Bay is an Indian restaurant (serving halal food) located in uptown Waterloo. Here is a map showing the location of Masala Bay Restaurant in relation to Conrad Grebel University College.
If you are staying in the region for a few days after the Training Program is over, here are some possible attractions:
In the Waterloo Region:
- The Village of St. Jacobs. In addition to many interesting shops in St. Jacobs, there is a popular farmers' market that takes place on Saturday mornings. St. Jacobs was founded by Mennonites. During a visit you'll likely see Old Order Mennonites driving their traditional horse and buggies. If you're interested in the history of the Old Order Mennonites, there is a museum in St. Jacobs that features exhibits and a 13-minute screen presentation. You can also take a tour of a Mennonite farm. St. Jacobs is about a 15-minute drive from Conrad Grebel University College. You can also take an old-fashioned train from Waterloo to St. Jacobs: you can purchase tickets ($10 for adults) and get on the train at 10 Father David Bauer Drive, which is not far from Conrad Grebel University College.
- The Elora Gorge. At the Elora Gorge, the Grand River flows between tall, rocky cliffs. The gorge can be accessed from the village of Elora, or from the nearby Elora Gorge Conservation Area. Here's a map showing the route from Conrad Grebel University College to the Victoria Park in village of Elora (from the park you can access the gorge).
- Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. At the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, you can view and learn about thousands of butterflies at they flutter around you. Here's a map showing the route from Conrad Grebel University College to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory.
- African Lion Safari. African Lion Safari is an outdoor zoo that features elephants, giraffes, monkeys, and dozens of other animals, birds, and reptiles from Africa. You can either drive through the park in your rental car or tour the park in one of the zoo's buses. Here's a map showing the route from Conrad Grebel University College to African Lion Safari.
- The Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, in the nearby city of Stratford (about a half hour drive), is the largest repertory theatre in North America. It features plays by William Shakespeare (of course) but also other authors. Here is a map showing the route from Conrad Grebel University College to downtown Stratford.
- Long Point. If you would like to visit one of Canada's Great Lakes, you can take a two-hour drive to Long Point, which is on Lake Erie. Long Point is a provincial park and has been designated a World Biosphere Preserve by UNESCO because of its diverse plant, animal, and fish populations. Here is a map from Conrad Grebel University College to Long Point.
- Grand Bend. Another one of Canada's Great Lakes -- Lake Huron -- can be reached in a 1.5 hour drive. The town of Grand Bend is a good place to see Lake Huron. It has a nice beach, and other leisure activities. Here is a map from Conrad Grebel University College to Grand Bend.
In Toronto:
- Ripley's Aquarium. Ripley's Aquarium is a new attraction in Toronto. It features amazing exhibits of all kinds of sea creatures. When I took my kids (ages 11 to 18) a few months ago, they loved it! Here's its location in downtown Toronto. The Aquarium is also right beside Toronto's famous CN Tower (the CN Tower is 553 meters tall -- almost twice the height of the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh!).
- Royal Ontario Museum. The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto is a museum of world culture and natural history. It is one of the largest museum's in North America. Here's it's location in downtown Toronto.
- Art Gallery of Ontario. The Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto contains more than 80,000 works of art from the first century to the present day. Here's its location in downtown Toronto.
- Ontario Science Centre. The Ontario Science Centre features exhibits on astronomy, nature, geology, technology, and human anatomy. Here's it's location on the north-east side of Toronto.
- The Toronto Islands. The Toronto Islands are a cluster of islands in Lake Ontario just a few miles from Toronto. You get to them by taking a ferry from Toronto's harbour front. The islands are nice to walk around, and if you have brought your young children with you, they will enjoy the rides at Centreville Amusement Park which is on Centre Island.
- Canada's Wonderland. If you brought teenage children with you, they will probably enjoy a visit to Canada's Wonderland, which features all kinds of exciting rides. Here's a map showing the location of Canada's Wonderland in Toronto.
Elsewhere:
- Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is about 1.5 hours from Waterloo by car. A map is here. You can also take the Via train from Kitchener (which is right beside Waterloo) to Niagara Falls.
Bear in mind that if you drive to Toronto or Niagara Falls, you'll have to drive on the 401 Highway, which is a very busy (and sometimes confusing) highway. If you rent a car, it will be a good idea to get one that has a GPS Navigation device in it.