This $20 train from Toronto takes you to a riverside town with little cafes and quaint shops
It's a charming spot for a weekend escape.
You don't need a car to travel to a charming small town. This cute Ontario village is just a train ride away from Toronto, and it has "fall outing" written all over it.
With riverside views, a historic main street, quaint shops and little cafes, it's the perfect place to put on your coziest sweater, grab a pumpkin spice latte, and breathe in the crisp fall air.
Port Hope is a dreamy small town on the shores of Lake Ontario, just an hour from Toronto.
According to Northumberland Tourism, it's "one of Ontario’s cutest small towns" and is home to the "best-preserved heritage main street" in the province.
It's only about an hour's train ride away from Toronto with VIA Rail. It's ideal for a weekend escape or longer, with trains departing Toronto in the evenings and returning in the afternoon or evening.
The train station is just steps from downtown, so you don't have to go far to find stores, restaurants, and more.
You can stroll through the storybook downtown, popping into bookshops, sipping on seasonal lattes, and biting into baked goods.
Some local eateries worth checking out include The Pulse Cafe & Eatery, The Main, Cafe Lviv, Milly's Market, and Happenstance Bakery & Coffee Roastery.
If you want a super cute cafe experience, make a stop at Toe Beans Cat Cafe, where you can visit with adorable cats while enjoying a drink.
The Ganaraska Hiking Trail is a dreamy spot for a late-autumn stroll. The scenic trail winds along the Ganaraska River, boasting picturesque views and peaceful scenery.
If you're in the mood for something spooky this Halloween season, Port Hope is the place to be.
Despite its charm, it has served as the backdrop for several horror films and a mystery series, making Halloween the ideal time to explore this destination.
One of the most famous horror films shot in Port Hope is IT, which saw the town transform into Derry, Maine, the fictional home of the terrifying, shape-shifting clown.
If you're brave enough, you can follow the IT Walking Tour to explore filming locations from both IT and IT: Chapter Two.
The self-guided tour includes stops at Memorial Park, where the giant Paul Bunyan statue appeared, and a laneway off Walton Street beside the Quality Meats shop featured in the films.
Other horror and mystery productions filmed in Port Hope include Orphan, Murdoch Mysteries and Our House.
Port Hope has no shortage of fall activities, from a Pumpkin Parade to trick-or-treating and more. You can check out the website for a full list of things to do.
If you're planning a longer visit, there are several boutique hotels and B&Bs where you can stay, such as the Hotel Carlyle & Restaurant and the Plantation House Bed & Breakfast.
With its charming shops and historic main street, Port Hope is a beautiful small-town escape near the city.
U.S. ambassador offers Canada help almost a week after Wainwright tragedy
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says the United States has offered to help following the deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta.
Four soldiers were killed and 39 injured on Oct. 17 when a fire that began during a training exercise on an anti-grenade launching range was picked up by fierce winds.
The military says the fire swept in less than a minute about a kilometre away to where a different training exercise was taking place on the base about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Twenty-seven soldiers remain in hospital, including 13 in critical condition, many of them with severe burns.
In a social media post today almost a week after the tragedy, Hoekstra said the U.S. government has made a formal offer of assistance and resources to Canada's federal government to help support the recovery of soldiers affected by traumatic burns "should it be deemed necessary."
The military says there are three different investigations into the tragedy and could not say when more answers will be available about how the tragedy occurred.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
— With files from Kyle Duggan and Nick Murray in Ottawa
By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Son says Canadian died in U.S. after declining hospital care due to deportation fear
The son of a Canadian woman who died after a fall at her home in Point Roberts, Wash., earlier this month says she refused to seek treatment as she feared she would be detained by U.S. authorities or prevented from returning to the country.
Dylan Adamson says his 61-year-old mother was afraid to leave the United States because immigration authorities had recently commenced deportation proceedings, alleging she illicitly voted in a state election in 2018.
Health care is limited in Point Roberts, which is cut off from the rest of the United States and accessible by land only by travelling through British Columbia, and Adamson says his mother, Paige Adamson, refused to be taken to a hospital because she feared being unable to return home due to the deportation action.
Adamson says he only learned of his mother's fall after speaking with a firefighter who attended the scene of her death last Sunday, within a week of the accident.
The fall came about a month after Paige Adamson, a U.S. permanent resident, was heading home from a birthday dinner in nearby Tsawwassen, B.C., when American border officials held her for hours and questioned her about voting in the country.
Dylan Adamson says his mother did not recall registering to vote or casting a ballot, and the ensuing deportation proceedings sent her into a "panic."
Adamson, who lives in B.C., says he's been told paramedics who saw his mother before her death said to her that she needed to go to a hospital, but she signed a form declining further care because she was afraid of crossing the border.
"I'm just at a loss. Just because of a vote, my mom is dead. Just because of a stupid technicality, my mom is dead."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Élections Québec engage déjà pour cet automne et ça paie jusqu'à 27,92 $/h
Même la formation est payée! 🤑
Les élections provinciales s'en viennent très bientôt. Le 3 octobre 2022, tu pourras voter pour ceux et celles qui te représenteront au gouvernement. D'ailleurs, tout au long de la campagne électorale qui devrait être lancée sous peu, Élections Québec aura besoin de citoyen.ne aux quatre coins de la province pour aider dans l'organisation et dans le bon déroulement de cet événement marquant.
Bonne nouvelle si tu cherches à te faire un peu d'argent de poche dans les prochains mois, car le recrutement est déjà commencé et plusieurs emplois sont disponibles, en plus d'offrir des salaires avantageux. Ce sont 50 000 personnes qui seront engagées pour l'occasion, et ce, à travers les 125 circonscriptions au Québec.
Pour être admissible à l'embauche, tu devras être disponible durant la période électorale et/ou le jour de l'élection, avoir 16 ans et plus et être citoyen.ne canadien.e. Tu devras aussi résider au Québec depuis plus de six mois et ne pas être sous curatelle ( être jugé.e incapable par le tribunal de prendre soin de toi et de tes biens).
Les salaires varient entre 15,68 $/h et 27,92 $/h selon le poste que tu occupes. Parmi les emplois disponibles, tu pourrais être agent.es réviseur.es et te déplacer afin de rencontrer les électeur.trices, vérifier l'identité des électeur.trices lors du vote, être préposé.e à l'information ou procéder au dépouillement des votes le soir du 3 octobre.
Si cela t'intéresse et que tu désires t'impliquer, tu peux déposer ta candidature en remplissant un formulaire sur le site Internet de Élections Québec.
À noter que toutes les formations nécessaires à l'emploi sont payées.
Emploi Élections Québec
Salaire : entre 15,68 $ et 27, 92 $/h
Employeur : Élections Québec
Pour postuler, c'est ici