Stratford, Ontario - a Pretty Little Town Full of Music and Culture

Visitor Centre and a Water front Cafe, Stratford, Ontario

We have been living in Toronto for over thirty years. However, we travel every summer outside of Ontario and hardly have the time to visit the cities and towns in our own province.













This year, we have promised ourselves to spend more time and explore Ontario's little towns.

We did just that this weekend and drove to Straford, Ontario - an hour and forty minute drive from Toronto.

Lots of historic buildings in the town

Since I was already in Waterloo for the week, the drive was only forty minutes from where we were. It seemed like no time at all before we got to Stratford.


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Entrance to the Shakespearean Gardens with the Court House in background

Lucky for us, it wasn't  too difficult finding a parking spot downtown.

To get more information about the town, we went straight to the Visitor Centre located right at the waterfront of Stratford.

 Armed with the information and self guided brochures given to us by the friendly Visitor Centre staff, we went to explore the town on our own.

Free music performances by the Stratford riverfront

There were a couple of free concerts scheduled on this Saturday afternoon.

Concert by the river front

We took advantage of it, ordered some food by the waterfront cafe and enjoyed our lunch serenaded by musicians playing live music.

Shakespearean Gardens

The music performance went on for about an hour and it was a beautiful day sitting on the grass just listening and enjoying the sunshine.












Though a small city with a population about 30,000 inhabitants, there were quite a  few things to see in Stratford.

Beautiful flowers and paths in the gardens

After enjoying a free concert in the park, we strolled over to the Shakespearean Gardens, a stone throw away.

In the Shakespearean Gardens, we admired  flowers and plants described in the Shakespearean  plays.

Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford, Ontario

Though  I regret that I do not know much about flowers and shrubs, the gardens were beautifully  designed and the brilliant flowers have been carefully and lovingly planted.

Gazebos and stone arches dotted the gardens adding to the charm of the Shakespearean Park.

Unique art pieces in one of the downtown art stores

After spending a good couple of hours by the river front, we wlaked up to Ontario Street, the main street in downtown Stratford.

Ontario Street is a pretty street lined with interesting shops and historic buildings.








 We saw some unique art work in one of the art shops and spent some time there admiring the art pieces.

Visitors could rest and play a game of chess for free outside a downtown toy store

 What I really liked about downtown Stratford was that it was very family and kid friendly.

Outside a number of shops, there were areas set aside for visitors to just rest and relax.

One of the toy stores had tables and chairs set out for people to play chess and for kids to play with some of their toys.

What a thoughtful gesture for tired moms and dads with kids in tow!

Kyle and his pet -Naraleen, entertaining passerby 

At the corner of Ontario and Downie Street, we were entertained by Kyle, a street musician playing classical music on his violin while Naraleen, his faithful dog waiting patiently by his side.

Kyle came from Texas, traveling across Canada and earning some money by buskering and taking part in various busker festivals. 

Beautiful Strafford,  the hometown of our Canadian teen idol - Justin Bieber,  is truly a lovely place to visit!
















We were glad that we finally took the time and visited this  famous little Canadian town!

R.T.
Stratford, Ontario