Recommended Long Weekend: Canada Day; Civic Day; Labour Day

Distance from Toronto: 170 miles (270 km)

When Torontonians visit Kingston, Ontario, boarding a cruise to see Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River is almost a must. However, many people may not be aware that the United States shares these beautiful islands with Canada. In contrast to the natural beauty of the islands on the Canadian side, islands on the American side are rich in cultural and historical attractions such as lighthouses, castles, and museums.

Recommended Long Weekend: Canada Day; Civic Day; Labour Day; Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Total Distance: 320 miles (512 km)

Usually, the map legend for parks is a green area. Surprisingly, the biggest green area on the map of the United State is – Adirondack Park in the New York State. This park is the heaven for both summer and winter vacationers since you can visit many natural and cultural attractions in summer and you can also enjoy one of the best ski resorts in North America in winter.

Recommended Long Weekend: Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Distance from Toronto: 190 miles (300 km)

The famous About.com once listed 10 Best Fall Color Places in North America. Among them, Allegheny National Forest is the closest one to Toronto area, even closer than the Canadian Mount Tremblant near Montreal. Allegheny National Forest is on the list since different fall colors mix well with fantastic views of mountains, dam and reservoir along famous Longhouse National Scenic Byway. Unexpectedly, the region is also rich in history and culture.

Recommended Long Weekend: Canada Day; Civic Day; Labour Day

Distance from Toronto: 100 miles (160km)It’s hard for Torontonians to avoid Buffalo and American Niagara Falls - most Torontonians cross the Canada-US border either through the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls or through the Peace Bridge at Buffalo. However, few stop to visit these two places. In many people’s mind, Buffalo is boring and American Niagara Falls offers nothing compared to the same name city on the Canadian side. This is not true.

Recommended Long Weekend: Victoria Day; Canada Day; Civic Day; Labor Day; Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Distance from Toronto: 300 miles (480 km)

Many people may still consider Cleveland as a filthy, undesirable city, in another word, “the mistake on the lake”. This stereotype might be correct before but it is totally wrong now. Nowadays, Cleveland is a lovely, clean and beautiful city, with hills and lots of trees and the “green necklace” of the metropolitan parks. Cleveland offers first-rate museums, a world-class symphony orchestra, wonderful professional theaters, and justly famous medical centers. Compared to other mid-west cities, Cleveland looks more diverse, educated, cultured, and vibrant.

Suggested Long weekend: Victoria Day; Civic Day; Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Distance from Toronto: 240 miles (390 km)

When people talk about Detroit, they would probably mention the troubled auto industry, high crime rate and the burn out, abandoned buildings. Many people are even unwilling to drive through Detroit, not to mention visiting. This stereotype might be only half true nowadays.

It’s true that the Big Three automakers are still struggling especially after the economic crisis in 2008, but it’s also true that the Big Three started to stabilize with the bail-out and the expansion of the overseas automotive markets. It’s true that the city still had the sixth highest number of violent crimes among the twenty-five largest cities in US in 2006, but it’s also true the crime in Detroit declined steadily in recent years. It’s true that seeing so many dark, scarred desolations in a city’s central area is a real shock, it’s also true that the abandoned buildings are being replaced with high-rise condos gradually and the resurrected downtown core area is beautiful and luxurious.

From the perspective of sightseeing, Detroit, as a place with long history and rich culture, can offer a lot, without any doubt.

Recommended Long Weekend: Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Distance from Toronto: 260 miles (420 km)

The Endless Mountains area is located in the north central Pennsylvania. Despite its name, it does not consist of true mountains but rather a hilly plateau that is part of the Allegheny Plateau. This region is immediately adjacent to the Allegheny National Forest region to the east introduced in Chapter 3.

Recommended Long Weekend: Canada Day; Civic Day; Labor Day; Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Distance from Toronto: 240 miles (390 km)

For Torontonians, Finger Lakes region is probably the most famous long-weekend vacation destination on the American side. It offers an excellent combination of various kinds of attractions in a conveniently small area. These attractions include waterfalls, gorges, museums, university, wine tasting tours, and outlet mall shopping, many of which are world-class. Unexpectedly, the region is only three and half hours drive from Toronto.

Recommended Long Weekend: Labour Day; Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Distance from Toronto: 170 miles (270km)

Although Rochester is the second closest city to Toronto after Buffalo, it does not appear to be a popular vacation destination for Torontonians. Unlike Buffalo which is hard to avoid because of its critical location, Rochester requires a separate trip to visit. From the standpoint of sightseeing, Rochester does offer world famous museums and historical architectures. In addition, if you combine Rochester with the neighbouring Letchworth State Park, and Arcade & Attica Train Ride in Wyoming County together, it would be well worth a long weekend trip.

Recommended Long Weekend: Canada Day; Civic Day; Labour Day; Canadian Thanksgiving Day

Distance from Toronto: 325 miles (520 km)

Pittsburgh is famous for its steel industry and is still widely referred as the “Steel City”. Its home American football team is also called “Steelers”. In many people’s mind, Pittsburgh is still a place full of Industrial Revolution factories with high and smoking chimneys.

In fact, among those old industrial cities in north-east America, Pittsburgh should be the most successful one in transition. Nowadays, clean and prosperous urban replaced the high chimneys, commercial and service industries replaced the heavy industry.  Pittsburgh has become one of “the Most Liveable” cities in America ever since 1980s.