THE TOUR INCLUDES: Top Category seats for 8 plays, 1 opera and 1 concert (as listed) 10 nights deluxe accommodations (Niagara: Prince of Wales, Stratford: Parlour Inn, Toronto: Royal York) Full breakfast daily, 2 lunches, 4 dinners, 1 High Tea. Private airport-hotel transfers Tour Direction by an Aria Tours representative A comprehensive Tour Guidebook, with travel and performance info and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $5875 US Single Supplement: $1250 US Deposit: $2500 Balance Due: June 20, 2010

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. Return flights should be booked to Toronto Pearson International Airport. Buffalo and Detroit are also possibilities--please see the itinerary section for details. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

There is arguably no more beautiful place on earth to witness the vibrant canvas of autumn colour than in Ontario. This tour brings you to two of the most charming towns in North America at the perfect time of year to do so. We will also see the best of Canada’s grandest city. Along the way, you will stay at the finest hotels in each city, enjoy exquisite meals in five of Canada's top restaurants, and witness performances at two of the very best theatre festivals on the continent. The addition of Aida at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto (featuring Sondra Radvanovsky, Jill Grove and Scott Hendricks) plus a concert featuring Canadian pianist Louis Lortie with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra assures an unforgettable Autumn in Ontario.

Niagara-on-the-Lake, often called the loveliest town in Ontario, has a long and distinguished history. Today, over two hundred years after its founding, the town buzzes with visitor activity at its many attractions, including historic sites, a lovely heritage business district, parks, agricultural markets and world famous Niagara wineries. And of course, the Shaw Festival. Founded in 1962 by Niagara-area lawyer and playwright Brian Doherty, and today it produces 10 to 12 plays each season, with over 800 performances, to audiences totalling about 300,000 people.

That Stratford is the home of the largest classical repertory theatre in North America is ultimately attributable to the dream of one man, Stratford-born journalist Tom Patterson. In the early 1950s, seeing the economy of his home town endangered by the withdrawal of the railway industry that had sustained it for nearly 80 years, Patterson conceived the idea of a theatre festival devoted to the works of William Shakespeare. From the stage of the Festival Theatre, on the night of July 13, 1953, actor Alec Guinness spoke the opening lines of Richard III: "Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this son of York." Those words marked the triumphant end of what had sometimes seemed a hopeless struggle against the odds to turn Patterson's dream into a reality and the beginning of an astonishing new chapter in Canadian theatre history.

Toronto, on the north shore of Lake Ontario, is the largest of Canada's vibrant urban centres. It is the hub of the nation's commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural life, and is the capital of the Province of Ontario. And of course, it is home to the Canadian Opera Company, the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Under its new General Director, Alexander Neef, the company enjoys an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation, and now has a new home, the spectacular Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

THE ITINERARY

Thursday, September 23
Departures for Toronto or Detroit, where you will be met at the airport and transferred to Stratford (be certain to schedule your inbound flight so that you arrive late morning/early afternoon; if you wish to arrive in advance of this date, the cost will be $300 per night per room). Upon arrival at your preferred airport, you will be met and transferred by private shuttle to our charming hotel in Stratford, the Parlour Inn and Suites, where we have deluxe rooms. Once settled in, we meet in the lobby for introductions and then make the short walk to a pre-performance dinner reception at Bijou, one of our favourite kitchens in Stratford. We then transfer to the evening performance of Michel Tremblay’s For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again at the Tom Patterson Theatre.

Friday, September 24
This morning we offer an optional backstage tour (1 hour) at the Festival Theatre. In the afternoon we transfer to the Festival Theatre for a matinée performance of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate. We then enjoy a spectacular dinner at The Old Prune before returning to the Festival Theatre for one of Shakespeare's finest comedies, As You Like It. Private shuttle to the hotel following the performance.

Saturday, September 25
Enjoy the day at leisure in Stratford, browsing the charming shops on the main street (Ontario). This evening, we gather and depart for the Festival Theatre and Shakespeare's enchanting A Winter's Tale. Gather for a cocktail in the Patron's Lounge at the interval.

Sunday, September 26
Today we check out and make our way to Niagara, stopping first for an exquisite lunch at Langdon Hall in Cambridge. Following lunch, we continue to Niagara Falls for a private guided tour (with time for photos and coffee). We then follow the lovely Niagara Parkway to our deluxe hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Prince of Wales. This elegant Victorian property is located in the heart of the main shopping and theatre-going street, an ideal location for our stay. We have secured deluxe rooms for singles and couples. Once settled in, enjoy the evening at leisure.

Monday, September 27
After a day at leisure in Niagara (we will give you plenty of suggestions on how best to spend your time), we gather in the evening for dinner at the historic and nearby Charles Inn, adjacent to the oldest golf course in North America.

Tuesday, September 28
Following a morning at leisure, we make our way to the matinée performance of Shaw's The Doctor’s Dilemma at the Festival Theatre. After dinner at leisure, we meet at the Royal George Theatre for the evening performance of Kurt Weill's musical fantasy One Touch of Venus.

Wednesday, September 29
Following a morning at leisure, we return to the Royal George Theatre for the matinée performance of Chekhov's classic final play, The Cherry Orchard. Afterward, we take High Tea at the Prince of Wales before the evening performance at the Festival Theatre, Clare Boothe Luce's The Women.

Thursday, September 30
Today we check out and depart for Toronto, stopping along the "wine route" for an exquisite lunch at Peninsula Ridge Estates (where we sample some of the finest reds in Niagara). We then continue to Toronto, where we check in at the deluxe Fairmont Royal York, four blocks from the opera house. This grand landmark is located in the heart of Canada's largest metropolis, amidst the city's most important cultural attractions. This evening we gather and depart to for nearby Roy Thompson Hall for a performance by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with pianist Louis Lortie. The programme includes Robert Turner: Opening Night (Theatre Overture); Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54; Chopin: Andante spianato and Grand Polonaise for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 22; Schumann (/orch. Mahler): Symphony No. 2.

Friday, October 1
Late morning we meet for a guided tour of "hidden" Toronto, with some incredibly interesting historic sites near our hotel. Our guide is local legend Bruce Bell, the finest guide in the city. We end with a tour of the permanent collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the AGO is the eighth largest art museum in North America. The Gallery's collection comprises more than 36,000 works representing 1000 years of extraordinary art. The collection includes European Old Masters, Group of Seven, and Canadian and International contemporary works. The AGO also houses the world's largest public collection of works by renowned British sculptor Henry Moore. The gallery recently received a massive renovation by Frank Gehry. Following the tour, the remainder of the day is at leisure.

Saturday, October 2
Enjoy the final morning of the tour at leisure in Toronto. Mid-afternoon we transfer to R. Fraser Elliott Hall in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for an early performance of Verdi's Aida by the Canadian Opera Company. COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts a stellar cast that includes Sondra Radvanovsky, Jill Grove and Scott Hendricks. Following the performance, we return to the Royal York for a Farewell Reception at the award-winning Epic restaurant in our hotel.

Sunday, October 3
Following breakfast, transfers to Pearson International Airport (35 minutes), Buffalo Niagara International Airport (2 hours), or Detroit (3.5 hours) are included. Be certain to schedule your return flight for afternoon departures.