Waterloo (Ontario) Tourism - Travel to Waterloo (Ontario)
Waterloo, Ontario is home of two Universities: Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.
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Understand Waterloo (Ontario) Tourism
Waterloo is part of Canada's Technology Triangle, and many companies such as Research In Motion, Descartes, Open Text, and Sybase make their home here.
Farmland is quite close outside the city limits, and many Mennonites live close by.
Get into Waterloo (Ontario)
There is a small airport, but almost no one uses it. People usually come into Waterloo by train, car or bus. The Via Rail train station is located in Kitchener. Cars usually take the 401 highway, unless they are coming from the north.
Get around in Waterloo (Ontario)
Unlike a bigger city such as Toronto, it is relatively quick and easy to get from one point to another by car because the distances aren't far, and the traffic isn't too busy. Travelling by public transit is much more challenging. Bus schedules are available at http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web/transit.nsf/form?OpenForm ;alternatively, you can acquire them piecemeal on busses or all at once at either of the universities.A look at a map of Kitchener-Waterloo will show a confusing tangle of streets and street names. Kitchener and Waterloo are two separate cities that have grown until they met each other. Many of the streets do not follow a grid pattern, but curve and wiggle in surprising patterns (though the west-end suburbs tend to be somewhat understandable). For example, there are two streets, King and Weber, which are parallel for most of their length, but cross each other 4 times. King Street is the main street that travels roughly North-South through the downtown of Kitchener and Waterloo. In Waterloo, it is labelled King St. North and South, with the transition at Erb Street. In Kitchener, it is labelled King St. East and West, and at one point jogs fifty feet to the left where it becomes "Old King". Go figure.
See Waterloo (Ontario)
- Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Started by a $100 million donation by local entrepreneur, Mike Lazaridis, founder and co-CEO of Research in Motion (RIM). http://www.perimeterinstitute.com/
- Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, 25 Caroline Street North, 746-1882. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM. Located in Uptown Waterloo. The collection is small enough to be seen in an hour. Donations requested. http://www.canadianclayandglass.ca/
Do Waterloo (Ontario)
- St. Jacob's Farmer's Market. This market attracts locals and tourists, with fresh produce, baked goods, ethnic foods, clothing, refurbished phones, etc. The market is just north of town; it runs Thursdays and Saturdays 7:00 am - 3:30 pm, with Tuesdays 8:00 am - 3:00 pm being added in the summer (June until Labor Day).
- Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema. Held annually in April. http://www.wfac.ca/
- Oktoberfest. Bavarian festival held annually in October; said to be the largest in the world outside of Germany. http://www.oktoberfest.ca/
- Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre. A community theatre group with shows occurring for two week runs about once every 2 months, generally located at the Registry Theatre in downtown Kitchener. Company made up of mostly university students and young adults. Affordable ticket prices. 2004 ticket prices $11-$13/show. http://www.kwlt.org
- Waterloo Stage Theatre. A ~250-seat stage theatre remodelled from a cinema with shows generally occuring for one-month runs about once every two months. Rents to professional groups, musicians, amateur and semi-pro theatre companies, and has in-house productions as well. 2004 ticket prices $10-$30/show. http://www.waterloostagetheatre.com
- The King Street Theatre Centre. A ~380-seat stage theatre located in downtown Kitchener with shows generally occuring for one-month runs about once every two months. Home to Theatre & Company, with occasional rentals by other groups. 2004 ticket prices $10-$30/show. http://www.theatreandcompany.org
- Waterloo Buskers' Carnival. Held annually in August. http://www.waterloo-buskers.com/
Learn
- University of Waterloo. Established in the 1950's, UW is one of Canada's youngest universities. It is well known for its co-operative education program and for fostering innovation. Several spinoff companies are well-known, such as Research in Motion and Open Text. It was also the starting point of Engineers Without Borders. Visitors might be interested in the Games Museum in the BMH building, the Earth Sciences Museum in the CEIT building, and the Optometry Museum in the Optometry building. http://www.uwaterloo.ca/
- Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave W (corner of King and University). WLU is best known for its School of Business and Economics, one of the best in Canada; its Music, Geography, and Kinesiology programs are also well-known. The School of Music hosts at least one concert per week, admission to which is often free. http://www.wlu.ca/
Eat - Travel to Waterloo (Ontario)
Waterloo is a university town, which means restaurants full of cheap, horrible food. Going Uptown (the King/Erb area) will provide expensive, acceptable food. It was one of the first cities in Canada to pass a by-law prohibiting smoking in bars and restaurants.You can find a critical review of Kitchener-Waterloo restaurants at http://db.uwaterloo.ca/~plragde/food/kw-rests.html. Many restaurant reviewers on the Internet source this page. Another excellent resource is the restaurant review page of the Yellow Pages Dinner Club.
Budget
- Ethel's Lounge, 114 King Street North (just south of WLU), 725-2361. "No live entertainment; one TV." Ethel's serves up Mexican and roadhouse fare in a cool retro-chrome-diner atmosphere. Don't be intimidated by the surly-sounding menu; the staff and patrons here tend to be a personable, if outlandish, bunch. Entrees $5-10.
Mid-range
- Mongolian Grill, University Shops Plaza (on University Ave, just across the tracks from UW), 747-4400. Grab a bowl and fill it with your choice of meats, veggies, sauces and spices. Then, give it to the grillers, who will chop, fry, and thrash your meal into shape right before your eyes on a huge round grill (3m/9' across, temp 300C/600F). $15 for all you can eat, including rice and tortillas to go with your stir-fry. Be forewarned: there's often a wait in the evenings, especially on weekends. http://www.mongoliangrill.com/
Sleep - Waterloo (Ontario) Tourism
Budget
- Hotel Laurier, 519-884-0710 ext. 2771 (email: hotel@wlu.ca). Wilfrid Laurier University rents out empty residence rooms in the summer under the pseudonym "Hotel Laurier". Single rooms come in as low as $40 per night; there are reduced rates for weekly or monthly stays, and further discounts for seniors, groups, and WLU staff and students. http://www.wlu.ca/hotel/
Get out
Waterloo is within easy driving distance of many southern Ontario locations, such as London, Guelph, Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Stratford. Towns on the shore of Lake Huron, such as Kincardine or Goderich, are great places to enjoy the beach in the summer.
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