Things to Do in St. Marys, Ontario: Enjoy the Quiet Pace of this Quaint Town on a Weekend Getaway from Toronto!
Taking weekend getaways to picturesque small towns in Ontario is one of the best ways to appreciate this province in Canada. With cozy accommodations, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and incredible dining, shopping and outdoor activities, St. Marys offers the perfect small town respite on a road trip or quick city escape from Toronto.
The centre of town in St. Marys on Queen Street
Chris and I love spending time in major cities, and even mega-cities. We were both born and raised in Toronto and still live in this city, but we’ve also enjoyed living in big international cities like Seoul, South Korea and Istanbul, Turkiye. But with all of our travels across Canada and around the world, we often find that our favourite getaways include a taste of small-town, rural life surrounded by the quiet countryside.
This is where weekend getaways to destinations like St. Marys, Ontario offer the perfect break from our busy day-to-day lives. Despite being a small town, St. Marys offers so many ways to fill a weekend that you can take as slow and relaxed of a pace as you’d like, or check out as many things as you can on a weekend away any time of year.
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How to Get to St. Marys & Where To Stay
Rain can’t stop you from appreciating the beauty of walking the Grand Trunk Trail
St. Marys is nicknamed “Stonetown” because of its abundance of limestone buildings. It’s in Perth County, not far from Stratford and Listowel. Whether you’re staying in an historic property like The Westover Inn, or enjoying a delicious brunch at The Flour Mill, stone buildings like these iconic properties will surround you during your visit here.
When you travel to this small town in Ontario, taking a road trip by car is your best bet. If we’re thinking about a getaway from Toronto specifically, St. Marys is about a two hour drive west from the Greater Toronto Area, making it the perfect distance for a weekend escape. If you’d rather leave the car at home, you can also take the Via Rail train from Toronto to St. Marys, and the town is small enough that you can visit most places in this article on foot.
Where to Stay in St. Marys
I’ve already mentioned The Westover Inn, which is an excellent option when it comes to staying in town. However, we only had time to stay at one property during our visit to St. Marys, and we stayed at The Penrose Suites.
The Penrose is a new property close to St. Marys Golf & Country Club, which is a good place to situate yourself to explore the town, whether by car or on foot. These suites are spacious, and offer everything you need to feel like your home away from home on your getaway. Our one bedroom suite had the most comfortable King size bed, a kitchenette with complimentary coffee and tea, a comfortable living space and smart entertainment system, and offered beautiful views of the golf course from our balcony.
What to Do on Your Getaway to St. Marys
Now let’s get to the fun part—you’ve made it to town and you’re ready to spend a weekend getaway to truly enjoy all that St. Marys has to offer. From meeting the kindest of shop and restaurant owners to enjoying beautiful natural spaces and checking out a Canadian hall of fame, there are a lot of ways to fill up a weekend getaway here.
Take a Walk Along the Grand Trunk Trail
The Grand Trunk Trail follows the path of the now retired Grand Trunk Railway. The path of this historic railroad is beautifully paved, and takes you through neighbourhoods around St. Marys, forested areas, and farm fields, and it offers panoramic views from the raised trail bridge over the Thames River.
We didn’t bring our bikes on this trip, but this trail would be an excellent place for anyone looking for a good cycling route in Ontario. The part of the trail that crosses over the bridge above the Thames River in particular offers a beautiful view of the town of St. Marys and the surrounding countryside from a distance.
If you’re looking for more opportunities to appreciate nature or a good walk in St. Marys, there are plenty of other green spaces in town. Kin Park and Rotary Park are both along Trout Creek, and the Riverview Walkway begins in the centre of St. Marys near Little Falls, and continues south along the Thames River for quite a distance.
Visit the One and Only Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
This might be surprising to know, but the one and only Baseball Hall of Fame in Canada is located in St. Marys! It is a small but mighty museum, with quite a number of artifacts and plenty of information for history and baseball lovers alike.
The Hall of Fame used to be in Toronto, but it moved in the mid-1990s. There were bids from several other towns and cities in Canada to get it, but St. Marys won the bid, largely due to the amount of green outdoor space located right around the museum. Today, it’s a growing museum that hosts a ton of events and baseball games directly on the four ballparks outside of the museum.
I know that Chris loved the opportunity to come across some Canadian baseball and Blue Jays merchandise and memorabilia that awakened the nostalgia of his childhood. As two kids raised in the 90s, Chris and I remember the fanfare over the Blue Jays and their multi-World Series titles of that time. So much iconic gear came from that era as well, and based on how the team is currently doing, we’re hopeful for a repeat of history sometime in the near future!
The museum also highlights Canadian baseball players who played for various teams in the MLB, and it shares a lot of important stories surrounding the history of the game as it relates to Canada. Professional sports has been no stranger to having a problematic history, and the museum shares stories of triumph in the face of racism and sexism, and the strife that many communities faced while carving out a place for themselves in the world of baseball.
It’s a well-curated museum with a wealth of information, and it’s a manageable place to visit if you’re looking for a truly unique experience during your time in St. Marys. You can learn more information about the museum, its hours of operation and how to visit here.
Grab a Local Coffee & a Sweet Treat
Delicious coffee to start the day from The Flour Mill
One of my favourite things to do on any trip to a small town is to visit a local, independent coffee shop. And St. Marys just so happens to have several wonderful options. I’d recommend popping into Snapping Turtle Coffee Roasters downtown on Queen Street for a delicious brew and a baked good. The community spirit is strong in this town too, since Snapping Turtle has even collaborated with the local brewery on one of their beers. More on that later.
You’ll find that The Flour Mill will pop up a few times in this article too, since it’s a place that offers so much to enjoy, including delicious coffee and baked goods and sweet treats made to perfection. It’s a great place to start any day, or come back to again and again while you’re in town.
Take a Pottery Class
There’s something about taking a local class that centres a weekend away. It’s a memorable way to connect with others in the local community, and when you’re able to leave with a piece of pottery that reminds you of your time in a special town like St. Marys, you’ll be happy you did it.
On top of being a great place to shop for beautiful pottery pieces—think dishes, cups, vases, and even coffee mugs with notable St. Marys’ decals—Zenfire Pottery in downtown St. Marys offers pottery workshops on most Saturdays. While some special events are catered to kids, many are meant for adults hoping to take a workshop with access to their own potter’s wheel.
Owner Angela is a patient and kind teacher, and she’ll share her knowledge and passion for pottery with all who take her workshops. Most of the Saturday workshops she runs will walk you through creating two bowls or two cups on your own wheel. Zenfire is home to eight potter’s wheels, so each student can try on their own. I mention this because not all independent pottery studios have this kind of equipment, so it makes for a special class to take on your own or with a small group.
You can learn more about Zenfire’s pottery workshops on their website, or contact the studio if you have a special request.
Head To a Local Brewery
Located a short distance from the centre of St. Marys, Broken Rail Brewing is an independent, family-owned brewery inside of St. Marys Junction Railway Station, which was part of the Grand Trunk Railway. The limestone building the brewery is located inside was built in 1858, and just so happens to be a National Historic Site of Canada.
Owned by locals Erin and Ryan Leaman, their goal was to revive this landmark building that had been abandoned for some time. Today, they brew delicious beer on site while keeping the history and spirit of the railway alive. They have a wide variety of year-round staples and small-batch seasonal brews to keep your tastebuds excited on a visit.
Chris and I sampled a few flights during our visit, and we enjoyed trying their Bubble Burst Sour, Pineapple Buzz Wheat Beer, Blow the Snow American Pale Ale, and Bend the Rail New England IPA. Their Coffee Pot Stout is also a fun, rich stout brewed in collaboration with Snapping Turtle Coffee Roasters coffee.
The property has a comfortable outdoor patio and picnic tables, and there’s even a historic Grand Trunk (branded “GT”) railway car on site that visitors can check out.
Dining and Shopping in St. MarYs
Any town that has an abundance of excellent, independently owned restaurants and shops is always a highlight for me when I spend a weekend away. Some of our favourite spots that we visited while we were in town were:
The Flour Mill for specialty brunch favourites, nutritious and delicious smoothies and takeaway quiches
Tutt Co. for happy hour and live music on Fridays, and
Social Thirty-One for dinner and drinks at St. Marys Golf & Country Club.
There was a bout of cold, rainy weather during our spring visit, but I’m told that Towne & Country Cheese Shoppe is the perfect place to pick up some picnic essentials to enjoy in one of St. Marys parks. The Creamery is another favourite in town, and lunch or dinner on the patio at The Westover Inn is a great way to spend a few hours.
Chris and I loved popping into some of St. Marys well-curated shops, too. As major writers and readers, a local book store is always a delight, so checking out the selection and taking away a few books from bright and cozy Betty’s Bookshelf was a no-brainer. If you travelling with a child, they have a great selection of books for kids, too.
Bungalow is an excellent place to visit for home goods, and we also loved visiting The Chocolate Factory for a sweet treat and specialty gifts.
Other Things to do in St. Marys
Check Out the St. Marys Museum. Located in a historic limestone heritage house in town, this museum has all sorts of artifacts and items from historic properties in town.
Grab a treat from Hearn’s Ice Cream. This dairy spot has been in town since the 1960s, and serves up hot dogs, submarine sandwiches and iconic soft serve cones.
Go kayaking on the Thames River. Whether you bring your own or need a rental, the Thames River is a great place to get out on the water. The riverside behind St. Marys library is a good place to launch your kayak, and you can reserve rentals for kayaks through the The Yak Shack outside the library.
Enjoy Your Weekend Away in This Charming Ontario Town
No matter where your weekend in St. Marys takes you, you’ll love the excuse to get away and relax in this one-of-a-kind town in Ontario. Chris and I left with full bellies, big smiles and a feeling of being truly relaxed getting away from it all. You can count on sharing in this feeling after a visit here, too.
I’d like to thank the Town of St. Marys and Regional Tourism Organization 4 for hosting Chris and I as media for this getaway to St. Marys from Toronto. All opinions expressed in this article are completely my own.
Bri Mitchell
Bri Mitchell is a travel writer and content creator from Toronto, Ontario. She loves to highlight all things nature, food, wellness, sustainability and adventure in her work. Bri writes and shares her travel experiences from across Canada, the United States and around the world on Instagram and TikTok (@brimitchelltravels), and in her articles for travelingmitch, Ultimate Ontario, and We Explore Canada.