London, Ontario

It's no wonder that London promotes itself as the Forest City: it has an abundance of parks and green space. There are three conservation areas (the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation, and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority); 270 parks (including Victoria, Harris, Springbank, Greenway, Gibbon, and the Civic Gardens Complex); a 29-kilometer (18-mile), multi-use trail along the Thames River; and golf courses a plenty.

But there is a lot to be done indoors as well. Enjoy a fancy night out at Orchestra London or The Grand Theatre. Take in the arts at Museum London, and don't miss the Museum International Film Series, which showcases the best of foreign and Canadian independent films. Or pay homage to Dr. Banting in the home where he lived, practiced medicine, and discovered insulin – the Banting House National Historic Site of Canada.

If you want to make friends with the locals, buy them! Or, at least, buy their products at the Covent Garden Market, the city's oldest. If you want your children to like you, take them to Storybook Gardens, with such attractions as Slippery's Great Escape (a water park), Old McDonald's Farm, and The Enchanted Forest (aviaries).

Or, if this all seems too mundane for you, why not check out the Garlic Festival of London, which celebrates Ontario garlic (apparently the world's finest). Or try your hand at jousting at the London International Dragon's Lair Jousting Tournament: jousters come from all over to world to compete in the medieval jousting competition (in both light and heavy armour). Or see how fast you can complete the Belmont Corn Maze, a four-hectare (10-acre) corn maze that twists and turns for 5 kilometers (3 miles) and is located a few minutes south of London.

London is a college town, home of the University of Western Ontario, one of Canada's oldest (est. 1878) and best universities, and Fanshawe College. It is entirely coincidental that London is also one of the two major brewing sites for Labatt Breweries Ontario, which together produce 40% of the Labatt beer brewed in Canada.

London, with about 336,539 residents, is not too big and not too small: it's a friendly, low-traffic, established community – great for raising a family.

In London … enjoy the trees and the Forest!

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