Okay, so it's not in Toronto, but lots of Torontonians love to escape for the weekend! Can I get an amen?! Grand Bend is huge for tourists in the summer, but I went in the fall when the weather was still beautiful and the beaches were empty. Grab a slice of Grand Bend pizza and sit on the beach, or walk through the little burbs and check out the rental cottages.

It is the closest thing we have to a real beach

who knew this was so close to toronto and so beautiful. It is a gorgeous, well conserved provincial park full of beatiful beaches. The 4th beach is the best but it is the hardest to get to! Amazing getaway... yet beware of the poision ivy lurking around the edges of the forest.

There is a "clothing optional" beach to enjoy. Nowhere else in the city can you roam free and swim just as God made you...

It feels like a real getaway spot in the city! It's off the mainland, unlike the Beach district (a distant second, in my book). I simply pack a good book, some great music, a huge beach towel, water, some awesome summer fruit and I'm on vacation -- right in the city.

It only takes about 1 1/2 hours to reach. It is on Lake Erie (warm and unpolluted) has amazing waves and a long stretch of sand beach, AND it has a dog beach at one end where furry friends get to frolic in the water too. Plus a picnic area. West on 401, down Hwy 19, thru Tillsonburg and on to Port Burwell.

No one goes there!

this is a cute lil man-made beachy area along the harbourfront which is a nice spot to take a break from your walk/bike ride/rollerblading to sit and relax in one of the muskoka chairs for a few minutes and look out over the lake to the islands. It was strangely not even very busy when I was there on a Saturday.

It's new! A "beach" just south of the SkyDome. Peri loved playing in the sand (and mommy too because for some reason the sand didn't stick too much unto Peri and her clothes). Get there early and you'll have access to your own beach umbrella and Muskoka chair.

The back patio at Sutra Lounge is covered in sand and it makes you feel like you should be somewhere in the tropics. You'll wait too long to get a drink--but when it comes in a coconut you really can't complain too much.

they have really great DJs spinning on sundays in the summer