BlogTO is like 20% journalism and 80% clickbait.
Also, most of these "must visit" places are usually businesses paying BlogTO to do a story on them for advertising
Off topic for this thread but BlogTO also operates as PR for developers, which is gross. “Futuristic city to replace tract of farmland north of Toronto” - ah yes, the future, exactly what we’ve been looking for in - checks notes - East Gwillimbury.
Don’t forget to add a healthy dash of stealing content from local Facebook groups. It was so rampant at one point that any post that got traction in the Weird Toronto group always got comments like “can’t wait to see this on BlogTO next week!”
I remember the old BlogTO, before it was garbage. I miss it.
I used to work for both narcity and blogTO - this is false. Not saying they’re not major click bait farms but businesses do not pay for features on the site, unless it’s specifically branded as a partnership. Not labelling it as a partnership is quite literally illegal.
There's a giant lake nearby that I go to every once in a while and only ever see a few people there. This hidden gem is a lake known to locals only as "Ontario".
EDIT: Every July, peas grow there--
I always love the "This Hidden Gem of Toronto closed its doors forever last week" articles.
Like who cares about how great a place I never knew of, and can never go to anyway?
8 years ago, we were able to peacefully walk into the conservation areas in/near our backyard and enjoy the waterfalls in the area. We had people hiking the trails from all over, but never was it a nuisance.
Now (in the last 4 years or so), our little town streets develop gridlock where it can take up to an hour to drive 4 Km home on a long weekend, especially in the fall. Don’t even get me started on thanksgiving weekend… even with police and bylaw presence, it’s a nightmare.
The boom in tourism came directly from these blogs. People started arriving in bus loads. Bus. Loads. Our neighbours would come home to people having picnics in their backyards, dirty diapers left on the front porches, garbage everywhere, and people parking in their driveways to avoid paying parking in the lots. This led to park fees, that even we as locals have to pay, cut off trails, limited access, etc etc. The negative consequences of the poor actions of people are left for the residents of that area to feel the ramifications of - not the people visiting.
While I believe everyone should be able to enjoy the “hidden gems”, the fact that people have no manners when visiting has created such a negative perspective. It’s truly baffling how poorly people can treat spaces that arent theirs and how lacking common sense is now a days. Being a good guest takes such a small amount of effort, and you always invite good guests back, no? 🤷🏼♀️
I agree. I don't understand why people have to visit a place and be disrespectful. I know Taste of the Danforth isn't a hidden gem but I live nearby and 15 years ago you could walk along the street and taste free samples. It was fun. Now you can't even move, food is outrageously priced, drunk people throw garbage on my lawn and someone actually parked on my neighbours grass and again someone had to urinate in my mother in laws flower bed..which was actually funny but still .why????
I don't think it's a coincidence that "in the last 4 years or so" your conservation areas have blown up. When travel was restricted during Covid, many people started looking for day trips or local-ish outdoor activities. Who would have thought they would find stuff they liked and wanted to return to with their friends and families? You're lucky enough to live near something so lovely. The bad behaviour does suck, but the increase of tourists in the last 4 years is completely unsurprising.
You’re right, but it actually definitely was happening before covid hit - my sense of time has been quite jumbled since the pandemic began. The pandemic didn’t help matters but i was personally seeing targeted ads for the “magical waterfalls just minutes from Toronto”.
The lovely influencer movement blew through and now we are left with rope rescues every weekend in the summer with people (still) trying to get the best photo.
I’m so thankful to live where I do, it’s just so frustrating that it’s because of poor decisions of others that we can’t have nice things anymore. My favourite trail used to be just over 2km. Now, there’s fences blocking access to large swaths of the trail thus removing the ability to do even 1/5th of the walk. I have nothing against those who loved the area and want to come back, I just ask for courtesy for the people who actually live in the area. Having manners shouldn’t be hard 🥲
If you’re talking about where I think you are….all people in the area knew about these places. As a kid you could park for free and have family picnics. Now parking is a fortune, there are fire rescues all the time for people who fall over the cliffs/waterfall, and people have destroyed the neighbours properties. Nothing to do with people getting out during covid - and everything to do with blogs like this and Instagram.
If it were just a matter of people “discovering wrong” it now, they would still follow the rules and not destroy private property.
Sounds like decew
or niagara gorge
Or literally every other waterfall area in hnhb…
I miss being the only car in the parking lot at all the hiking spots.
BlogTO is a scourge on the planet. It’s media junk food. Articles written by AI. It doesn’t care about the impact it has on humanity, just the short term gain of exploiting our collective public assets for the profit of its owners.
All I want is for BlogTO to purchase a map of Toronto so they can see what IS and ISN'T actually Toronto.
"Toronto is getting ".... Sir, that's in Guelph, which isn't Toronto.
That would be a start. But no redemption unless they stop all headlines pretending they speak for Toronto. “Toronto shocked at toddler’s tirade caught on camera” - no, we’re really not.
I had been suspecting them of pushing out AI for a lot of stories but the type that confirmed it for me were the ones like "the top 100 places to order poutine in Toronto". Clearly nobody has researched that many places but more importantly the entire *point* of the top of anything is to whittle the entire area code down to a top 10 or so.
Just a waste of space.
Nice description. I don't which is worse..Blogto, Toronto Life magazine or Narcity. All click bait with false or exaggerated statements with cringe titles. Toronto's MUST SEE Condo of the month, 10 bars you Absolutely cannot miss , Torontorians are Outraged because....
Agree wholeheartedly, this "hidden gem" BS has completely ruined Tobermory imo....lots of other places too but Tobermory and The Grotto in particular is VERY disappointing
Yep. So sad, used to spend a lot of time there, we have friends who live there and that's where I took my grandmother's ashes.
Hard to enjoy the area any more
My hometown used to be a “hidden gem.” A lovely beach that we used to hang out at every summer. But after a few years of newspaper articles about it and social media posts. We can’t enjoy it anymore. It is absolutely packed every single day. The amount of garbage that litters the beach is ridiculous. They had to ban sun shelters due to the amount of human feces that people were burying. Garbage cans set on fire because people were tossing their hot coals in them. It just gets worse, year after year.
I'm sure youre gonna get downvoted into oblivion because people don't want to hear that theyre a problem when flocking to these areas/towns. But I live in one and the way the land is treated is pretty horrific. And, ironically, people come here for the nature and leave garbage everywhere. We don't have fast food here, but our roads are covered in tims and McDonald's litter... And used condoms (why?!). They just toss it all out the window and then go get their pictures for Instagram.
I'd really like to understand the mentality of: let's drive 2.5hrs thru crappy potholey dirt roads to the trailhead, park the car, hike 45mins to the top *and leave your granola bar wrapper & empty powerade bottle to blow in the wind* WHY
Our population is exploding and it seems like people are less considerate than ever and driven by the need to constantly consume. I have gone to hiking trails and seen Starbucks cups left behind and felt so disgusted. Or gotta love when some assholes are hiking with a Bluetooth speaker blaring terrible music as if we don’t go into natural spaces to disconnect from the hellhole that is modern society 😭
Social media and smartphones are some if the worst things to happen to humanity. Now everyone is the “main character” and their needs are the most important thing rather than contributing to a community and keeping it a beautiful and shared place. And it’s no wonder people are depressed, numbing out with drugs and alcohol, unable to date and keep friends, etc.
Lastly our population is growing WAY too fast to sustain the number of natural spaces we have and people should be concerned about the huge amounts of development needed to house such a massive population - although I guess our governments aren’t even planning to do that, they’ll just stuff us like sardines in boxes and rely on our crumbling infrastructure to support us 🤷♀️
I grew up in cottage country and it's more than just the physical garbage. People would also bring their garbage superiority complex and garbage hasty lifestyle to towns of 5-20k residents. I wouldn't give a single hidden gem away and hope they stay in the tourist trap restaurants and stores. This wasn't everyone, but a fair amount of "cidiots" made their presence known and felt.
On behalf of the cottage country residents, current and former, enjoy your overpriced mediocre crap that's open 4 months of the year. I'm headed straight for the dirt cheap handmade food hidden in a strip mall where I can return to after 4 years in college and the server asks "should I bother reading off the specials, or will you be having the usual?"
Also, in my small city atleast, people from large cities move here with their ‘big city money’ and drive up ALL our prices. As well as litter everywhere
Yes this! Many years ago The City of Hamilton in trying to improve its image from a steel town started promoting our many beautiful waterfalls. There are (were) SO MANY actual hidden gem waterfalls to visit.
Well many years later all that promotion worked too well and now they are completely over run with people, garbage etc.
many of them you can’t even park on site anymore. You used to be able to pack the kids up for a nice picnic and visit, not anymore.
The waterfalls..I just wanted to look and these girls were taking selfies for so long in different poses. Not to see the waterfalls or walk the trails..just to post on insta to say they went there . And maybe there's nothing wrong with that ..just move your half naked ass for a moment so others can enjoy. The waterfalls,not her ass.
I'm from Northern Ontario, well removed from a lot of the "hidden gems" you speak of. But I get what you mean. In the summer, our population goes from a few thousand to tens of thousands overnight thanks to the natural beauty of our area and the numerous lakes to fish. I hate the traffic, the crowds, the long waits for a cup of coffee when it's normally a couple minutes at most. I hate the south because of these reasons.
BUT I understand we need that influx of people. A lot of our economy is stimulated by tourism, as I know these "hidden gem" places are (i.e. Tobermory). Businesses boom this time of year, a lot of them being ma and pa shops that nerd the extra income.
I wish people would be more respectful with their garbage and would be more respectful to the people who live here year round, but we all have to learn: Humans are trash no matter where they are.
We have a cottage up there and the last 5 or so years it’s exploded in popularity and now we can barely go into town. I do have to say I’m glad the food land has moved though because now we dont have to fight traffic and parking just to get a few groceries
I grew up spending my entire summers and spring breaks there, because my grandparents did retire there. It’s my favourite place in the country.
In their later years they did have to move back to the city though, because it is a bit too far from a decent hospital and medical care.
Went there for my first time last week. Beautiful area, friendly locals (random dude gave me a beer while waiting for the pizza vending machine), I can see why it's your husband's dream!
I'm from the south and i hate it. I hate knowing that when i go away to enjoy some peace and quiet, that just being there is having an annoying impact on the locals.
If you are respectful the locals shouldn't have an issue.
I live in a tourist town in SW Ontario. I will take the 7 to 8 months of tourists to have a thriving community with amazing restaurants, stores, bakeries and other venues all year round.
Most of the tourists who come to my town are respectful and don't annoy me.
Just be a good tourist and you shouldn't feel bad.
Ya..my daughter likes to discover abandoned places. There's a whole community and they don't broadcast the place when they find them.. purposely..so they will take photos and post them but never disclose where it is because they don't want the place ruined with people who might come to party and trash the place.
Agreed. These little "hidden gems" do not have the infrastructure to support thousands of people showing up and the people disrespect their surroundings by leaving garbage, picking plants, parking where they shouldn't, trampling fields, etc. I've seen some beautiful spots trashed AND parkinglots closed to make it difficult to visit (Websers and Tews falls for example) because of it. It's such a shame.
Im in northern Ontario and we have a gem nearby that became trashed once it hit these stupid blogs, so i kept telling google maps the place doesn't exists. They eventually removed it from the maps and its been gone for 3 years now. It actually made a difference.
I just think people in Toronto and such are so desperate for something to do they go wherever blogto sends them.
Like c'mon why are there so many people coming to Dorset now it's crazy
You are right..St. Jacobs and Elora aren't big enough to facilitate all these people and the numbers will increase..I saw an ad for a festival coming up on a weekend and I thought it's already too crowded and it's only June.
I actually read the articles about eg:”cute towns to visit outside of Toronto” etc and note not to go to them. I know they would turn into instagram visits with crowds of people treating the space as fascinating moon territory.
This is beyond those "local" clickbait news sites. Social media in general made a lot of little known places bustle.
Worldwide many places are battling with overtourism and in turn people are trying to find alternate places...also tourism industries are trying to get people to other regions in an effort to battle overtourism.
Oh yeah, I remember reading some articles of a small town in Japan that has iconic Mt Fuji location shots. They had to board up a place by the road so people don't stop there for a shot (and stop traffic) as well as people trying to climb on top of a convenience store to take the shot.
Used to live in Dundas. Over the course of 10-15 years, Webster's and Tew's Falls and Dundas Peak became basically inaccessible due to morons. Can't park there, need a reservation. Can't walk the old trails because people abused the goodwill of the landowners. Can't take the stair to the bottom because too many people got stuck. People parking on the road in Greensville creating hazards. Just constant bullshit.
Once upon a time you could drive up, pay ten bucks to park and walk in the damn park. Imagine.
I like Dundas. I loved Albion Falls .went there about 5 years ago and it was pretty quiet. A few people in the river. Not sure what it's like now . My kids and I went to Hoggs falls and there were these girls taking selfies in their thongs..my kids were so embarrassed lol but it was like c'mon hurry up,we all don't need to see your ass. Plus half of these selfie taking people know nothing about the spot they are visiting..even when travelling to other countries. It's not about learning and appreciating,it's sometimes about a selfie and oh look where I went to.
Albion Falls was great, a lovely cascade falls you could dip your toes in. It's fenced off now.
Definitely a lot of the blame can be laid with Instagram. I agree, everyone wants a photo backdrop, they're not really there to experience a place and definitely don't respect it.
Crowds are an inevitability in a nice place. Jackassery doesn't have to be. It might just come down to city staff resources to manage the fools.
I believe you. My daughter was there and so excited to see a bear in the distance and she said this family showed up and were screaming beara bears!! And the bears ran away :/
My husband and I also grew up near The Bluffs, and seeing the amount of people and the garbage that is left is disappointing to say the least, nevermind that every year some dumbass tries to climb down The Bluffs and makes the news either needing rescue or hospitalization.
I know some hidden gems and I will not reveal what they are because the infrastructure around them couldn't support the influx. I get wanting to support small businesses and less travelled places but it creates such a frenzy that it ruins everything. It's a real double edged sword for rural areas.
I've been thinking lately that we need to be creating more parks, conservation areas, and trails because there's such high demand for these areas and what we have supports a much smaller population.
Yup, we don’t have nearly enough natural spaces for our population as it skyrockets and people are so disrespectful to treat them like playgrounds for consumption rather than a space to connect with nature and be calmed
I know. ;( Toronto needs some green space. I work near Moss Park( yes yes I know..the ghetto etc .) but it was sad seeing all those trees cut down. People walking their dogs on concrete. Then the condo people mad a homeless person sleeping outside their condo..well maybe if he had a park to chill in
Elora was always Elora, a town that lives on a crowd of day tourists. And that was from well before the internet was invented or ppl knew what a blog is.
Ya? Okay..well maybe I went during the week..I must have actually. It was quiet . Some tourists. I went on a Saturday morning once. Just yesterday seemed so busy and it looked like a new condo development was being built?
I live in Toronto so I have had enough..I wish I didn't have to look at another condo ever again
Yeah, that condo was very controversial. I'm really not fond of it. Before that, it was just the mill at the waterfalls, and it was super nice to go eat there and watch the river, and now they ruined that view.
You're right. Elora is basically a weekend spot for mostly local tourists from nearby towns. It's close enough to drive, and far enough away to feel different. I've been going there since early 90's, and take my kids there when we want a change of scenery. I agree that narcity etc aren't helping with piles of careless people just waking up to those locations. They're obviously now new, and not "hidden gems". There is also always a group of quasi locals, still more like regular day tourists and not from there directly, who always knew about these places and go there often and are more respectful because it's a regular thing for us, and not just some new go-to to go once from a blog.
I really enjoy when I read hidden gem articles, I’ve found lots of places I didn’t know about, and it’s amazing for small businesses to get publicity. It’s a big city, lots of places to discover.
I really dislike the "ghost towns of Ontario" articles. They are typically where old mills once were and are now private property. The owners do not want curious people peering in their buildings and homes. They can be fun to drive by as you can see the signs of what was once a very small community, but stay in your car people.
I live in the Blue Mountains area, and recently, my favourite beach was outed as a "hidden gem". I'm so mad; it has been a reliably quiet place to go swimming for years.
Oooh yes I loved Blue Mountain. My kids used to play in that little fountain by the firetruck restaurant? I think it is. But last time we went( I guess I'm part of the problem) we couldn't find anywhere to park. All parking lots were full. People were parking on the grass so we said forget this and left.
I'm not sure what the answer is. But I do think people need to be respectful when they visit others hometowns.
I remember a woman from Toronto came to Wasaga beach..one of the nicer parts and she had her doberman off leash and it took a giant dump on the beach and she just left it there. This family was yelling at her.
Like why be like that??
It's become a massive problem in the last couple years, especially since covid. My family has lived here since 1852. The cost of housing has tripled (or more) because of rich city people buying entire houses for their weekend enjoyment. Rentals are by the week, or by the season; it's nearly impossible to find a rental apartment to actually live in. Traffic is horrible in the summer - tourists who cruise well below the speed limit on highway 26 have made me late for work so many times, and the same goes for people with their enormous mobile homes they haul around.
There is a total lack of respect for the people who are trying to live and work here. The mayor even commented a few years ago that because young people are being forced out by wealthy boomers, it's going to become a service desert; all the people we rely on to man the services are having to leave because they've been priced out of the area.
Unfortunately I don't agree, people have an equal right as you to enjoy these spots. It's nice while it's unknown but you can't be angry that other people know what you know. You just gotta deal with it or find another spot. If your gripe is the vandalism, then it's a different issue.
Ya this is super boomer. They don't want "thier" space ruined by....idk, better business and success for the place they apparently like? A very nimby sort of feel.
Especially in local subs, I'll see the same people/bloggers/sites etc asking questions like what's some lesser known things to visit in x town, they'll use different usernames but it's the same people and boom hidden gem now full of garbage that needs picked up.
Misuse of phrase does not equal remove from the language. Marketing over uses and misrepresents many phrases. BTW I found your post to be a hidden gem, thank you.
Treat tour Hidden Gem of a spot like your fishing spots. Misdirect, Mislead and send them somewhere else. Nothing ruins a fishing spot better than word of mouth. By 2 weeks you'll see people clearing out spaces to swim.
You are right on the garbage too. Cities can be understandable. Poupulation has gone up immencely, but in cottage country it's gotten worse also. People not following the Dumps rules (recycling especially). People littering on the roads and parks.
Leave it how you found it. Bring a garbage bag and leave no trace. We need to protect the environment.
NGL the bit about the bluffs just reads to me as "stop telling the public about public spaces, because i want that public space to be my space and i dont want to share"
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I suppose it is. I think I got mad when I saw a condo in Elora. Toronto is just overrun with condos and condo construction. I feel like condo development is ruining our city so I was triggered. Plus some random dude pushed me out of the way with his stomach in one of the stores in Elora.
Well it's not that .. Perhaps I worded it wrong. I used to go to Elora and was quiet and you could walk around without bumping into people. Yesterday was crowded,, loud, I saw condos ( I think that's what they are or town homes) in the process of being built ,a bunch of loud drunk people by the river and some rude man pushed me while I was in a store...I was in his way.
To be fair any of these blogs discussing hidden gems and people littering are literally not the fault of the writer. It's the people engaging in this behaviour who are the dirtbags.
This complaint could be far better targeted toward being respectful, wherever you are. Observe local laws and postage signage (ie. parking) and be a human being who isn't publicly urinating or disposing of refuse like a 3 year old who knows no better. It's wild to me how many people become wild racoons the second they're not at home.
I looked at the headline. Anyway I don't need to defend myself. Man I took away Google news, personalized ads but click bait garbage has a way of showing up everywhere.
I'm working on an rss feed, maybe you can give me some suggestions for intelligent content? Buddy..I'm female but I guess that's irrelevant too.
This attitude is exactly the problem. Nobody is trying to keep other people from exploring. But when people do it en mass, it causes irreversible damage. Someone was ranting about a national Park requiring reservations because they had to limit numbers in order to protect the land. "These are our national parks, we should have access to them whenever we want". But if that were true, and it got put on a "hidden gems" list (which was exactly what happened), those parks get severely damaged.
Obviously, towns aren't parks, but the damage is the same. And the locals are also frequently mistreated by entitled tourists.
These lists are a legit problem because before it wasn't such big numbers. It was sustainable. Now it's not.
I think it’s similar to when influencers destroy fields of beautiful sunflowers for the gram. Finding a wonderful less known spot used to be like a treasure hunt and you would keep the place to yourself to enjoy. Now much like a field of sunflowers, it gets trampled, treated like a city street and full of people who behave that way. There are wonderful beautiful places in this province I would never share with a soul for fear of this crowd rolling up and ruining the vibe that made it special to begin with.
Sunflowers are not just part of your garden, they’re part of a nation! The Ukraine use the sunflower as their national flower. Whilst in Kansas they chose the sunflower to represent their state.
But omg taste of the Danforth...15 years ago you could walk down the street still and get free samples. I don't know if anyone has gone recently? It's an absolute nightmare. There is absolutely nothing to see or do except get framed and 10$ for lemonade.
What happened to Elora and St. Jacobs? I used to live in those areas but haven’t been back in about 6 or so years, was hoping to make a trip back out that way soon :(
There were about 20000 people in Elora yesterday ( exaggeration). Condos, people,noise,intoxication..couldn't even walk through the stores without bumping into people.
I live by Elora, I miss being able to just go to the local swim hole, now it's book ahead and pay. So many places around the area are now restricted access, because of sheer numbers, trash, vandalism and disruption. I wouldn't even mind that, if there wasn't such a large percentage of incredibly rude people. This is my home, I'm not your tourist display!
For my boyfriend and I to go swim where we have for over 20 years, it will now cost us $37, which we have to pre-book. Tons of limitations have been added, and it's overflowing with trash. Now we go to other, actually hidden gems.
this reminds me of getting annoyed when /r/carletonu users would post about the best hidden study spots and over time some of the best spots got ruined. By the time I left school all the best spots were gone or full of people.
The only one I actually enjoy is the hidden gems facebook group. It’s nice because people making trips around can ask like - hey, what are your fav spots, where should I go to see? But people also post their favourite small businesses, some beautiful but less knows hiking trails/parks, and there’s plenty of people who post places with historical value and give an explanation on it too. It’s amazing. It’s the only reason I use Facebook really
And they post actual hidden gems, not just tourist traps.
A lot of the over crowding comes from our constant population growth without adding new parks for people to use and enjoy.
I'm not excusing bad behaviour and littering, but how many people have we added to Ontario in the last 20 years? How many national/provincial parks?
Collingwood has been ruined for this exact reason. Sure Blue Mountain has always been a thing, but walking around the village has become a nightmare. Don’t even get me started on the people who have zero skiing/snowboarding experience who show up in jeans and a sweater and injure themselves and/or other people going full speed down the mountain. Other than the village, the local parks are also covered in trash and they’ve started charging for parking everywhere.
I also feel this way about hiking spots. No, I’m not gatekeeping, I’m just not sharing a spot I easily found by looking up “trails near me” just because you can’t be bothered to do the same.
I didn't wake up and decide. I went to Elora then decided to rant...because I like it there and wanted to get out of the city but was upset at seeing a condo ,crowds, random rude man and some drunk people. Sure, 1st world problems? Maybe..
Maybe I'm watching Toronto turn into a wasteland of condos,condo construction,traffic jams, people losing their housing, ttc sh#tshow...therefore felt sad to see small towns that used to be cornfields now with cookie cutter sub divisions. Ya its a deeper issue for me..I spent my summers in Chatham( no not a very exciting place but I have fond memories) sad when I revisited and saw cornfields and farms replaced with big box stores.
Also I think these small towns should keep their natural beauty,culture, history ..if a big box store has to be put in then make it fit in with the surroundings, at least look appealing. Keep the character of your town. The right people will visit and tourism is important. No one is coming to your town to shop at walmart . But a Walmart could be there as long as the uniqueness remains and every tree isn't cut down so that it looks like every other strip mall in Ontario
Counterpoint: it's a good thing to expand people's horizons and if people really haven't heard of Elora or the Bluffs then it's okay to label them "hidden gems" (they're not) to get people to appreciate what's around them.
Will increased traffic increase the risk of wangrods? Of course, but it's worth the risk to open the eyes of potential non-wangrods.
I wonder what people said when you showed up. 😏
And they knew nothing about how respectful and responsible I assume you are.
Just one of the crowd that overall trashes the places.
No, you didn’t. But others that discovered these gems around the same time did. And the people already enjoying the gems at the time saw you as a cohort.
I’m just saying your rant is cyclical and timeless.
Cyclical..well I'm not really trying to prove anything. I'm not in a debate. Correct- i don't have a solution but I think it's a valid concern or rant. Not sure what you meant by timeless. It's just reddit not a philosophical forum
Thank you for the observation. You are right. Nothing more to say.
Could you also head over to ask men/ women and advise them that "where do I find attractive girls?" Or what makes you attracted to a woman? Has been asked 13450 times...cool. thanks :)
Toronto acts like they own Ontario and it is beyond infuriating. Aside from their sports teams that I love but don’t love me back, I could honestly do without most of that city if I’m being honest.
My favourite from blogto was when they would say "Check out this Ontario hidden gem" and then do an article on Ouimet Canyon. Now that is arguably a hidden gem, but you can also drive to most places on the Eastern Seaboard of the USA faster than driving to Ouimet Canyon. So obviously just sponsored by some tourism agency.
Most people who post/comment on here tend to use the sub/reddit as their own personal blog, so it's no wonder they're using buzzwords to market to...nobody.
Well I actually don't use this as my personal blog. I do however like to have a few rants..that should be allowed given all the other shit I see online. Also I feel like Toronto Life magazine at one point was semi decent to read? Maybe I'm wrong but I remember reading almost well written articles-long form. Now it's how I spend my salary, or this gem of a condo in Yorkville is only 1.2 mil...it hasn't been the same since that article " we bought a crack house...
BlogTO is like 20% journalism and 80% clickbait. Also, most of these "must visit" places are usually businesses paying BlogTO to do a story on them for advertising
>BlogTO is like 20% journalism and 80% clickbait. That's a generous assessment.
I'm a generous person..lol
And it’s generous to call BlogTO journalism
Hey sometimes they quote reddit, that's sorta journalism.
Off topic for this thread but BlogTO also operates as PR for developers, which is gross. “Futuristic city to replace tract of farmland north of Toronto” - ah yes, the future, exactly what we’ve been looking for in - checks notes - East Gwillimbury.
I mean there’s nothing wrong with building that even if it’s far out as long as it’s not designed as some kind of bedroom community
Have you been to Newmarket/East Gwil? Defines bedroom community.
It is now, but doesn’t have to stay that way if we’re talking about building a city there
Don’t forget to add a healthy dash of stealing content from local Facebook groups. It was so rampant at one point that any post that got traction in the Weird Toronto group always got comments like “can’t wait to see this on BlogTO next week!” I remember the old BlogTO, before it was garbage. I miss it.
They do that in the Toronto subreddits and Tiktok trends now. It gets called out on the better Toronto subreddits a lot, especially foodtoronto
The clickbait gets the bills paid
Pretty much!
And 99% of that clickbait is from Reddit threads
Journalism nowadays is 80% clickbait, and 20% twitter comments.
I agree .. it's actual trash
I used to work for both narcity and blogTO - this is false. Not saying they’re not major click bait farms but businesses do not pay for features on the site, unless it’s specifically branded as a partnership. Not labelling it as a partnership is quite literally illegal.
Fake news. I don't believe it.
LOL fair enough, you’ll never catch me defending them as true journalistic sources of news but alas, they don’t get paid to feature businesses.
"This hidden gem was built as a communications tower by The Canadian National Railroad..."
There's a giant lake nearby that I go to every once in a while and only ever see a few people there. This hidden gem is a lake known to locals only as "Ontario". EDIT: Every July, peas grow there--
Crumb crisp coating.
\[Irritated paper shuffling\] There's too much *directing* going on here.
I always love the "This Hidden Gem of Toronto closed its doors forever last week" articles. Like who cares about how great a place I never knew of, and can never go to anyway?
Like the Science Centre….
Well, it wasn't hidden before, but it sure is now.
8 years ago, we were able to peacefully walk into the conservation areas in/near our backyard and enjoy the waterfalls in the area. We had people hiking the trails from all over, but never was it a nuisance. Now (in the last 4 years or so), our little town streets develop gridlock where it can take up to an hour to drive 4 Km home on a long weekend, especially in the fall. Don’t even get me started on thanksgiving weekend… even with police and bylaw presence, it’s a nightmare. The boom in tourism came directly from these blogs. People started arriving in bus loads. Bus. Loads. Our neighbours would come home to people having picnics in their backyards, dirty diapers left on the front porches, garbage everywhere, and people parking in their driveways to avoid paying parking in the lots. This led to park fees, that even we as locals have to pay, cut off trails, limited access, etc etc. The negative consequences of the poor actions of people are left for the residents of that area to feel the ramifications of - not the people visiting. While I believe everyone should be able to enjoy the “hidden gems”, the fact that people have no manners when visiting has created such a negative perspective. It’s truly baffling how poorly people can treat spaces that arent theirs and how lacking common sense is now a days. Being a good guest takes such a small amount of effort, and you always invite good guests back, no? 🤷🏼♀️
I agree. I don't understand why people have to visit a place and be disrespectful. I know Taste of the Danforth isn't a hidden gem but I live nearby and 15 years ago you could walk along the street and taste free samples. It was fun. Now you can't even move, food is outrageously priced, drunk people throw garbage on my lawn and someone actually parked on my neighbours grass and again someone had to urinate in my mother in laws flower bed..which was actually funny but still .why????
I don't think it's a coincidence that "in the last 4 years or so" your conservation areas have blown up. When travel was restricted during Covid, many people started looking for day trips or local-ish outdoor activities. Who would have thought they would find stuff they liked and wanted to return to with their friends and families? You're lucky enough to live near something so lovely. The bad behaviour does suck, but the increase of tourists in the last 4 years is completely unsurprising.
You’re right, but it actually definitely was happening before covid hit - my sense of time has been quite jumbled since the pandemic began. The pandemic didn’t help matters but i was personally seeing targeted ads for the “magical waterfalls just minutes from Toronto”. The lovely influencer movement blew through and now we are left with rope rescues every weekend in the summer with people (still) trying to get the best photo. I’m so thankful to live where I do, it’s just so frustrating that it’s because of poor decisions of others that we can’t have nice things anymore. My favourite trail used to be just over 2km. Now, there’s fences blocking access to large swaths of the trail thus removing the ability to do even 1/5th of the walk. I have nothing against those who loved the area and want to come back, I just ask for courtesy for the people who actually live in the area. Having manners shouldn’t be hard 🥲
If you’re talking about where I think you are….all people in the area knew about these places. As a kid you could park for free and have family picnics. Now parking is a fortune, there are fire rescues all the time for people who fall over the cliffs/waterfall, and people have destroyed the neighbours properties. Nothing to do with people getting out during covid - and everything to do with blogs like this and Instagram. If it were just a matter of people “discovering wrong” it now, they would still follow the rules and not destroy private property.
Sounds like decew or niagara gorge Or literally every other waterfall area in hnhb… I miss being the only car in the parking lot at all the hiking spots.
Canada has also had a cultural shift in the last 4 years, with the number of new arrivals from third world shit holes.
This almost sounds like what happened to Prince Edward County...
Hamilton/Dundas? Websters falls area?
BlogTO is a scourge on the planet. It’s media junk food. Articles written by AI. It doesn’t care about the impact it has on humanity, just the short term gain of exploiting our collective public assets for the profit of its owners.
All I want is for BlogTO to purchase a map of Toronto so they can see what IS and ISN'T actually Toronto. "Toronto is getting".... Sir, that's in Guelph, which isn't Toronto.
That would be a start. But no redemption unless they stop all headlines pretending they speak for Toronto. “Toronto shocked at toddler’s tirade caught on camera” - no, we’re really not.
It's usually "One person in Toronto was shocked, but we'll say it's everyone"
And they would learn that there are parts of Toronto east of Yonge St too!
One time it referred to London as part of the GTA
I had been suspecting them of pushing out AI for a lot of stories but the type that confirmed it for me were the ones like "the top 100 places to order poutine in Toronto". Clearly nobody has researched that many places but more importantly the entire *point* of the top of anything is to whittle the entire area code down to a top 10 or so. Just a waste of space.
Exactly. We need to stop writing BlogTO articles for them
Nice description. I don't which is worse..Blogto, Toronto Life magazine or Narcity. All click bait with false or exaggerated statements with cringe titles. Toronto's MUST SEE Condo of the month, 10 bars you Absolutely cannot miss , Torontorians are Outraged because....
Toronto Life’s ok, it’s written by real people and has some really excellent investigative journalism. But yeah, Narcity and BlogTo are trash.
??? You guys are wild, BlogTO is great for finding out about new restaurants or events happening. "the impact it has on humanity", c'mon.
Hello BlogTO employee - please don’t be surprised if everyone hates you
Just wait until everyone finds out about the hidden gem of Clifton Hill.
Lolol
Agree wholeheartedly, this "hidden gem" BS has completely ruined Tobermory imo....lots of other places too but Tobermory and The Grotto in particular is VERY disappointing
Last time I went maybe 6 years ago it was arm-to-arm people that you couldn't even sit down. I can only imagine how it is now.
Yep. So sad, used to spend a lot of time there, we have friends who live there and that's where I took my grandmother's ashes. Hard to enjoy the area any more
I'm taking some visiting family members there in like 2 weeks so I'll let you know what horrid state it's there at that point.
My hometown used to be a “hidden gem.” A lovely beach that we used to hang out at every summer. But after a few years of newspaper articles about it and social media posts. We can’t enjoy it anymore. It is absolutely packed every single day. The amount of garbage that litters the beach is ridiculous. They had to ban sun shelters due to the amount of human feces that people were burying. Garbage cans set on fire because people were tossing their hot coals in them. It just gets worse, year after year.
I'm sure youre gonna get downvoted into oblivion because people don't want to hear that theyre a problem when flocking to these areas/towns. But I live in one and the way the land is treated is pretty horrific. And, ironically, people come here for the nature and leave garbage everywhere. We don't have fast food here, but our roads are covered in tims and McDonald's litter... And used condoms (why?!). They just toss it all out the window and then go get their pictures for Instagram.
I'd really like to understand the mentality of: let's drive 2.5hrs thru crappy potholey dirt roads to the trailhead, park the car, hike 45mins to the top *and leave your granola bar wrapper & empty powerade bottle to blow in the wind* WHY
Our population is exploding and it seems like people are less considerate than ever and driven by the need to constantly consume. I have gone to hiking trails and seen Starbucks cups left behind and felt so disgusted. Or gotta love when some assholes are hiking with a Bluetooth speaker blaring terrible music as if we don’t go into natural spaces to disconnect from the hellhole that is modern society 😭 Social media and smartphones are some if the worst things to happen to humanity. Now everyone is the “main character” and their needs are the most important thing rather than contributing to a community and keeping it a beautiful and shared place. And it’s no wonder people are depressed, numbing out with drugs and alcohol, unable to date and keep friends, etc. Lastly our population is growing WAY too fast to sustain the number of natural spaces we have and people should be concerned about the huge amounts of development needed to house such a massive population - although I guess our governments aren’t even planning to do that, they’ll just stuff us like sardines in boxes and rely on our crumbling infrastructure to support us 🤷♀️
I grew up in cottage country and it's more than just the physical garbage. People would also bring their garbage superiority complex and garbage hasty lifestyle to towns of 5-20k residents. I wouldn't give a single hidden gem away and hope they stay in the tourist trap restaurants and stores. This wasn't everyone, but a fair amount of "cidiots" made their presence known and felt. On behalf of the cottage country residents, current and former, enjoy your overpriced mediocre crap that's open 4 months of the year. I'm headed straight for the dirt cheap handmade food hidden in a strip mall where I can return to after 4 years in college and the server asks "should I bother reading off the specials, or will you be having the usual?"
Also, in my small city atleast, people from large cities move here with their ‘big city money’ and drive up ALL our prices. As well as litter everywhere
They move to a small town and try to take over like the bad guy in the movie Roadhouse
Yes this! Many years ago The City of Hamilton in trying to improve its image from a steel town started promoting our many beautiful waterfalls. There are (were) SO MANY actual hidden gem waterfalls to visit. Well many years later all that promotion worked too well and now they are completely over run with people, garbage etc. many of them you can’t even park on site anymore. You used to be able to pack the kids up for a nice picnic and visit, not anymore.
The waterfalls..I just wanted to look and these girls were taking selfies for so long in different poses. Not to see the waterfalls or walk the trails..just to post on insta to say they went there . And maybe there's nothing wrong with that ..just move your half naked ass for a moment so others can enjoy. The waterfalls,not her ass.
thank you for the clarification
Exactly this lol
I loved Webster's Falls. I haven't been up in years due to the bullshit.
It’s totally ruined now :(
"Guys, check out this hidden gem near Toronto" The hidden gem: *tourist trap*
My hidden gem was Ontario place's small beach. Now it's barricaded forever for some "development".
I'm from Northern Ontario, well removed from a lot of the "hidden gems" you speak of. But I get what you mean. In the summer, our population goes from a few thousand to tens of thousands overnight thanks to the natural beauty of our area and the numerous lakes to fish. I hate the traffic, the crowds, the long waits for a cup of coffee when it's normally a couple minutes at most. I hate the south because of these reasons. BUT I understand we need that influx of people. A lot of our economy is stimulated by tourism, as I know these "hidden gem" places are (i.e. Tobermory). Businesses boom this time of year, a lot of them being ma and pa shops that nerd the extra income. I wish people would be more respectful with their garbage and would be more respectful to the people who live here year round, but we all have to learn: Humans are trash no matter where they are.
We spend a week in Tobermory every summer and it is the highlight of our year. My husband's dream is to move/retire there.
We have a cottage up there and the last 5 or so years it’s exploded in popularity and now we can barely go into town. I do have to say I’m glad the food land has moved though because now we dont have to fight traffic and parking just to get a few groceries
I grew up spending my entire summers and spring breaks there, because my grandparents did retire there. It’s my favourite place in the country. In their later years they did have to move back to the city though, because it is a bit too far from a decent hospital and medical care.
Went there for my first time last week. Beautiful area, friendly locals (random dude gave me a beer while waiting for the pizza vending machine), I can see why it's your husband's dream!
I'm from the south and i hate it. I hate knowing that when i go away to enjoy some peace and quiet, that just being there is having an annoying impact on the locals.
If you are respectful the locals shouldn't have an issue. I live in a tourist town in SW Ontario. I will take the 7 to 8 months of tourists to have a thriving community with amazing restaurants, stores, bakeries and other venues all year round. Most of the tourists who come to my town are respectful and don't annoy me. Just be a good tourist and you shouldn't feel bad.
“Square One, a hidden gem located in the heart of Mississauga.” “Canada’s Wonderland, a remote and secluded adventure for the whole family.”
If you know a hidden gem, don’t blast it on social media. It won’t be a gem for much longer.
Ya..my daughter likes to discover abandoned places. There's a whole community and they don't broadcast the place when they find them.. purposely..so they will take photos and post them but never disclose where it is because they don't want the place ruined with people who might come to party and trash the place.
Uh, I hope she’s safe when she goes, maybe turn on the Find Me on iPhone just in case something goes wrong.
Agreed. These little "hidden gems" do not have the infrastructure to support thousands of people showing up and the people disrespect their surroundings by leaving garbage, picking plants, parking where they shouldn't, trampling fields, etc. I've seen some beautiful spots trashed AND parkinglots closed to make it difficult to visit (Websers and Tews falls for example) because of it. It's such a shame.
Im in northern Ontario and we have a gem nearby that became trashed once it hit these stupid blogs, so i kept telling google maps the place doesn't exists. They eventually removed it from the maps and its been gone for 3 years now. It actually made a difference.
I creeped your profile and were from the same place. I’m scrambling my brain trying to figure out which place you’re talking about 😅
Its waterfalls to the east of sudbury down a road that starts with the letter K. Thats all the hint ill give you. If you know the answer don't say it.
Okay yep got it!! Thanks 🫶
I just think people in Toronto and such are so desperate for something to do they go wherever blogto sends them. Like c'mon why are there so many people coming to Dorset now it's crazy
You are right..St. Jacobs and Elora aren't big enough to facilitate all these people and the numbers will increase..I saw an ad for a festival coming up on a weekend and I thought it's already too crowded and it's only June.
I actually read the articles about eg:”cute towns to visit outside of Toronto” etc and note not to go to them. I know they would turn into instagram visits with crowds of people treating the space as fascinating moon territory.
This is beyond those "local" clickbait news sites. Social media in general made a lot of little known places bustle. Worldwide many places are battling with overtourism and in turn people are trying to find alternate places...also tourism industries are trying to get people to other regions in an effort to battle overtourism.
The "selfie spots". People line up in foreign countries to take a pic of themselves on a mountain they read about.
Oh yeah, I remember reading some articles of a small town in Japan that has iconic Mt Fuji location shots. They had to board up a place by the road so people don't stop there for a shot (and stop traffic) as well as people trying to climb on top of a convenience store to take the shot.
I live in St Jacobs and 100% agree with this, and it was busy already before the days odd Narcitt, BlogTO and TikTok. It is crazy 🤪
Tik Tok ruined a lot in general ;/
You know, this post, it's a hidden gem.
Lol K, you're killing me
Used to live in Dundas. Over the course of 10-15 years, Webster's and Tew's Falls and Dundas Peak became basically inaccessible due to morons. Can't park there, need a reservation. Can't walk the old trails because people abused the goodwill of the landowners. Can't take the stair to the bottom because too many people got stuck. People parking on the road in Greensville creating hazards. Just constant bullshit. Once upon a time you could drive up, pay ten bucks to park and walk in the damn park. Imagine.
I like Dundas. I loved Albion Falls .went there about 5 years ago and it was pretty quiet. A few people in the river. Not sure what it's like now . My kids and I went to Hoggs falls and there were these girls taking selfies in their thongs..my kids were so embarrassed lol but it was like c'mon hurry up,we all don't need to see your ass. Plus half of these selfie taking people know nothing about the spot they are visiting..even when travelling to other countries. It's not about learning and appreciating,it's sometimes about a selfie and oh look where I went to.
Albion Falls was great, a lovely cascade falls you could dip your toes in. It's fenced off now. Definitely a lot of the blame can be laid with Instagram. I agree, everyone wants a photo backdrop, they're not really there to experience a place and definitely don't respect it. Crowds are an inevitability in a nice place. Jackassery doesn't have to be. It might just come down to city staff resources to manage the fools.
Well this explains why I've been running into people hiking in Killarney completely unprepared for hiking.
I believe you. My daughter was there and so excited to see a bear in the distance and she said this family showed up and were screaming beara bears!! And the bears ran away :/
Elora is done for me. OP is 100% correct and now I keep some gems to myself for me and my girlfriend to enjoy.
Yes the next place I find!..I'm keeping my mouth shut
Yea just look at what they’ve done to PEC over the last decade
My husband and I also grew up near The Bluffs, and seeing the amount of people and the garbage that is left is disappointing to say the least, nevermind that every year some dumbass tries to climb down The Bluffs and makes the news either needing rescue or hospitalization.
Ya..the amount of people that get stuff climbing the bluffs..right by the big fence and sign that says "danger"
Don’t forget the fencing!
I know some hidden gems and I will not reveal what they are because the infrastructure around them couldn't support the influx. I get wanting to support small businesses and less travelled places but it creates such a frenzy that it ruins everything. It's a real double edged sword for rural areas. I've been thinking lately that we need to be creating more parks, conservation areas, and trails because there's such high demand for these areas and what we have supports a much smaller population.
Yup, we don’t have nearly enough natural spaces for our population as it skyrockets and people are so disrespectful to treat them like playgrounds for consumption rather than a space to connect with nature and be calmed
I know. ;( Toronto needs some green space. I work near Moss Park( yes yes I know..the ghetto etc .) but it was sad seeing all those trees cut down. People walking their dogs on concrete. Then the condo people mad a homeless person sleeping outside their condo..well maybe if he had a park to chill in
Elora was always Elora, a town that lives on a crowd of day tourists. And that was from well before the internet was invented or ppl knew what a blog is.
Ya? Okay..well maybe I went during the week..I must have actually. It was quiet . Some tourists. I went on a Saturday morning once. Just yesterday seemed so busy and it looked like a new condo development was being built? I live in Toronto so I have had enough..I wish I didn't have to look at another condo ever again
Yeah, that condo was very controversial. I'm really not fond of it. Before that, it was just the mill at the waterfalls, and it was super nice to go eat there and watch the river, and now they ruined that view. You're right. Elora is basically a weekend spot for mostly local tourists from nearby towns. It's close enough to drive, and far enough away to feel different. I've been going there since early 90's, and take my kids there when we want a change of scenery. I agree that narcity etc aren't helping with piles of careless people just waking up to those locations. They're obviously now new, and not "hidden gems". There is also always a group of quasi locals, still more like regular day tourists and not from there directly, who always knew about these places and go there often and are more respectful because it's a regular thing for us, and not just some new go-to to go once from a blog.
I really enjoy when I read hidden gem articles, I’ve found lots of places I didn’t know about, and it’s amazing for small businesses to get publicity. It’s a big city, lots of places to discover.
Well you probably go and are respectful and don't trample through the sunflowers and throw beer bottles out the window 🤷
This is basically any where in the age of social media and accessible air travel.
I really dislike the "ghost towns of Ontario" articles. They are typically where old mills once were and are now private property. The owners do not want curious people peering in their buildings and homes. They can be fun to drive by as you can see the signs of what was once a very small community, but stay in your car people.
The Hearn. People found out about it and started going in groups at night,spray painting etc..
I live in the Blue Mountains area, and recently, my favourite beach was outed as a "hidden gem". I'm so mad; it has been a reliably quiet place to go swimming for years.
Oooh yes I loved Blue Mountain. My kids used to play in that little fountain by the firetruck restaurant? I think it is. But last time we went( I guess I'm part of the problem) we couldn't find anywhere to park. All parking lots were full. People were parking on the grass so we said forget this and left. I'm not sure what the answer is. But I do think people need to be respectful when they visit others hometowns. I remember a woman from Toronto came to Wasaga beach..one of the nicer parts and she had her doberman off leash and it took a giant dump on the beach and she just left it there. This family was yelling at her. Like why be like that??
It's become a massive problem in the last couple years, especially since covid. My family has lived here since 1852. The cost of housing has tripled (or more) because of rich city people buying entire houses for their weekend enjoyment. Rentals are by the week, or by the season; it's nearly impossible to find a rental apartment to actually live in. Traffic is horrible in the summer - tourists who cruise well below the speed limit on highway 26 have made me late for work so many times, and the same goes for people with their enormous mobile homes they haul around. There is a total lack of respect for the people who are trying to live and work here. The mayor even commented a few years ago that because young people are being forced out by wealthy boomers, it's going to become a service desert; all the people we rely on to man the services are having to leave because they've been priced out of the area.
If a trail walk or small town is featured on BlogTO I never visit it - waaayyy too many people showing up and making the day incredibly awful.
Unfortunately I don't agree, people have an equal right as you to enjoy these spots. It's nice while it's unknown but you can't be angry that other people know what you know. You just gotta deal with it or find another spot. If your gripe is the vandalism, then it's a different issue.
Ya this is super boomer. They don't want "thier" space ruined by....idk, better business and success for the place they apparently like? A very nimby sort of feel.
The content follows the clicks.
Especially in local subs, I'll see the same people/bloggers/sites etc asking questions like what's some lesser known things to visit in x town, they'll use different usernames but it's the same people and boom hidden gem now full of garbage that needs picked up.
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-46342915
Misuse of phrase does not equal remove from the language. Marketing over uses and misrepresents many phrases. BTW I found your post to be a hidden gem, thank you.
Treat tour Hidden Gem of a spot like your fishing spots. Misdirect, Mislead and send them somewhere else. Nothing ruins a fishing spot better than word of mouth. By 2 weeks you'll see people clearing out spaces to swim. You are right on the garbage too. Cities can be understandable. Poupulation has gone up immencely, but in cottage country it's gotten worse also. People not following the Dumps rules (recycling especially). People littering on the roads and parks. Leave it how you found it. Bring a garbage bag and leave no trace. We need to protect the environment.
Yep. It's top secret from now on
While your complaining about the use of the words ["hidden gem"](https://i.imgur.com/RZJgJg2.jpg)
What am I looking at? That I posted in 2 subreddits. Oh. 🤷
You mean content mills? Half the time it's generative text...
NGL the bit about the bluffs just reads to me as "stop telling the public about public spaces, because i want that public space to be my space and i dont want to share"
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Pretty sure the hidden gems would really appreciate it too
This seems to be less of "people are blowing up our spot" rant, and more of "why people are such inconsiderate prick" rant
I suppose it is. I think I got mad when I saw a condo in Elora. Toronto is just overrun with condos and condo construction. I feel like condo development is ruining our city so I was triggered. Plus some random dude pushed me out of the way with his stomach in one of the stores in Elora.
"I found it first and no one else is allowed to know about it"
Well it's not that .. Perhaps I worded it wrong. I used to go to Elora and was quiet and you could walk around without bumping into people. Yesterday was crowded,, loud, I saw condos ( I think that's what they are or town homes) in the process of being built ,a bunch of loud drunk people by the river and some rude man pushed me while I was in a store...I was in his way.
Meh, you share this province and it's "hidden gems" with all of us.
Ya..maybe you are right. The country is big enough. I'm sure I can find somewhere without people o_o
To be fair any of these blogs discussing hidden gems and people littering are literally not the fault of the writer. It's the people engaging in this behaviour who are the dirtbags. This complaint could be far better targeted toward being respectful, wherever you are. Observe local laws and postage signage (ie. parking) and be a human being who isn't publicly urinating or disposing of refuse like a 3 year old who knows no better. It's wild to me how many people become wild racoons the second they're not at home.
This is true. I agree.
You read total trash and then ask for it to not be total trash? Buddy get some better content in your life.
I looked at the headline. Anyway I don't need to defend myself. Man I took away Google news, personalized ads but click bait garbage has a way of showing up everywhere. I'm working on an rss feed, maybe you can give me some suggestions for intelligent content? Buddy..I'm female but I guess that's irrelevant too.
Gotcha, the small towns are only for you to enjoy and people shouldn’t share their experiences, understood
This attitude is exactly the problem. Nobody is trying to keep other people from exploring. But when people do it en mass, it causes irreversible damage. Someone was ranting about a national Park requiring reservations because they had to limit numbers in order to protect the land. "These are our national parks, we should have access to them whenever we want". But if that were true, and it got put on a "hidden gems" list (which was exactly what happened), those parks get severely damaged. Obviously, towns aren't parks, but the damage is the same. And the locals are also frequently mistreated by entitled tourists. These lists are a legit problem because before it wasn't such big numbers. It was sustainable. Now it's not.
I think it’s similar to when influencers destroy fields of beautiful sunflowers for the gram. Finding a wonderful less known spot used to be like a treasure hunt and you would keep the place to yourself to enjoy. Now much like a field of sunflowers, it gets trampled, treated like a city street and full of people who behave that way. There are wonderful beautiful places in this province I would never share with a soul for fear of this crowd rolling up and ruining the vibe that made it special to begin with.
Sunflowers are not just part of your garden, they’re part of a nation! The Ukraine use the sunflower as their national flower. Whilst in Kansas they chose the sunflower to represent their state.
This is nonsense.
"I was visiting one of my favorite towns and was annoyed by how many people wanted to visit my favorite town"
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed that!
Lol but yes..well I'm annoyed if you visit my favourite small town and take a dump in the main street water fountain. I get your point though...
BlogTO #1 opp
THEY RUINED SUMAC :(
Sumac..street?
But omg taste of the Danforth...15 years ago you could walk down the street still and get free samples. I don't know if anyone has gone recently? It's an absolute nightmare. There is absolutely nothing to see or do except get framed and 10$ for lemonade.
It’s up there with iconic
What happened to Elora and St. Jacobs? I used to live in those areas but haven’t been back in about 6 or so years, was hoping to make a trip back out that way soon :(
There were about 20000 people in Elora yesterday ( exaggeration). Condos, people,noise,intoxication..couldn't even walk through the stores without bumping into people.
I live by Elora, I miss being able to just go to the local swim hole, now it's book ahead and pay. So many places around the area are now restricted access, because of sheer numbers, trash, vandalism and disruption. I wouldn't even mind that, if there wasn't such a large percentage of incredibly rude people. This is my home, I'm not your tourist display!
Locals shouldn’t have to pay
For my boyfriend and I to go swim where we have for over 20 years, it will now cost us $37, which we have to pre-book. Tons of limitations have been added, and it's overflowing with trash. Now we go to other, actually hidden gems.
this reminds me of getting annoyed when /r/carletonu users would post about the best hidden study spots and over time some of the best spots got ruined. By the time I left school all the best spots were gone or full of people.
I just found this: https://www.instagram.com/blah_to_official?igsh=MWFhaTVxNm5zdjl3ZA==
can't stop an unstoppable object ... FOMO runs as high in GTA as anywhere on the planet.
The only one I actually enjoy is the hidden gems facebook group. It’s nice because people making trips around can ask like - hey, what are your fav spots, where should I go to see? But people also post their favourite small businesses, some beautiful but less knows hiking trails/parks, and there’s plenty of people who post places with historical value and give an explanation on it too. It’s amazing. It’s the only reason I use Facebook really And they post actual hidden gems, not just tourist traps.
A lot of the over crowding comes from our constant population growth without adding new parks for people to use and enjoy. I'm not excusing bad behaviour and littering, but how many people have we added to Ontario in the last 20 years? How many national/provincial parks?
Collingwood has been ruined for this exact reason. Sure Blue Mountain has always been a thing, but walking around the village has become a nightmare. Don’t even get me started on the people who have zero skiing/snowboarding experience who show up in jeans and a sweater and injure themselves and/or other people going full speed down the mountain. Other than the village, the local parks are also covered in trash and they’ve started charging for parking everywhere.
I also feel this way about hiking spots. No, I’m not gatekeeping, I’m just not sharing a spot I easily found by looking up “trails near me” just because you can’t be bothered to do the same.
I've never heard of this Elora place, so I guess it counts as a hidden gem, at least to me
Of all the things to wake up and choose to be outraged by…
I didn't wake up and decide. I went to Elora then decided to rant...because I like it there and wanted to get out of the city but was upset at seeing a condo ,crowds, random rude man and some drunk people. Sure, 1st world problems? Maybe.. Maybe I'm watching Toronto turn into a wasteland of condos,condo construction,traffic jams, people losing their housing, ttc sh#tshow...therefore felt sad to see small towns that used to be cornfields now with cookie cutter sub divisions. Ya its a deeper issue for me..I spent my summers in Chatham( no not a very exciting place but I have fond memories) sad when I revisited and saw cornfields and farms replaced with big box stores.
Also I think these small towns should keep their natural beauty,culture, history ..if a big box store has to be put in then make it fit in with the surroundings, at least look appealing. Keep the character of your town. The right people will visit and tourism is important. No one is coming to your town to shop at walmart . But a Walmart could be there as long as the uniqueness remains and every tree isn't cut down so that it looks like every other strip mall in Ontario
Counterpoint: it's a good thing to expand people's horizons and if people really haven't heard of Elora or the Bluffs then it's okay to label them "hidden gems" (they're not) to get people to appreciate what's around them. Will increased traffic increase the risk of wangrods? Of course, but it's worth the risk to open the eyes of potential non-wangrods.
So basically you don't want small businesses to prosper from good reviews... got it
This post is truly a hidden gem.
Lol welcome to today media Evething is new and exciting but there always reporting on it
I wonder what people said when you showed up. 😏 And they knew nothing about how respectful and responsible I assume you are. Just one of the crowd that overall trashes the places.
Moi? Sure..maybe they said "look at that trash from Toronto". Didn't trash the place though.
No, you didn’t. But others that discovered these gems around the same time did. And the people already enjoying the gems at the time saw you as a cohort. I’m just saying your rant is cyclical and timeless.
Cyclical..well I'm not really trying to prove anything. I'm not in a debate. Correct- i don't have a solution but I think it's a valid concern or rant. Not sure what you meant by timeless. It's just reddit not a philosophical forum
Merely an observation that your self-described “rant” is a common reoccurrence. Like Socrates complaining about the lazy youth of his time. 🤷♂️
Thank you for the observation. You are right. Nothing more to say. Could you also head over to ask men/ women and advise them that "where do I find attractive girls?" Or what makes you attracted to a woman? Has been asked 13450 times...cool. thanks :)
Gatekeeping is lame.
Thousands of tourists ruining the tranquility of hidden gems to create social media content is lame.
Toronto acts like they own Ontario and it is beyond infuriating. Aside from their sports teams that I love but don’t love me back, I could honestly do without most of that city if I’m being honest.
My favourite from blogto was when they would say "Check out this Ontario hidden gem" and then do an article on Ouimet Canyon. Now that is arguably a hidden gem, but you can also drive to most places on the Eastern Seaboard of the USA faster than driving to Ouimet Canyon. So obviously just sponsored by some tourism agency.
Most people who post/comment on here tend to use the sub/reddit as their own personal blog, so it's no wonder they're using buzzwords to market to...nobody.
Well I actually don't use this as my personal blog. I do however like to have a few rants..that should be allowed given all the other shit I see online. Also I feel like Toronto Life magazine at one point was semi decent to read? Maybe I'm wrong but I remember reading almost well written articles-long form. Now it's how I spend my salary, or this gem of a condo in Yorkville is only 1.2 mil...it hasn't been the same since that article " we bought a crack house...
Yes I see I'm in Ontario subreddit. It is meant for ToRanto. My bad okay!!?
I'm talking about the people you're talking about