A Weekend in Markham and Richmond Hill: Unionville, Rouge Park and Chinese Kitchens

Plan my Markham weekend · What's on this weekend

Find a place to stay in Markham

Markham and Richmond Hill sit side by side north of Toronto, and a weekend here is built around heritage Main Street, a municipal gallery, Chinese kitchens and two stages. Day 1 stays in Markham, mostly along Unionville's Main Street. Day 2 starts in a national urban park and finishes in Richmond Hill. It suits a couple or a group of friends with a car who want to eat well and see something between meals.

Start on Main Street in Unionville at Calabria Bakery, which bakes fresh bread, focaccia and Italian pastries, and sells sandwiches, pizzas and hot meals. It also sets out hot dishes, salads and deli meats. Take a pastry and walk to the Varley Art Gallery of Markham at 216 Main Street. It is the city's own gallery, with exhibitions in the Collections Gallery and the Intro and Main Galleries, plus art programs for adults and children.

Toogood Pond is a short walk from the shops. Toogood Pond Park wraps a pond and marsh in 33 hectares, with a walkway around the water, lookouts on the north and south sides, and a dam with a waterfall and a fishway at the south-east end.

For lunch, drive to Phoenix Restaurant at 1 Raymerville Drive in Markham. It is a Hong Kong style fusion diner. The menu runs to Hainanese chicken, Yunnan vermicelli, curry, and Hong Kong style noodles, spaghetti and rice. It also serves breakfast and afternoon tea sets.

Then go to the Markham Museum at 9350 Markham Road. It tells the story of the area through hands-on exhibitions and a collection of historic buildings on 25 acres of parkland. Snowshoeing and geocaching are among the activities on the grounds.

Dinner is back on Main Street at Unionville Arms Pub & Grill at 189 Main Street, which serves pub fare and wings. After dinner, Flato Markham Theatre at 171 Town Centre Boulevard runs a season of performances, with tickets on its own site.

Find a place to stay in Markham

Begin in the country at Rouge National Urban Park. It holds forests, creeks, farms, marshland and trails, with 10,000 years of human history behind them.

Lunch is in Richmond Hill at Seafood Palace at 9665 Bayview Avenue, a Chinese restaurant with a barbecue section and Peking duck on the menu. It has six private rooms for groups.

The Richmond Hill David Dunlap Observatory is at 123A Hillsview Drive. The city runs tours of the site and night-sky astronomy programs here.

Dinner is at Jumbo Lobster Restaurant at 9019 Leslie Street. It cooks Chinese seafood, with lobster and crab dinner menus, dim sum and barbecue dishes. The signature dish, Lobster Mountain, layers lobster meat with herbs and spices.

To finish, Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts at 10268 Yonge Street is owned and run by the City of Richmond Hill. It presents a season of performances, guest acts and a film series, with tickets on its own site. See what's on this weekend.

Find a place to stay in Richmond Hill

• Plan on a car. Day 1 stays in Markham, and Day 2 starts in Markham before moving to Richmond Hill.
• Seafood Palace and Jumbo Lobster take reservations by phone. Book a table before the show.

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

Make this my trip