If you go

Where to stay

Three Houses Bed & Breakfast Inn (100 Brunswick Street, Stratford; 519-272-0722; thethreehouses.com) is one of many B&B options in the area.

Where to eat

Bijou (105 Erie Street, Stratford; 519-273-5000; bijourestaurant.com) has an ever-changing menu that depends on what is available from local suppliers.

Revel Caffe (50 Wellington Street, Stratford; 519-305-1600; revelcaffe.com) can be a hangout or a place to grab and go.

Down the Street (30 Ontario Street, Stratford; 519-273-5886; downthestreet.ca) and Foster's (111 Downie Street, Stratford; 888-728-5555; fostersinn.com) both offer casual dining with food made from local ingredients.

Where to shop (For food)

Chocolate Barr's (136 Ontario Street, Stratford; 519-272-2828; chocolatebarrs.com).

Rheo Thompson Candies (55 Albert Street, Stratford; 519-271-6910; rheothompson.com).

The Best Little Pork Shoppe (2146 Highway 7 and 8, Shakespeare,

Ontario; 519-625-8194; porkshoppe.com) is just a few kilometers outside of Stratford, and offers lots of pork products as well as baked goods.

St. Jacobs Farmers' Market (878 Weber Street North, Waterloo; 519-747-1830; stjacobs.com/farmers-market) is a bit out of the way - just over 30 miles east of Stratford - but offers a chance to visit a nearby Mennonite community where horse and buggy is the main mode of transport.

What to do

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Festival Theater, 55 Queen Street, Stratford, and other locations; 800-567-1600; stratfordfestival.ca) is of course the biggest attraction in town, with five theaters and an annual season of more than a dozen productions.

Flavors of Stratford: Off the Eaten Path (877-812-8687; flavorsofstratford.com) is a guided walking tour of several local businesses.

Stratford Tourism Alliance (47 Downie Street, Stratford; 800-561-7926;visitstratford.ca) has its outpost in the middle of the small downtown area.

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