After slaving away for weeks on end for your client's executive search firms in Toronto, you can get pretty tired of the high-octane, business-oriented feel of the big city. When that happens, you don't need to book an expensive vacation to the Caribbean to get a break. All you have to do is hop in the car and drive a few hours to Stratford, Ontario, which has as different a vibe from Toronto as day does from night. Stratford is Canada's premiere arts town. Here are some of the things you'll be able to see and do there.

Festivals

Some of Stratford's most famous offerings are seasonal in nature, so make sure to check the dates of the major festivals before you leave your Markham homes to come here. There's the Stratford Shakespeare Festival which extends throughout the summer months, the Blyth Festival of Canadian plays from June to August, and the Stratford Summer Music Festival during those same months. Many visitors will be arriving during those times, so be sure to book your stay early!

Theater

It's not merely during the summer months that you can see great theater in Stratford. The town prides itself on offering a stellar collection of plays all year round. The town has it's own theater company and numerous playhouses, so check out the tourism department's calendar to see if there's anything that catches your eye. After weeks of very technical Revit 2010 training, a bit of art is exactly what you need. No matter what your budget, there's a show that will fit it almost any day of the week.

Music

One of the other arts that Stratford residents patronize with regularity is music. You can stroll through the park and find talented street musicians who work for a Toronto accounting firm on the side. You can check out the many theaters and concert halls for live performances of your favorite music genre. Whether you like Celtic music, pop, classical, choral music, country, or a little bit of everything, you'll find an artist to your taste here. If you're a fan of singing sensation Justin Bieber, you can even follow his childhood through the streets of the city.

Landscape

You may not think much about it when you're working in your Mississauga dental office, but gardening is an art form too, and as such is also very popular in Stratford. If you're a connoisseur of well-tended flower beds and elegant garden walks, then Stratford is the right place for you. There are five gardens along the river to enjoy, including Shakespeare Gardens and Millennium Park, each of which sports unique monuments and attractions like fountains, sculptures, memorials, and museums.