North Muskoka's Deerhurst Resort boasts two 18-hole golf courses. Children can take part in supervised activities while parents are out hitting the links.

Getting Away Get outta town! The family holiday, unplugged Related Stories Weekend Diversions The New Cottage Life Have Your Say How do you get away? Related Links A number of excellent on-line directories and sources provide lists of Ontario resorts, housekeeping cottages, luxury accommodations and getaway packages. Resorts Ontario: A 2002 guide to more than 200 getaways. Phone (800) 363-7227 Southern Ontario Travel Guide 2002: A guide to a range of activities, hotels, restaurants and resorts from Niagara to Windsor to Tobermory. Phone: (800) 267-3399 Ontario's Finest Inns: Phone (800) 340-INNS Federation of Ontario Bed & Breakfast Accommodations: Phone (416) 515-1293 Guide to the Wineries of Ontario 2002 Ontario 2002 Summer Experience Guide: Phone (800) 668-2746 Ontario Backroads and Getaways Internet sites with listings of private cottages available for rent include: www.cottagevacations.com; www.northerncomfort.com and www.ontario-cottage-rentals.com Spas Ontario: A directory of Ontario's spas. Phone (800) 990-7702 Today's Weather Canadian Weather

It's summertime and the living can be stressful -- at least in Ontario's big cities. This year, sweltering heat, strikes and more than the usual number of special events have piled on top of the seasonal smog alerts, ubiquitous road construction and traffic congestion. It's enough to make even the most dedicated urbanite pine for an escape.

But where can you actually go? Southern Ontario has plenty of lakes and wilderness, but unless you already own a cottage, have a friend with one or like to pitch a tent, organizing a comfortable, no-hassle getaway for a couple or a family can seem a daunting task.

Luckily, there are hundreds of options and plenty of summer still left to take advantage of them. Ontario has housekeeping cottages for those who like the privacy of making their own meals and entertainment; and lakeside resorts that combine a wilderness setting with modern amenities, prepared meals, organized recreational activities and supervised children's programs to keep the kids good and occupied. For those in search of quieter pampering, there are also dozens of luxurious inns, perfect for relaxing and romance.

Here is our selection of weekend, week-long and mid-week getaways:

Set on 324 hectares beside Peninsula Lake in Huntsville, North Muskoka's Deerhurst Resort is the West Edmonton Mall of Ontario's all-season resorts. With 425 guest rooms in a wide selection of styles and sizes, three restaurants, an Aveda spa, two 18-hole golf courses, a nightly musical stage show (Shania Twain is said to have launched her career here), and an impressive menu of indoor and outdoor recreational activities, it can accommodate most needs.

Deerhurst caters to parents with young children who want some worry-free time to themselves. Supervised activities for kids aged six months to 12 years include arts and crafts, water sports, games, movies, snacks and lunches. (Half-day programs start at $22 a child).

Although somewhat faded, Deerhurst is still priced as a luxury resort. Rooms for a family of four begin at around $270 a night. A meal plan (breakfast and dinner) is $59 a person.

Information: phone: (800) 461-4393; Web: www.deerhurstresort.com

On Lake Rosseau in Muskoka, Clevelands House can accommodate up to 475 people in a variety of room styles and cottages and seems determined to keep them occupied at all times.

The resort has its own nine-hole golf course and offers 16 tennis courts, shuffleboard, badminton, basketball courts, a baseball diamond and soccer pitch, a beach volleyball court, boat rentals and cruises, a professional water-ski school, four heated outdoor pools and a fully equipped fitness facility with sauna. Eager adult recreation directors make sure guests so inclined are kept busy with games and sporting events.

There are extensive facilities for children and day-long programs are run by 55 counsellors.

Rates begin at $180 a person, $90 for children under 12. The price includes three meals a day, all activities and live entertainment nightly.

Information: phone: (888) 567-1177 or (705) 765-3171; e-mail: greatescapes@clevelandshouse.com; Web: www.clevelandshouse.com

With 36 one-to-four-bedroom cottages and a main lodge nestled around trees and lawns on almost 100 hectares on Lake of Bays, this resort has a woodsy, rustic feel.

Most of the cottages have balconies, fireplaces, privacy and views of the lake.

There's an outdoor pool as well as more than 100 metres of sandy beach and recreational facilities that include rental boats, volleyball, tennis and lawn bowling. For avid golfers, there are four courses nearby, and there are also stables for horse riding.

Morning and afternoon programs keep kids aged 3 to 10 occupied with activities ranging from arts and crafts to nature hikes and picnics.

Owned and operated by the Hungerford family for more than 80 years, the resort, which is just southeast of Huntsville, fills up quickly with many repeat visitors.

Daily rates range from $85 to $110 a person a day for adults -- and less for kids, depending on age _ in a lodge room. Price includes breakfast and dinner.

Information: phone: (705) 635-2991 or (800) 461-4371; e-mail: info@luminaresort.com; Web: www.luminaresort.com

Just 20 minutes northeast of Kingston on Loughborough Lake, this cluster of 17 one-, two-and three-bedroom cottages and log chalets is a good bet for fishing and water enthusiasts.

The inn, located in a protected conservation area, boasts great fishing for trophy specimens of largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike and lake trout. Licences are available on site, and guides are available on request. There are rental boats, motors, a fully equipped marina and docking facilities for your own boat.

Complimentary canoes and paddleboats are also available for guests.

Summer rates (until the end of August) range from $87 a person, double occupancy, for a one-bedroom cottage to $91 a person, four people, for a two-bedroom log chalet. Children under 3 stay free; kids aged 14 to 16 are $67 a night. Rates include three meals a day in a licensed dining room.

Information: phone: (800) 201-2837; e-mail: theinn@loughboroughinn.on.ca; Web: http://www.loughboroughinn.on.ca

For a luxury getaway in cottage country close to Toronto, few places beat the Briars on the southern shore of Lake Simcoe. A family owned estate with an original 1840 manor house at its heart, the 81-hectare property includes modern wings, an indoor swimming pool, a championship 18-hole golf course, a full-service spa and both course-side and lakeside cottages. Cottages don't include cooking facilities, but all accommodation rates include three meals a day in the Garden Court restaurant.

If sitting on the property's beach or strolling along woodland nature trails is not enough, plenty of attractions are nearby: the Red Barn Theatre, Sibbald Point Provincial Park, Lake Simcoe Scenic Trail, Eildon Hall Museum and the Kirkfield Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Also nearby are facilities for mini-golf, batting cages, bowling, go-carting, horseback riding and power boat rentals.

The Briars offers a children's program that includes supervised dinners and evening activities.

Rates begin at $149 a person, double occupancy, for a stay of more than seven days. The golf course is private and available only for members and resort guests. Green fees are $65 during the week and $75 on weekends.

Information: phone: (800) 465-2376; e-mail: briars@ils.net; Web: www.briars.ca

Set on more than 40 hectares with more than 700 metres of private shoreline on Gloucester Pool, part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, Severn Lodge offers waterfront accommodations in rooms, suites or cottages. There are hiking trails, a heated swimming pool, tennis, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball and a full range of water toys available for rental: kayaks, canoes, sailboats and jet-propelled watercraft.

Accommodations range from 46 rooms and suites to housekeeping cottages both on the main property and nearby. A supervised children's program includes crafts, picnics, water sports, competitions and evening bonfires.

August rates begin at $281 to $327 a person, double occupancy, for a two-night weekend package including meals, use of recreation facilities and daily maid service. Reduced rates for children.

Information: phone: (800) 461-5817; fax: (705) 756-8313; e-mail: info@severnlodge.on.ca; Web: www.severnlodge.on.ca

Like to cook your own hamburger and eat it wearing a bathing suit and flip-flops? Ontario has an extensive selection of housekeeping resorts that feature mostly cottages or efficiency units. Although many have limited recreational facilities and little or no food and beverage services, you can do your own thing and relax in a more private setting. Here are some on the water in southern Ontario:

This 100-hectare resort on Rice Lake offers 30 one-to-five-bedroom waterfront cottages, each with a private dock, deck, gas barbecue and patio furniture. They have fully equipped kitchens, wood-burning fireplaces, colour televisions and VCRs. Bedding and towels supplied.

The resort has a central lodge with dining room, exercise room, store and indoor and outdoor pools. There is a fishing guide and a floatplane to take anglers to more remote lakes.

One of the oldest family-owned resorts in Ontario, Elmhirst's has a large number of repeat guests, many from the United States.

Rates for double occupancy midweek begin at $215 a day and $34 for each additional person. For a week in the summer, rates begin at $1,334, double, and $216 for additional guests. In July and August, priority is given to weekly renters.

Information: phone: (800) 461-1940 or (705) 295-4591; fax: (705) 295-4596; e-mail: elmr@elmhirst.com; Web: www.elmhirst.com

Another family-operated resort with loyal clientele, Pine Vista has been in the Hamilton family for 50 years, and is now a year-round vacation destination featuring one-to-three-bedroom cottages and deluxe townhouse-style accommodations on the shore of Stoney Lake. All include wood-burning fireplaces or stoves, full kitchens, gas barbecues, TVs and VCRs. Most have whirlpool baths.

The resort includes an outdoor pool, two hot tubs, a beach and a games-and-fitness room. During the week, four-hour children's programs are available and preschoolers have their own fenced-off play area on the beach.

Weekly rates until the end of August begin at $1,025 and daily rates from Sept. 2 to Nov. 30 begin at $145.

Information: phone: (800) 634-2848 or (705) 877-2108; e-mail: info@pinevista.com; Web: www.pinevista.com

Located on the Lake of Bays near Baysville, this resort offers 40 one-to-four-bedroom cottages, some with fireplaces. Most summer cottages include a fully equipped kitchen, living room and a three-piece bathroom. Each has its own campfire pit, large charcoal barbecue and picnic table. Bed linens are supplied, but not towels.

Non-motorized watercraft are available and there is a supervised children's program. Rates for summer cottages begin at $150 a day and $900 a week.

Information: phone: (800) 267-8841 or (705) 767-3354; fax: (705) 767-2155; e-mail: resort@birchhaven.com; Web: www.birchhaven.com

This rustic year-round cluster of cottages is on the shore of Little Hawk Lake in the Haliburton Highlands not far from Minden.

A marina is available for docking and fuelling guests' watercraft and there are also non-motorized boats available for use on the private sandy beach.

The resort lodge has a games room for rainy days, a pool table, a hot tub and a full restaurant and bar. During the summer months, a resort program is available that includes a picnic cruise, water sports, and a craft day for children.

Weekly rates range from $695 to $795, with linen and towels supplied for $20.

Information: phone: (705) 489-2158 or (888) LILHAWK; Web: www.littlehawkresort.com

Rock Pine's seven one-and two-bedroom, chalet-style cottages overlook Georgian Bay. They have fully equipped kitchens, three-piece washrooms, colour TVs, propane barbecues, decks and picnic tables. All bedding is supplied. Catering to boaters, the resort also has excellent docking and boat-launching facilities.

Activities here are mostly of the do-it-yourself variety: fishing, bird-watching, boating out to one of the offshore islands for a picnic, or just sitting in the shade with a few good books. Weekly rates until Aug. 24 begin at $928 for a one-bedroom cottage and include the use of a boat and motor. Aug. 31 to Oct. 19, rates begin at $128 a night and $768 a week, also including motor and boat.

Information: phone: (705) 366-2550; e-mail: rockpine@vianet.on.ca; Web: www.zeuter.com/parrysd/rockpine