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Just off H-ighway 401, about 30 minutes east of Whitby, the charming l9th-oentury-style town of Port Hope skirts the shore of Lake Ontario. Filled with architecture that continually captures the imagination of producers of movies and television series such as Road to Avonlea, the town offers a giimpse into a gentler time. Old-fashioned store windows are bursting with everything from the latest books at Furby House Books to top-quality men's and women's fashion at Susan Dewburst, beautiful handcraft and needlework supplies at Horner's Arts and rafts, inventive fresh flower displays at Gwenel Flowers, elegant perfinTes at Watson's Drugs, cameras and pbotographic equip ment at Quinte Photo, everytbing for the musically inclined at Melody Maker, and fine china and figurines at Randall's -- and, of course, much-sought-after antiques. Impressive original and reproduction furniture, quits, collectibles and framed artwork can be found at Smith's Creek Antiques, Acanthus Interiors and Caswell and Quinn Antiques and Gardens. Each store's wares offer a different flavour, with something ta catch the eye and imagination of everyone wbo enters. For something diffrent, a store called Gothie Splendour offers clothing fashioned from designs of the Gothie era, candies, masks and more. For those interested in art, the Linton Shaw Gallery bas an eclectic array of pottery, blown glass and paintinge, plus a few surprises. Cozy woven throws, braided and hooked rugs, and enough roosters, pigs, sheep and ducks to fill a farmyard can be found at Country Accents and Trivia, gift shops with a différence. If you are hungry, Schubert's Restaurant and Fine Foods specialîzes in Canadian fare witb European flair. Another welcoming spot for dining 18 the Beamish House Pub and restaurant, for a bit of the over'orne. At The Carlyle Inn, linen tablecloths speak of the class of the bistoric building, wbich first served as the Bank of Upper Canada. Today it features fine food and comfortable atmosphere in a formaI dining room, a bar called Plane Crazy decorated 0on an aviation therne, and an outdoor patio. The Carlyle Inn also offers cozy overnight accommodation. A luxurious haven for spending a weekend in Port Hope i8 The Hillcrest Bed and Breakfast, a white-pillared mansion reminiscent of Gone witb the Wind's Tara. Rated as one of the finest bed-and-breakfast establishments in Ontario, The H1illcrest features elegant furnisbings and bedrooms with private balconies. The Uppertowne Inn is another popular bed and breakfast, boasting warm, inviting rooms in a lovingly preserved l9th-century building close to tbe heart of town. From the top of Port Hope's many hilîs, you will see a picturesque landscape filled with church spires, trees and ravines, with the winding Ganaraska iver at the town's heart. Shady verandahs, tree-lined streets, well-groomed lawns and colourful flowerbeds all speak of the pride and eomfort of a small town. Port Hope bas been called the prettiest town in Ontario. Built along the banks of the Ganaraska River in the late 1700s, it bas grown to cover the huIs that rise on either side of the waterway. The river and its wealtb of fish stili attract anglers year-round, The Ganny, as it is called, bas been heralded as the premier fisbing spot in the province for brown trout. Charter fishing boats are also available for day-long salmon-fishing trips on Lake Ontario. The town is the home of the Canadian Firefighters' Museum, just a stone's throw away from the lake. The museum is open daily from June to September. Visitors are given a guided tour of the large collection of viritage fire engines and firefighting equipment. A stroil downtown wilI take you back in time as you view the best-preserved mid-l9th-century streetscape in Canada. Lovingly restored historie homes and buildings throughout the town are opened to the public eacb October during a house tour sponsored by the Port Hope branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. A total of 1,500 tickets are sold each year for this well-known event; they neyer fai to seli out, with visitors coming from ail over Ontario and beyond. Because of the popularity of the bouse tour, the ACO has just published a walking-tour bookiet that is availabie at the Chamber of Commerce, 35 John St. The booklet provides descriptions of buildings so visitors can erijoy the exterior beauty of Port Hope's fine homes at any time of the year. This year the fascinating iife of a Port Hope legend, Signor Guillermo Farina, wiIl be celebrated. Known to bis fellow townsfolk as plain old William Hunt but to millions of people worldwide as The Great Farina, this 19th-century acrobat and showman walked a tightrope over Niagara Falls many times and performed many other acrobatic and strongman feats. A play chronidling Farini's colourful life will be performed outdoors at the 4th lime Theatre, close to nearby Milibrook, in July and August. Port Hope is planning a birthday party for the circus hero in niid-June, complete with a niodern-day tightrope walker to duplicate Farini's first efforts of walking across the Ganaraska iver. In the town's downtown park, free concerts are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. from June untii September. Familles bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on under the mature shade trees to hear everything from rock to folk ta classical music in the open air. Saturday mornings find a farmers' market filled with flowers and fresh local produce set up behind Town Hall. On the July 1. weekend, Port Hope holds its traditional Calithumpian parade along dpwntown streets, followed by music and food in the park and a bathtub race in the Ganny. July 1 is topped off with fireworks after dark. Getaways - June 8,1994 15 Port Hope. A gçntler timel