Visit Ontario’s Lake Country: Orillia & Area’s Four Season Playground!
02 Mar 2018
Welcome to Ontario’s Lake Country! We have been traveling to this beautiful area north of Toronto for many years. Our love includes (but is not limited to) the food and comfortable rooms at Casino Rama Resort, spending a relaxing and fun-filled weekend at Fern Resort (oh those buns and honey)…
… enjoying freshly made maple syrup with pancakes at Shaw’s Sugar Bush, enjoying winter activities at Horseshoe Resort, or shopping Downtown Orillia at local shops. Oh, and did we mention Mariposa Market? 3 words – freshly baked goods.
The region encompasses the City of Orillia, the townships of Oro-Medonte, Severn, and Ramara, and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation.
Special Moments
Ontario’s Lake Country will always hold a special place in our hearts. In 2001, I proposed to Wendy while on a skiing trip at Mount St. Louis Moonstone. 17 years later, we are happily married, and taking our two beautiful daughters, Rachel and Lauren, back to Ontario’s Lake Country any chance we get.
As well, the late David Fanstone, Artistic Director of The Sunshine Festival at the Orillia Opera House, was my late father-in-law’s best friend. David and Wendy’s Dad Jim grew up together in Niagara Falls, and shared a love for live theatre. For many years, Wendy’s family would travel to Orillia and stay for the weekend at a local campground in their pop-up tent trailer, just to catch one of David’s shows at The Sunshine Festival. I was lucky enough to join them for a few of those shows.
The Places You Can Stay!
There are so many wonderful options for getaways in Ontario’s Lake Country. Everything from Hotels and Motels, Resorts, Bed & Breakfasts, Cottages and Cabins, to Camping and RV Parks… Ontario’s Lake Country has it all! Here are just some of the places you can stay:
Hotels and Motels
• Best Western Plus Couchiching Inn
• Best Western Plus Mariposa Inn & Conference Centre
• Casino Rama Resort
• Champlain Waterfront Hotel
• Comfort Inn
• Days Inn
• Eagle Inn Suites
• Highwayman Inn and Conference Centre
• Knights Inn Lagoon Harbour Resort & Hotel
• Lakehead University Residence and Conference Centre
• Northcourt Motel
• Northland Motel & Restaurant
• Stone Gate Inn
and don’t forget your furry friend!
• Royal Pets Hotel and Spa
For more about Hotels and Motels in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Resorts
• Bayview Wildwood Resort
• Carriage Hills Resort and Carriage Ridge Resort
• Casino Rama Resort
• Fern Resort
• Horseshoe Resort
• Knights Inn Lagoon Harbour Resort & Hotel
• Rawley Resort, Spa & Marina
For more about Resorts in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Bed & Breakfasts
• Anne’s Cranberry House Bed And Breakfast
• Bluebird Meadows Bed & Breakfast
• Brasscranes By-The-Lake Bed & Breakfast
• Brechin Bed & Breakfast
• Brookview Bed and Breakfast
• Castleview Inn
• Creighton Manor Inn Bed and Breakfast
• Dockside Bed and Breakfast
• Forks In The Trail Bed And Breakfast
• Hackney Horse Bed and Breakfast
• Hillsdale Log Cabin Bed and Breakfast
• Horseshoe Cottage Bed and Breakfast
• Moonstone Bed and Breakfast
• Verandahs Bed & Breakfast By The Lake
• Water’s Edge
• Ye Olde Country Store Inn
For more about Bed & Breakfasts in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Cottages and Cabins
• Bayview Wildwood Resort
• Delmonte In The Pines Resort
• The Gables Cottage Resort
• Lauderdale Point Marina & Resort
• Little Falls Cottages
• Severn Falls Cottages
• YMCA Geneva Park
For more about Cottages and Cabins in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Camping and RV Parks
• Bass Lake Provincial Park
• Black River Wilderness Park
• Hammock Harbour Cabins & RV Park
• Heidi’s Camp & Trailer Park
• Mara Provincial Park
• Matchedash Camp
• McRae Point Provincial Park
• Oro Family Campground
• Point of Mara Resort & Trailer Park
• Six Mile Lake Provincial Park
For more about Camping and RV Parks in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
The Things You Can Do!
There is so much to do in Ontario’s Lake Country. Everything from family activities, indoor activities, arts, history & culture, gaming, and night life… Ontario’s Lake Country has it all! Here are just some of the things you can do:
Family Activities
• A Breath of Fresh Air
• Balance In Life Spa at Casino Rama Resort
• Big Curve Acres
• Born to Ride Bicycle
• Brown’s Farm
• Burl’s Creek Event Grounds
• Chappell Farms
• Coldwater Bowling Centre
• Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum
• Coldwater Mill
• Cottage Country Tours
• Downtown Orillia
• Gamebridge Go Karts
• Golden Creek Bird Farm
• Hardwood Ski And Bike
• Hewitts Fun Farm
• Horseshoe Resort
• Icebreaker Sweet Shoppe
• Jack & Maddy
• Kayak-Ity-Yak
• Kelly Simpson
• Kids For Turtles
• Lake Country Airways
• McCabes Restaurant And Bar
• Mother Fudruckers Farm
• Mount St. Louis Ski Resort
• Narrows Canoe-Kaya Co-Sales & Rentals
• OK Friday Barn Fair
• Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Museum
• Ontario Waterway Cruises Inc.
• Orillia Boat Cruises – Island Princess
• Orillia Bowl
• Orillia Fairgrounds Farmers’ Market
• Orillia Farmers’ Market
• Orillia Museum of Art & History
• Orillia Theatre / Double R Productions
• RD Farms
• Red Caboose Mini Golf & Ice Cream
• Ride Guides
• Roller Skating Place
• Rushmount Equine Sports
• Sainte-Marie among the Hurons
• Scales Nature Park
• Scouts Valley Loop Trail
• Segway Tours
• Shaws Catering & Maple Syrup
• Steamy Kettle Sugar Bush
• Sunset Barrie Drive-in
• Swift Georgian Bay
• The Couchiching Conservancy
• Top Of The Hill Farm
• Treetop Trekking Barrie
• Vander Meer Fine Arts
• West Orillia Sports Complex
• Windrift Kennel
• Wye Marsh
For more about Family Activities in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Indoor Activities
• Ax Men Axe Throwing
• Casino Rama Resort Entertainment Centre
• Coldwater Bowling Centre
• Coldwater and District Community Centre
• Coldwater Curling Club
• Coldwater Mill
• Heritage Estate Winery and Cidery
• Mariposa Market
• Orillia’s Wine Experience
• Orillia Square Mall
• Simcoe County Museum
• Souldiers Skate Shop
• West Orillia Sports Complex
For more about Indoor Activities in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Arts
• Alleycats Music & Art
• Arts Medonte – Studios Of The Valley
• Dave Beckett’s Art Gallery
• Deanna Sharpe Photography: Studio & Art Gallery
• Huronia Cultural Campus
• JDN Photography Canada
• Kempenfelt Community Players
• Lahays Hobby & Crafts
• Lee Contemporary Art
• Marelene Bulas Sunninghill Art
• Moose Factory Of Orillia
• Northwoods Carvings
• Orillia Museum of Art & History
• Peter Street Fine Arts Gallery & Studio
• Rama Moccasin And Smoke Shop
• Ridge West Gallery
• Singing Hearts Studios
• Stone Designs
• Streets Alive
• Studio Eleven
• Susan’s Gallery Of Art At Lagoon City
• The Carved Edge
• The Farm Gate
• The Gallery
• Vander Meer Fine Arts
• Woodside Pottery & Gallery
• Zephyr Pop Up Art
For more about Arts in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
History & Culture
• Big Chute Marina
• Brechin Artifacts
• Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum
• Discovery Harbour
• Leacock Museum Historic Site
• Mariposa Folk Festival & Foundation
• Mnjikaning Fish Weirs – National Historic Site
• Ramara Historical Society
• Ramara Trail
• Sainte-Marie among the Hurons
For more about History & Culture in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Gaming
For more about Gaming in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Night Life
• Brewery Bay Food Co.
• Casino Rama Resort Entertainment Centre
• Coldwater Bowling Centre
• Kenzington Burger Bar
• Orillia Boat Cruises – Island Princess
• Roller Skating Place
• Shanty Bay Go Karts
• Simcoe Yard House
• Studabakers Beachside Bar and Grill
• Sunset Barrie Drive-in
• The Brownstone Cafe
• Orillia Opera House
For more about Night Life in Ontario’s Lake Country, visit their website.
Ontario’s Lake Country truly is a 4 season playground!
Whether you want to visit a maple farm in the Spring, enjoy water activities in the Summer, take in some colourful scenery in the Fall, or do snow activities in the Winter. Ontario’s Lake Country has it all, and is a beautiful destination for your visit.
Enjoy your visit!
Cheers,
Big Daddy
Disclaimer: I am promoting Ontario’s Lake Country because we love traveling there. This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
If you would like me to review your product, service, restaurant, or travel destination, please send me an email at craig@bigdaddykreativ.ca or tweet me at @BigDaddyKreativ
Craig Silva
Craig is a husband, a father, team leader, senior youth group coordinator, designer, brander, community builder, volunteer, blogger, and social media manager. Craig likes to go camping, travel, go on road trips, watch movies, read with his girls, build stuff, operate the grill, and play bass guitar. In June 2017, PR firm Cision identified Craig as one of Canada’s top 10 most popular male bloggers in the parents and family space. Known as Big Daddy Kreativ, his blog specializes in travel, lifestyle, food, automotive, events, parenting, movies, tech, recipes, health, pets, reviews, and giveaways.
