Although the ski hills at Blue Mountain are just minutes away, this former shipping hub on Georgian Bay maintains some of its small-town charm. The 19th-century main street is becoming increasingly gentrified, with home decor shops catering to the local condo boom. Briarwood twig chandeliers and log bunk beds at Fad/Peaks & Rafters (705-444-8330) fit the region’s outdoorsy theme. Three Herons (705-444-8481) specializes in high-end antiques. The area is home to hundreds of artists, who display their works at the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts gallery (705-445-7843). Next door is the Gayety Theatre (519-599-3915), a converted 1920s cinema and vaudeville house now home to Theatre Collingwood, a professional company that mounts popular comedies in summer. Once a gateway for prairie-bound settlers, Collingwood has a fascinating shipping and railroad history, on view in the Collingwood Museum (705-445-4811). Old grain silos and other architectural artifacts line a harbourfront walking path in an area known as the spit. A two-hour Summerbound (705-445-5267) sunset cruise is a great way to take in the view and a little of the area’s maritime history, including some of the many wrecks, dating back to the 1800s. When all the outdoor activity works up your appetite, try Café Chartreuse (705-444-0099), where Paris-trained master pâtissier and chef Patrick Bourachot prepares flaky croissants and sells high-end picnic supplies. Accommodations include Pretty River Valley Country Inn (705-445-7598) and Beild House (705-444-1522, 1-888-322-3453).
Driving Time:
two hours.
Location
  • map marker #1
    Hwy. 400 to Barrie, west on Hwy. 26.

Large map

Related Listings

For those old enough to remember summer outings in Dad’s ...

It’s no wonder this delightfully scenic town is a hot ...

The sleepy town of Lion’s Head offers more than just ...

One of the prettiest towns in the land, it’s easy ...

No wonder Signe and Robert McMichael, original donors of the ...

Related Features

Danny Grossman Danny Grossman

How the modern dance guru, whose company performs at Harbourfront this month, would spend a single perfect day. Toronto on ... By Amy Verner

Parents' Day Parents' Day

Checking up on your undergrad-attending offspring can be more than a dutiful visit in these charming campus towns

Love Nests Love Nests

Get away from it all—and closer to each other

Today in Toronto

December 2, 2008

Screening tonight at Jackman Hall is Canadian master Denys Arcand’s Réjeanne Padovani

Brandon-based poet, feminist and teacher Di Brandt reads with performance poet Nordine Beason and the ...

RSS Feed [?]