Often ignored for Blue Mountain, Collingwood, Ontario, is a community that has lots of enjoyable points to do in its very own right. Nestled in between Georgian Bay and the UNESCO biosphere get, the Niagara Escarpment, Collingwood creates the best weekend break escape in Ontario. We have actually invested a great deal of time in Collingwood in all periods and have actually discovered every square inch of the bordering location. It made use of to be our snowboarding haunt in the wintertime and biking area in the summer season. If you intend to see the close-by communities on Georgian Bay or merely intend to hang around far from the stress of Blue Mountain, continue reading to see all the top Collingwood destinations to contribute to your checklist.
Best Things to Do in Collingwood Ontario
Collingwood, Ontario, lies simply a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Toronto on the southerly coasts of Georgian Bay. It becomes part of Simcoe County and is located northwest of Toronto, giving a beautiful background with the Blue Mountains to the north and substantial areas of all-natural charm bordering it. The community is recognized for its distance to entertainment tasks, both on the bay and in the bordering highlands, consisting of snowboarding, snowboarding, treking, and water sporting activities. Collingwood works as an entrance to the Blue Mountain Resort and becomes part of the Georgian Triangle location, making it a prominent location for vacationers year-round.
When in Collingwood, see the South Georgian Bay Visitor’s Centre and Collingwood Museum to learn what’s taking place in the location. Located in an 1873 train terminal, both share a structure, so you can check out the background and ship-building society of Collingwood while figuring out what occasions are occurring in Collingwood today.
1. Collingwood Harbour
Collingwood Harbour works as a center of water task and is a considerable component of the community’s maritime heritage. It’s a location where seafarers and seafarers gather together, with its marinas and anchors giving the best establishing factor for a day on the water.
Visitors can take pleasure in a range of water-based tasks such as kayaking, and paddle boarding. The harbor additionally includes tracks and parks along its border, which permit stunning strolls with sights of the busy waterside task, historical shipyards, and the tranquil waters of Georgian Bay. There are kayak and SUP services at Southwinds Marine and Little Eds Ski and Bike Shop.
2. Enjoy the Waterfront Trail
The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail travels through Collingwood and it is an optimal path for bicyclists, joggers, and pedestrians of all ability degrees. The path extends over 3000 kilometers (regarding 1864 miles) along the Canadian coasts of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. In Collingwood, Ontario, the Waterfront Trail belongs of this large network and we typically load our bikes however you can lease bikes and e-bikes from the similarity Little Ed’s Ski & Bike Shop.
The sector of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail that travels through Collingwood showcases a few of the location’s most attractive landscapes and waterside sights. As the path weaves with Collingwood, it enables very easy accessibility to a number of crucial destinations in the community, consisting of parks, marinas, and historical websites. The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail supplies a tranquil and stunning experience with sights of Georgian Bay.
Along the method, expository signs supplies understanding right into the regional vegetation and animals, making the path not just a leisure trip however additionally an academic experience. With sufficient chances to identify wild animals and absorb the sensational sights, the Waterfront Trail is a must-do for nature enthusiasts and exterior lovers.
3. Sunset Point Park
This family-friendly park has sufficient area for outings, a pebble coastline for wading, and play areas for kids. The park is an area center where individuals integrated to take pleasure in the open airs, whether it’s cooling down in the dash pad on a warm summer season day or appreciating a leisurely walk along the water’s side. The all-natural charm and tranquil atmosphere make Sunset Point Park a treasured area for both residents and site visitors.
Ideal for outings and swimming, Sunset Point Beach Park lies on Nottawasaga Bay and provides sensational sunset sights over Georgian Bay. A titan Inukshuk stands happily neglecting Georgian Bay honouring the Indigenous People of this land.
Paid car parking holds right here. Parking prices are $10/hour with an everyday max of $50 so we recommend checking out the location by bike and leaving your vehicle at the resort.
4. South Georgian Bay Trails
Hike or bike along many tracks that deal beautiful views and link to the Niagara Escarpment, consisting of the Georgian Trail and the Bruce Trail. The Georgian Trail is a 34 kilometres seaside path that ranges from Collingwood to Meaford. Pack some food and beverages and ride this path throughout the day.
South Georgian Bay Trails are a network of courses that supply exterior lovers with a selection of landscapes to check out, from coastline courses to forested paths. These tracks are best for treking, cycling, and throughout the cold weather, snowshoeing or cross-country snowboarding.
They provide a terrific chance to experience the location’s all-natural charm, observe regional wild animals, and obtain a breath of fresh air. Each path supplies a unique experience, whether you’re looking for an informal walking or an enthusiastic expedition with the varied surface of the South Georgian Bay location.
5. Collingwood Arboretum
The Collingwood Arboretum is an organic sanctuary, showcasing a varied collection of trees and plant types that grow in Southern Ontario’s environment. It’s a peaceful location where site visitors can stray with perfectly organized landscapes, uncover numerous thematic yards, and take pleasure in the transforming periods.
Educational programs and assisted scenic tours can boost the experience, giving understandings right into the area’s cultivation. The Arboretum is not simply a banquet for the eyes however additionally a calm resort for those looking for a minute of privacy or a silent area for consideration in the middle of nature’s charm.
6. Harbourview Park
Nestled along the coasts of Georgian Bay beside the Collingwood Arboretum, Harbourview Park provides a tranquil getaway with its breathtaking sights of the water and the far-off Blue Mountains.
Families frequently group right here to take pleasure in the well-kept play areas and barbecue locations, while physical fitness lovers value the strolling tracks that meander with the park. The park’s distance to the Collingwood Terminals provides it a historic side, where site visitors can look the residues of the community’s abundant maritime background, making it an ideal area for leisurely walks and taking in the relaxing waterside atmosphere.
7. Thornbury
Thornbury, a lovely district simply a brief drive from Collingwood, is renowned for its enchanting ambience and lively arts scene. The community’s primary road is lined with historical structures, craftsmen stores, and comfortable cafés, welcoming site visitors to stray and check out. The community is a quit on the Apple Pie Trail which is a fantastic self drive excursion of the location.
Thornbury additionally flaunts an attractive harbour and is popular for its apple orchards, with the yearly apple harvest event being an emphasize. Whether it’s tasting cider at a neighborhood cidery or checking out special galleries, Thornbury provides a fascinating resort right into sectarian class and pastoral enjoyments.
8. Suspension Bridge and Scenic Caves Nature Adventures
Explore all-natural caverns and holes, take pleasure in Ontario’s lengthiest Suspension Footbridge, or take part in seasonal tasks like zip-lining and snowshoeing.
The Suspension Bridge and Scenic Caves provide an electrifying experience with Collingwood’s all-natural charm. The Suspension Bridge, the lengthiest of its kind in Ontario, guides carefully over a rich valley offering breathtaking sights that are specifically amazing in loss when the vegetation is a blaze of shade.
After going across the suspension bridge, you get in the Scenic Caves for a below ground journey, taking site visitors back in time with geological developments took hundreds of years back. Exploring these caverns and holes is an experience by itself, exposing the tough charm of the Niagara Escarpment up close.
9. Collingwood Brewery Tour
Craft beer lovers will certainly discover an unique area at Collingwood Brewery, where the art of developing is commemorated with a neighborhood spin. This shop brewery prides itself on developing small-batch beers utilizing the finest active ingredients and standard techniques.
The taproom permits site visitors to example a variety of their crafted mixtures, from traditional beers to ingenious ales, in a cozy and inviting ambience. Behind-the-scenes scenic tours can additionally be appreciated, using understandings right into the developing procedure and the enthusiasm behind developing the best pint.
10. Side Launch Brewing Company
If you intend to proceed with the mixtures, Side Launch Brewing Company is called after the special approach of ship establishing in the community’s historical shipyards. This brewery has actually amassed praise for its large range of carefully crafted beers. Visitors to the brewery can take pleasure in a trip of the center to see the developing procedure first-hand, complied with by a sampling session in the taproom. With an option that varies from wheat ales to dark beers, there’s a taste for each taste buds.
11. Northwinds Brewery
Northwinds Brewery brings the art of beer crafting to life in Collingwood with its excellent schedule of handmade beers. Each beer is made with regional active ingredients, showcasing the tastes of the area. The Collingwood provides a Seafood Raw Bar.
The brewery’s dining establishment provides passionate, beer-infused meals that match completely with the internal mixtures, from ales and IPAs to stouts and concierges. The vibrant and rustic setup, integrated with the pleasant personnel, produces a cozy and inviting atmosphere where pals can collect for a fantastic dish and outstanding beer.
12. See the Tiny Jail of Creemore
Creemore is most popular for the Creemore Springs Brewery, where site visitors can explore and taste in your area crafted beers however while in Creemore, don’t miss out on checking out the tiniest prison in Ontario. It go back to 1892 and homes 3 cells in its tiny impact of just 4.5 X 6 meters.
The town’s primary road attributes historical 19th-century design, special stores, and welcoming dining establishments that provide regional price. A drop in Creemore resembles going back in time, using a calm break from the stress of contemporary life.
Creemore is a fascinating town soaked in custom and recognized for its large heart and sectarian friendliness.
13. Collingwood Museum
Delve right into Collingwood’s background including its maritime past and its function in the advancement of snowboarding in Ontario. The Collingwood Museum lies in a wonderfully recovered train terminal on the harbourfront. The gallery’s exhibitions look into the community’s aquatic heritage, showcasing Collingwood’s shipbuilding past with artefacts, designs, and interactive display screens. Visitors can find out about the popular Collingwood Shipyards, which for over a century were a keystone of the neighborhood and an important component of Canada’s maritime market.
Inside, you can additionally check out the area’s First Nations background, the advancement of the railway, and the influence of both World Wars on the regional neighborhood. The gallery flaunts a selection of artefacts varying from aboriginal devices and crafts to Victorian-period things showing the day-to-day live of the community’s very early inhabitants.
Hurontario Street is the busy industrial heart of Collingwood, using a lively purchasing experience. From posh stores and boutique to art galleries and regional craft shops, the road has something for everybody.
As you walk down the historical midtown core, the Victorian-period structures include a touch of beauty, real estate a selection of companies that market every little thing from classy clothing to handmade precious jewelry and home decoration. Shopping on Hurontario Street is not almost the acquisitions—it’s about appreciating the vibrant ambience, the pleasant residents, and the sectarian beauty that Collingwood is commemorated for.
15. Check out the Live Music Scene
The real-time songs scene in Collingwood is lively and varied, with a range of places organizing efficiencies from regional and checking out musicians. From comfortable coffee shops to busy bars, there’s a riches of places to take pleasure in real-time songs varying from jazz and blues to indie and rock.
The Historic Gayety Theatre: This site place in midtown Collingwood is recognized for organizing a range of real-time programs, consisting of songs efficiencies. The theater’s timetable frequently includes shows varying from timeless to rock and homage bands.
The Harbour Street Fish Bar: This is the location to choose songs enthusiasts. They provide a routine schedule of real-time songs acts and provide a food selection of tasty consumes to support the songs every Friday and Saturday.
Blue Mountain Village: Although not in Collingwood appropriate, it’s really nearby and holds a range of real-time songs occasions throughout the year. During the summer season and numerous events, the town frequently has complimentary exterior shows. Every Friday evening, KAYTOO Restaurant & Bar hosts DJ KAOS Flow Fridays.
16. Spend a Day at Wasaga Beach
Just a brief repel, invest a day at one of the lengthiest freshwater coastlines on the planet, popular for its superficial waters and attractive sand.
17. Meaford Museum
The Meaford Museum provides you a background of the location where you can check out exhibitions behind their wall surfaces. We quit right here on the Apple Pie Trail and it was a fantastic begin to the day as we had a far better understanding of the location when we roadway to see the real areas where the products in the gallery originated from.
It assisted us to intend our path far better and advised us to decrease and take pleasure in the trip. As the manager of the gallery stated “People need to give themselves time to stop. Don’t simply make a b-line from one place to another, the villages all around the Blue Mountains have some fascinating hidden gems.” We concur!
18. Camp at Craigleith Provincial Park
This is our much-loved outdoor camping area in close to Collingwood. Located straight on Georgian Bay, it creates a fantastic base to check out the Blue Mountains for treking and hill cycling. But it is additionally a location unto itself.
The beautiful shale rock shoreline is the best area for exterior tasks like kayaking and SUP (stand paddleboarding). The Georgian Trail cuts throughout Craigleith so load your bike and go biking along Georgian Bay. Read More: 25 of the Best Places to Camp in Ontario, Canada
19. Explore Blue Mountain Village
This all-seasons hotel provides snowboarding and snowboarding in the wintertime, and throughout the summer season, tasks like hill cycling, treking, the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster, and the Open Air Gondola. Check out: The Best Places to Hike in Ontario
Blue Mountain Resort is the keystone of wintertime sporting activities in Collingwood, flaunting a broad range of inclines to match every degree of skier or snowboarder. With its stunning sights and well-kept tracks, the hotel is a winter season paradise using far more than simply snowboarding and snowboarding. Year-rounded tasks such as hill cycling, playing golf, and zip-lining make sure that the excitement of journey is constantly to life. The hotel’s town includes an added layer of beauty with its range of stores, dining establishments, and health clubs, developing an ideal mix of activity and leisure for site visitors seeking to take pleasure in a perfect Ontario escape.
20. Hit the Slopes at Blue Mountain Resort
Blue Mountain Resort is the keystone of wintertime sporting activities in Collingwood, flaunting a broad range of inclines to match every degree of skier or snowboarder. We made use of to constantly remain in Collingwood and go snowboarding at Blue Mountain for a day. Blue Mountain is 7 kilometres or 10 mins from Collingwood, so it’s really simple to drive or perhaps take an Uber if you intend to take pleasure in Apres Ski.
With its stunning sights and well-kept tracks, the hotel is a winter season paradise using far more than simply snowboarding and snowboarding. Year-rounded tasks such as hill cycling, playing golf, and zip-lining make sure that the excitement of journey is constantly to life. The hotel’s town includes an added layer of beauty with its range of stores, dining establishments, and health clubs, developing an ideal mix of activity and leisure for site visitors seeking to take pleasure in a perfect Ontario escape.
21. Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain
Experience leisure at its finest with Scandinavian bathrooms, massage therapies, and various other health therapies in the middle of the peace of an all-natural woodland setup. For a peaceful getaway, Scandinave Spa offers a calm resort established in the middle of an all-natural woodland setup. It’s a place for those looking for to invigorate with its Scandinavian bathrooms experience, which entails a cycle of warming the body in warm bathrooms or saunas and after that cooling down in chilly dives or leisure locations. The health club additionally provides a range of massage therapies and therapies, guaranteeing site visitors leave really feeling revitalized and restored. Surrounded naturally and silence, Scandinave Spa is a sanctuary of health that records the significance of leisure.
22. Collingwood Farmer’s Market
The Collingwood Farmers’ Market is a fantastic quit to obtain a preference of the area’s ideal fresh fruit and vegetables and artisanal items. Operating seasonally, usually from May with October, the marketplace is commonly hung on Saturdays, giving an exceptional begin to the weekend break.
At the Collingwood Farmers’ Market, consumers can discover a broad range of items. Local farmers provide fresh vegetables and fruits. The market additionally includes suppliers marketing natural meats, newly captured fish, regional cheeses, and free-range eggs, dealing with those trying to find wholesome and lasting food alternatives.
Beyond the fresh food, the marketplace is a hotspot for artisanal crafts and items. Bakers market a fascinating choice of homemade bread, breads, and sugary foods, while regional craftsmens provide handcrafted precious jewelry, crafts, and home decor. The existence of ready food suppliers additionally indicates site visitors can take pleasure in a delicious treat or morning meal as they read the stalls.
23. Cycling Collingwood Loops
Collingwood has a few of the most effective biking in Ontario, with tough courses. When training for Africa, we increased right here at all times. The Scenic Caves Route was the hardest. There’s Dave before me, appreciating a fantastic trip exterior Collingwood.
There are loophole courses varying from 40 to 100 kilometres. We liked coming through to Creemore where there’s a fantastic location for coffee or a beer. But there are lots of courses to select from. If you desire a longer path, attempt the Collingwood to Kimberly path.
24. Go Hiking in the Blue Mountains
There are lots of treking tracks in the Blue Mountain and Collingwood location. You don’t also need to leave the town to choose a fantastic walking. The inclines of Blue Mountain are loaded with wonderful nature walkings and you can leave straight from your resort space. Located on the Niagara Escarpment, Blue Mountain Resort remains in the heart of a few of the most effective walking in Ontario.
But if you intend to go out even more to check out even more of Georgian Bay and the Escarpment, the Bruce Trail neighbors, with numerous loopholes to obtain you outside.
The Loree Forest Loop is just one of the much more prominent brief courses that provide remarkable sights. It’s just 5.3km so it’s wonderful for novices. The Bruce Trail Beaver Valley Route is an exceptional walking The Georgian Trail is an additional leading selection.
When you obtain a day pass to Craigleigh Provincial Park, your automobile license benefits Wasaga Beach.
Where to Stay in Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario, has a range of holiday accommodations, consisting of a number of shop resorts and inns that provide an extra individualized and intimate experience contrasted to bigger resort chains. Here are a few of the most effective shop resorts and special remain in and around Collingwood where you can take pleasure in a comfy and fashionable go to:
Living Water Resort & Spa – Living Water supplies a shop experience with a concentrate on health and leisure. With a full-service health club and lavish facilities, this hotel provides a revitalizing stick with attractive sights of Georgian Bay. The VanderMarck Boutique Hotel – Located in the heart of midtown Collingwood, The VanderMarck Boutique Hotel is simply actions far from stores, dining establishments, and amusement. The resort is housed in a wonderfully recovered historical structure and provides a variety of deluxe collections, each with special decoration and contemporary facilities. Craigleith Manor Bed & Breakfast – This high end B&B on the borders of Collingwood provides a calm resort with sensational sights of Georgian Bay and the Blue Mountains. With perfectly assigned spaces and a premium morning meal, Craigleith Manor is best for an enchanting escape or a relaxing getaway.
When preparing your remain, it’s constantly a great concept to examine the most up to date evaluations and schedule for these shop resorts, as they can fill swiftly, particularly throughout top vacationer periods. Additionally, some buildings might provide seasonal plans or unique prices, so it’s worth making inquiries straight with the resort for the very best bargains and experiences.
There’s a great deal even more to do than simply cool on the coastline, there are lots of treking tracks, you can head over to the Nancy Island Historic Site or you can do some bird seeing at its safeguarded wild animals environment.
