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Muskoka: A World Apart
August 2010
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Muskoka’s many faces
The District Municipality of Muskoka is home to a number of small heritage communities that each offer that attraction, event or experience that travellers so desperately seek.
Bracebridge
Overlooking both branches of the Muskoka River, Bracebridge is home to an incredible 22 waterfalls. Appropriately enough, the town annually hosts The Festival of the Falls every May, which celebrates this unique heritage.
Gravenhurst
It’s Muskoka’s oldest town, so it’s no surprise that history plays a big role in Gravenhurst. Featured is the RMS Segwun, North America’s oldest operating steamship, as well as Bethune House, the boyhood home of famous Canadian doctor Dr. Norman Bethune.
Huntsville
Not only is it the largest and fastest growing municipality in Muskoka, Huntsville is also an adventure Mecca. Golf at championship courses in the summer, or ski any number of courses in town or nearby Algonquin or Arrowhead parks in the winter.
Georgian Bay
This township and its dramatic scenery served as inspiration for the famous Group of Seven artists. It is also home to a small cluster of 59 islands designated as Georgian Bay Islands National Park.
Lake of Bays
Township includes Dorset, Dwight and Baysville, as well as Lake of Bays. It is the second largest lake in Muskoka with more than 550 kilometres of panoramic shoreline.
Muskoka Lakes
Township is home to several communities, including the lively tourist town of Bala, which is famous for its cranberry marshes and annual Cranberry Festival – held the weekend after Thanksgiving.
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Muskoka proves you don’t need a passport to escape the urban jungle
By Jamie Zachary
It’s a short yet scenic two-hour drive north of Toronto, but the District Municipality of Muskoka feels a world apart. And while you may have heard such a claim countless times before, consider this: the 6,475-square-kilometre region is slightly smaller than the Greater Toronto Area, yet it is home to more than 1,600 lakes, and just as many recreational opportunities.
*Muskoka's Deerhurst Resort
“Coming to Muskoka ... is an antidote to the everyday urban meeting,” says Anne White, communications director for Deerhurst Resort and Conference Centre, the region’s largest meeting facility, as well as host to the G-8 Summit of world leaders this summer. “Choosing a destination filled with 1,600 lakes and lush forests, makes it very easy to think outside the box – literally.”
Home to some 50,000 permanent residents, Muskoka – which was named after a mid-1800s first nations chief – has long been hailed by many as a favourite spot for seasonal property owners.
An estimated 100,000 people – including some of Hollywood’s biggest names, such as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Cindy Crawford, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell – flock to this land of lakes, beaches and unspoiled forests every summer. Some come for the tranquility offered by the region’s towering pines, sparkling lakes and rivers, picturesque waterfalls or vast wilderness found in nearby Algonquin Park.
Yet the real star power, according to White, lies within the region’s unique blend of nature and culture – a combination that’s often lacking in traditional cottage countries.
“Muskoka is known for its singular combination of culture, including internationally acclaimed fine arts, music festivals and a growing local gourmet food scene, with truly unspoiled and easily accessible nature,” explains White.
For example, the Gravenhurst Opera House offers visitors a perfect blend between history and culture. The 300-plus-seat heritage theatre has been host to music and theatrical performances for more than a century, and welcomed more than six million visitors since opening its doors in 1901.
Meanwhile, the region is also home to facilities such as the Muskoka Wildlife Centre, Echo Valley Observatory or Torrance Barrens, the only dark sky reserve in Ontario.
Proximity also plays a major part in why travellers are choosing Muskoka, says White. Planners from outside southern Ontario can easily combine the arrival experience and urban appeal of cities like Toronto or Ottawa, with the natural retreat of Muskoka, as well as major attractions like Niagara Falls or Canada's largest wine-making region.
“Our resort, region and destination offer almost limitless easy possibilities for pre- and post-stays, as well as turn-key incentive itineraries,” offers White.
Deerhurst Resort itself is reason alone why many groups are bringing their next meeting to Muskoka.
Situated on 780 acres of rolling, wooded countryside on Peninsula Lake, the resort has more than 45,000 square feet of interior meeting venues, as well as 400 guest accommodations.
It also features two 18-hole golf courses – Deerhurst Lakeside and the famed Deerhurst Highlands – that were designed by acclaimed architects Robert Cupp and Thomas McBroom, as well as arguably more on-site activities of any resort in Eastern Canada including paintball, eco-fueled Hummer tours, winter sports and an extensive waterfront.
“Even if they don't get to spend a lot of time outside or doing activities, planners and attendees at Deerhurst are often impressed by the options they have right at one resort,” says White. “Guests from outside Ontario and Canada are generally wowed by the setting and the view, plus our proximity to major outdoor attractions like Algonquin Park.”
Filed under: Canada
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