Ontario Boating Destination Guide

Georgian Bay and Area

A natural wonder with first-rate cruising, excellent services, and exciting activities.

Georgian Bay provides some of the best cruising anywhere. Pictured here is scenic Tobermory.

If you've never cruised on eastern Georgian Bay, you've missed the crown jewel in the Great Lakes. Here you'll find the stunning 30,000 Islands and what many people believe to be the finest freshwater boating in the world.

Bring your charts and check out the destinations such as Lost Bay, Indian Harbour, the Bad River, Twelve Mile Bay, Honeymoon Bay, Wreck Island or the Moon River, which can conjure up summer days winding through an unraveling canvas of carved rock and windswept pines surrounded by breathtaking blue waters.

It's easy to see why Georgian Bay was a mecca for artists like the Group of Seven and continues to serve as inspiration for today's leading artists. Don't forget your camera as you'll want to capture your family's fantastic vacation against this beautiful backdrop.

Rustic adventures can also be found just off the "Bay" in several areas such as the French River.

You could boat for years amongst the 30,000 Islands and never anchor in the same bay twice - and never be disappointed. But if tying to a dock is more your style, there are plenty of options, ranging from full service marinas to municipal docks, provincial parks and even the ecologically diverse Georgian Bay Islands National Park.

It's more than just spectacular scenery and crystal clear waters. There's plenty to do just steps away from docks.

In Parry Sound there's world class jazz and chamber music in the acoustically outstanding Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts and many other venues during the Festival of the Sound, running from July 20 to Aug. 12. In a truly Canadian twist, the arts centre right on the waterfront is also the home of the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame interactive hockey museum.

Rustic adventures can also be found just off the "Bay" in several areas such as Pointe au Baril.

If you stop in Penetanguishene, enjoy award-winning theatre as Drayton Entertainment brings another season of music and laughter to the King's Wharf Theatre. While you're there step back in time at the historic military and naval establishments at Discovery Harbour or head over to Sainte-Marie among the Hurons to the recreated Jesuit mission from the 1640s with plenty of hands-on activities for your young crew members.

If you're hungry there's no shortage of choices to dine. A summer on the bay isn't complete without a stop at the world famous Henry's Fish on Sans Souci Island for a superb, all-you-can eat meal of tasty whitefish or pickerel. Several magazines have rated it one of the top places in the world to eat and there's overnight dockage available where you can watch the world go by, including float planes that make Henry's a regular stopover.

Many restaurants dot the shoreline in local towns snuggled up to the shoreline such as Victoria Harbour, Midland, Honey Harbour, Penetanguishene, Port Severn and Parry Sound. Visit any local marina and you'll find friendly service and advice on how to find whatever you're seeking.

Penetanguishene serves up the excitement with colourful history at Discovery Harbour.

Everything you need from fuel to food to entertainment and unique shops is just steps away from your boat. You can even boat to the outdoor Cognashene Community Church on the rocks for interdenominational Sunday services in Freddy Channel throughout the summer months.

If it's sand you seek you can find it here too. Chart a course for Giant's Tomb - the resting place of the giant Kitchikewana whom native legend says created the islands when he threw fistfuls of the earth at the departing canoe of his true love. The gentle sloping sandy eastern shoreline is the perfect spot for picnicking and family fun in the warm shallow waters.

Need to stretch your legs? Hike the interpretive trail on Wreck Island, visit Massasauga Provincial Park, Killbear Provincial Park, Beausoleil Island (the largest of the 59 islands that comprise Georgian Bay Islands National Park) or step ashore at hundreds of uninhabited Crown land islands (remember to respect the rights of private landowners - and with this much choice that should never be a problem).

Once you've anchored your boat the opportunities to explore by dinghy, canoe or kayak or nearly limitless - take a trip up the Moon River, visit the Musquash Falls, or get out your fishing rod to see if you can land one of the huge variety of fish you'll find below the surface.

If you haven't found enough adventure in the open bay or the inside channel head for Port Severn where you'll find Lock 45 is still operated by hand. Port Severn is your gateway to the 386-kilometer Trent Severn Waterway, which includes the impressive Big Chute Marine Railway that transports your boat on a specially designed carriage up over the rocky terrain across a road and into the basin above.