We had the chance to try another of the thoughtfully crafted itineraries from @guesswheretrips. This time, we chose the Muskoka Meanderings to share with our adult daughter and her partner. Last year, we explored the Waterfall theme route with my 80+ parents. Read the blog post here to learn more.
Guess Where Trips
If you haven’t heard about Guess Where Trips, here’s a little blurb about them:
Guess Where Trips are thoughtfully planned, day-long road trip itineraries. You can purchase routes for a variety of destinations across Canada and the USA. The routes are carefully curated and assembled into attractive PDF or paper documents. They are suitable for all ages, and many include dog-friendly itineraries. Costs and details of each itinerary can be found on the website Guesswheretrips.com
Muskoka Meanderings
We chose this itinerary because we wanted to share the Muskoka area with our adult daughter and her partner. We enjoyed the variety of options we had at each stop on this planned one-day excursion. This blog post only highlights the things we explored. There are many other things to see and do suggested in the itinerary.
We enjoyed the suggested activities as a 50+couple, and it also kept our adult daughter entertained. It was a great way to visit and explore new parts of Ontario.
Barrie to Gravenhurst
Our first stop was Gravenhurst, and we enjoyed Oliver’s Coffee Shop for a quick breakfast. It was one of 3 recommended places to eat. Then, we took a short walk out to a point to take in Muskoka Bay from the original Gravenhurst pier.
It was a beautiful sunny day, so we were able to wander around the sights. Another place I had never been was of historical significance. We wandered around a park-like setting that was once the site of a TB sanatorium and a POW camp for World War 2 German officers. Then it became, ironically, a popular resort for Jewish cottagers.
Gravenhurst to Bala
We stopped partway to Bala to enjoy a 3km walk at Hardy Lake Provincial Park along a well-marked trail. It was beautiful! Our late August timing meant there were very few bugs to swat. The park is free but has limited parking.
Bala to Port Carling
We spent the most time in Bala, enjoying a delicious lunch at Jack and Stella on the lake, where we ate outside in the sunshine reflecting off the lake. We noticed we were adjacent to the KEE to Bala event centre. After lunch, we made a brief stop at the famous musical concert venue. It is an intimate and historical place for live music. In the 1940s, big bands played here, and its summer lineup brings back favourite performers to this day.
Many of the concertgoers arrive by boat from their cottages and tie up along the dock at the back of the building. While we were admiring the bounce of the wooden floor, we also had a chance to meet Sam Roberts, who was preparing for his 22nd annual KEE performance. We did not stay for the evening’s concert, but we were happy to have experienced some of the magic of the KEE. If you grew up in Ontario, you have likely heard about the KEE to Bala. I have fond memories of seeing a couple of bands there.
After our brush with celebrity, we decided to explore the other main attraction of Bala. That is, of course, cranberries! We took the short drive out to the Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh and Muskoka Lakes Winery. We walked around the self-guided farm tour and tried a flight of cranberry wines/ciders. I learned many details about the care and harvesting of cranberries. The cranberries were begining to bear fruit. The annual Bala Cranberry Festival is held each October.
Bracebridge to Barrie
We drove to Bracebridge via Port Carling, which was bustling with holiday visitors and traffic. We deviated slightly from the itinerary to visit the Muskoka Brewery as we were curious about their local brews. By far the winning beverage sampled was the Summer Swell! If you like raspberries, you have to give it a try!
After our refreshments, we returned to our car to make the final leg of our journey back to Barrie, which takes about an hour to drive.
Would we use Guess Where Trips Again?
I enjoyed both of our day trips curated by Guess Where Trips, and here’s why:
- All of the details in the package were accurate
- The food recommendations we tried were great!
- I love the flexibility of the trips; when and how long is up to the individual
- It’s a great way to visit with family and friends
- I love how much I learn about my local area
- It supports local!
- We could reuse this itinerary in a different season and try different suggestions to create a new day trip
If you are looking for a way to gift an experience, I recommend Guess Where Trips!
