Sugar Ridge Retreat Centre

Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre in Midland - 16160 Hwy 12 East - (705) 526-7809

Nature at it’s best! The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre in Midland, Ontario invites you to leap into a natural experience you will always remember. This not-for-profit, environmental awareness facility is dedicated to operating year-round programs. Thier goal is to develop awareness, enjoyment and understanding of the environment and wildlife. The Wye Marsh is our next door neighbour on three sides. Our trails link to their public trails and since we have no fences between us the transition is smoothe from our land to the 3000 acres of provincial land that encompasses the marsh. The marsh attracts lots of bird species and Sugar Ridge is a great place to watch them fly overhead.

Martyr's Shrine - Hwy. 12E Midland - 705-526-3788

The shrine was built to honour the Jesuit missionaries who were martyred here centuries ago. This is the most visited tourist site in Ontario with annual pilgramages for thousands of visitors. A Catholic mass is open to attend during the summer months. The grounds of the shrine are beautiful and gardens overlook Georgian Bay. The pope visited here in the 1980's, giving people another reason to visit the historic site.

Huronia Museum & Huron-Ouendat Village - Midland - 705-526-2844

The local museum in Midland houses a variety of displays documenting the history of the local area including the Midland Boatworks, rail system and shipping of early days. Huronia is named for the Huron people who once were the main occupants of the area. The museum grounds have a Huron Village complete with long houses, teepees and various art and cultural exhibits to get a better sense of how the typical village would look and operate.

Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons - Hwy. 12E Midland - 705-526-7838

If you've seen the movie Black Robe, you can get a sense of what life was like in Ontario's first Euorpean settlement. This Jesuit settlement was created to bring Christianity to the native population. The buildings are staffed with costumed interpreters fully bilingual in french and english to answer your questions about how to bake lavender cookies in the wood fired oven or create metal works in the blacksmith shop. Everything done on site is as historically accurate as possible. the gift shop on site allows you to take home various treasures and has some excellent books. The museum contains a variety of artifacts found in the excavation fo the site. Our favourite time to go is at the beginning of December when there is a First Light celebration and the entire grounds are lit with thosands of candles and demonstrations of native dances, throat singers, and drummers fill the long houses while folk singers and fiddlers fill the other buildings and those lavender cookies are given away in the kitchen.

Discovery Harbour - 93 Jury Drive, Penetanguishene - 705-526-3788

Discovery Harbour was once an outpost of the British navy, created to battle during the war of 1812 (which never actually made it here). It became a historic site, with buildings intact and costumed interpreters explain show you how to make butter or candles. You can go for a sail on the historic replica ships H.M.S. Bee and H.M.S. Tecumseth.  The King’s Wharf Theatre is located here and is open during the summer months as part of the Drayton theatre circuit. 

Penetanguishene Centennial Museum - 13 Burke St., Penetanguishene

705-549-2150

The museum contains the history of one of Ontario's oldest communities, Penetanguishene. This is also the location of the Geneology and History Research Centre.

Murals of Midland - 208 King Street, Midland - 705-526-7884

Over 30 huge murals grace the walls of businesses in the downtown core. The mural painted across the ADM grain elevator building at Midland's harbourfront and is 80 feet by 270 feet in size. This project has been labeled the "Largest Outdoor Historical Mural in North America. The entire walk will take you about an hour and you won’t be disappointed.

Stephen Leacock Museum - 50 Museum Drive, Orillia - 705-329-1908

Stephen Leacock, Canada's beloved humourist spent his most creative time in what he coined as Lake Simcoe Country. In 1910 Stephen published the first of his humorous books, Literary Lapses and thus began a humour-writing career that gained him fame throughout the world. From 1910 until his death in 1944, Leacock produced an impressive string of best selling humour books which still sell remarkably well over sixty years after his death.