Overview

This region spans from Grand Bend to Toronto, up to Muskoka Lakes and over to the Bruce Peninsula. Two bites are removed from the bottom of the region. Metropolitan Toronto is a separate Ministry Region, and Festival Country which encompasses Stratford and Waterloo.

The region encloses most of the Niagara Escarpment and a gigantic swath of coastline along Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. The regions bathes in warm sandy beaches in the south and shivers under pounding cold surf on her rugged cliffs in the north. Girdled by 400-series highways around her waist, LakeLands provides a wonderful oasis from the ring of cities to the south.

Towns

Barrie

Named after Commodore Robert Barrie, this town was settled in the 1830's. Its location on Kempenfelt Bay makes it an important destination for watersports. The town of 40,000 has a diverse manufacturing base and its linked to Toronto with a 400 series highway.

Grand Bend

This coastal town is famous for its summer beach fun. It is part of

Newmarket

Formed, as its name suggests as a new market for the surrounding communities, this town preserves buildings as far back as 1810. The ruins of a canal system can be found within the town.

Orangeville

Named after Orange Lawrence who ran a mill at the towns location this well preserved town is nestled among the Caledon Hills. The Niagara Escarpment winds through the area providing rolling vistas, cliffs, and rushing rivers. The town features several restaurants, and several resorts nearby.

Owen Sound

This town of 20,000 nestled at the outlet of the Syndenham and Pottawatami rivers was established in 1840. It is a gateway town to the Bruce Peninsula and a significant tourist destination in its own right. The town was the birthplace of Billy Bishop, Canada's greatest WWI flying ace.

SouthHampton

A quiet and pretty town on the edge of the Bruce Peninsula, the warm and inviting waters provide a palette for spectacular sunsets

Tobermory

This small town thrust out into the midst of the lake is the northern terminus of the Bruce Peninsula as it dives below the cool waters of Lake Huron to re-emerge on Manitoulin Island. The treacherous waters around the tip of the Pensinsula have left it an underwater graveyard, and a treasure trove for scuba divers.

Waterloo

Centre for a major university, this town was first settled in 1800 by Mennonites. Their farms still grace the countryside, and their carriages the roadsides. It is part of

© M. Colautti 1998, 1999, 2000</>