Where Nature Meets Small-Town Charm

Boating on the Trent-Severn Waterway

The Trent-Severn Waterway The Trent-Severn Waterway is getting international attention this year, as people around the world discover what we already knew—this is the perfect place to experience a Canadian summer filled with nostalgic feelings of childhood. A place where nature meets small-town charm, and adventure flows through! The New York Times named the Trent-Severn Waterway one … Read more

Fun for Everyone: Accessible Tourism in Kawarthas Northumberland

Aerial view of busy, sandy beach in summertime, with blue accessibility mat visible in centre

For people without a disability, accessibility can be all too easy to overlook. Those with barriers to mobility, sensory deficits, or cognitive issues, however, often need to ask questions others take for granted—will I be able to experience a destination as intended? Will supports be available if needed? For that matter, can I even get … Read more

A Trip Around the Lake with Lovesick Kayaking

Aerial view of kayakers paddling around a rocky island

After just a short time on the water it’s clear Stony Lake lives up to the name. Pines lean dramatically from rocky islands as we glide past in our kayaks, en route to a high bluff overlooking scenic Burleigh Falls. Alex Grant, owner and lead guide of Lovesick Kayaking, shepherds us into a sheltered bay … Read more

Meet the Time Travelling Alpacas: Wanderlight Launches Alpaca Quest

A pair of alpacas look at the camera

How to describe Wanderlight Alpaca Experience’s newest offering, Alpaca Quest? The popular Lakefield-area business offers some excellent agritourism experiences, like the Private Alpaca Walk that provides guests a chance to commune with a loveable group of alpacas. Alpaca Quest, though, is the first of its kind—best think of it as a time-travelling outdoor escape room, … Read more

6 Ways to Celebrate Halloween in Kawarthas Northumberland

A man stands with his hand on a gigantic carved jack o' lantern

A chill is in the air, the leaves have turned, and gravestones are sprouting like mushrooms on front lawns everywhere — Halloween must be drawing closer. Whether you’re looking for ways to entertain the kids on an October weekend or an adult who never lost the taste for a good scare, here’s a sampling of spooky seasonal events from around Kawarthas Northumberland.

The Lang Jacquard Loom: Grandmother of Modern Computing

Closeup of Jacquard loom

Invention After 1805 many intricately patterned textiles, like rugs and coverlets, were woven on a Jacquard loom. Prior to 1805, the weaving of intricate pictorial patterns was an extremely complicated process, which required both a weaver and a draw boy (who operated the cords that lifted the pattern warp threads). In his childhood, Joseph-Marie Jacquard … Read more

The Quest for the Perfect Butter Tart: A Visit to Fenelon Falls

A butter tart on a wall beside Fenelon Falls

I’ve just arrived in Fenelon Falls and I’m charmed already. The Trent-Severn Waterway passes right through the centre of town, where the eponymous falls power a hydro dam. Lock 34 sits on the other side of a concrete quay, and walking out to the tip of it I can see the falls on my left and a topiary hedge that spells “Fenelon Falls” on the other.

Experience Maple Syrup in Kawarthas Northumberland

Maple syrup candy on a tray of clean snow

To many Canadians, sap buckets and tubing slung between trees are as much a sign of spring as melting snow and birdsong. In my household last year’s supply of maple syrup has usually run dry by the time March rolls around, and we start looking forward to the next harvest. This year my wife & son & I refilled our stores at the Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival, and took in the weekend’s attractions while we were at it.