National Geographic once said that Grand Bend has one of the 10 most beautiful sunsets in the world. I watched from the deck at @BrentwoodBnB, a short drive north at St. Joseph Shores / Zurich. It was Spectacular!
Grand Bend - Being easy reach from the University of Western Ontario, Grand Bend has always attracted a young, fun crowd. The beach that stretches for many along this section of the Lake Huron shore is lovely. The river is lined with pleasure craft, and a lighthouse on the end of the pier is a popular spot for popping in a fishing line.
Umbrella’s pop up on the beach, families picnic, local residents bob offshore in power and sail boats - on a hot calm summer day the water can be as blue as the Caribbean. This is a ‘Great Lake’ though, and it can kick up rough when the weather turns.The main street, which leads from Hwy 21 right down to the beach is lined with bars, restaurants, family friendly shops and kiosks. T-shirts, flip-flops, suntan lotion, ice cream, mini-golf, arcade games, etc. You’ll also find several more upscale venues from women’s clothing to Foodies (gourmet food & gifts). There are cottages, motels, etc. in the region for rent.
Where: Grand Bend is a small port on Lake Huron, in Huron County which is part of a tourism region known as Shakespeare to the Shoreline. The community of St. Joseph Shores is just a short drive north. The play 'Narcisse, a new play about St. Joseph' is being presented until July 30, 2011, on the grounds of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, approx. 1.6 km north of St. Joseph, on Hwy 21. It tells the historic story of colourful local resident – Narcisse Cantin – who planned to create a mammoth canal connecting Lake Huron to Lake Erie from St. Joseph to Port Stanley. |
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Other communities with cool facts you could also visit in the region - the historic village of Bayfield (award-winning author Alice Munro 'one of the world's formost writers of fiction' lives nearby and sometimes can be spotted in The Village Bookshop.) Further north along Lake Huron is Goderich, home of world's largest salt mine & home to one of the world's top Celtic Festivals (and Celtic College). Goderich is about a 30 minute drive from the Blyth village, known for its popular summer theatre festival, which is a incubator of Canadian talent and content. And, for bus tours, there's Iceculture south in the village of Hensill. This small-town Ontario company sells ice to Iceland, build Ice lounges for Saudi Arabia and even created ice bars for Obama's inauguration parties. Curently Ice Culture welcomes groups for pre-arranged tours, and and in the future will be open to individuals.
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to [email protected]
Recent 'Canada's Coolest' topics:
