It’s Spring in Muskoka!

Mother Nature was sure in a hurry to be done with winter this year. Spring arrived with a week of summer-like temperatures that melted the snow so fast it seemed to vaporize. We’ve since returned to more seasonable temperatures but there’s hardly a patch of snow to be found anywhere and the ice is gone from most of the lakes already.

In this in-between season, after the winter sports are done and before the lakes are warm enough for watersports, you might wonder what there is to do in Muskoka in the Spring. (Hint: there's lots!) Check out some of the activities below for some ideas to get you started.

Golf – With the early arrival of spring, some area golf courses are already open. You can find a list of local courses here. Contact them for their Spring hours of operation.

Cycling - Get out your bike and take advantage of cooler temperatures and lighter traffic! Check out the Bike Muskoka website for routes and maps

Hiking – Spring is a fabulous time to go hiking! Less foliage means more wildlife viewing opportunities. Click here for our list of suggested trails.

Art – The Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!

Downtown Huntsville – After you’ve explored all of the murals in the Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery, why not check out some of historic downtown Huntsville’s shops and cafes?

Local History – Head just south of downtown and learn about Muskoka history at The Muskoka Museum at Muskoka Heritage Place. It’s open Monday to Friday from 10-4 (The Pioneer Village and train open for the season on May 19).

The Easter long weekend is just around the corner. It’s the perfect opportunity to explore Muskoka in the Spring. If you decide to visit, make sure you take advantage of this special offer from Explorers’ Edge:

Explorers’ Edge Fuel & Fun package - Book a 2-night minimum consecutive stay before March 31, 2012 for a getaway in Explorers’ Edge between April 3, 2012 and May 17, 2012 at participating Accommodation Providers and YOU COULD BE 1 OF 500 TRAVELERS TO RECEIVE A $50 GAS CARD AND $50 IN TRAVEL VOUCHERS!

We are one of the participating accommodations! You can see the availability of our waterfront cottages here.

We hope you’ll visit us this Spring!

The Howell Family

Muskoka Maples

It’s almost Spring and you know what that means…warmer weather, longer days and maple syrup! Humans have been harvesting the sweet nectar from maple trees for centuries. (One of the first recorded notes was in 1606.) You’re probably familiar with its delicious, rich taste and how it gets from tree to bottle, but here are a few facts about maple trees and syrup that you may not know:

• There are 13 different maple species in North America that can be tapped for syrup. Two of them can be found in Muskoka: Sugar Maples and Red Maples.
• The Sugar Maple is the most common species tapped because it has the sweetest sap. It takes 40 litres of sap to produce one litre of syrup. Other maple species require more sap (5­0-70 litres) to produce one litre of syrup.
• Sugar Maples can live more than 200 years. They don’t reach tappable size until they are about 40 years old. Depending on its size and weather conditions, a Sugar Maple will provide 35-50 litres of sap during the sugaring season.
• The leaf of the sugar maple appears on the Canadian flag.
• Most maple syrup hobbyists use traditional metal buckets for sap collection. Large commercial operations use a plastic pipeline system that was patented in 1959. In 1997, permanent tubing was introduced allowing producers to leave their collection systems in place year-round.
• Canada produces 83% of world’s supply of maple syrup. The top three producers are Quebec (the #1 producer in the world), Ontario and New Brunswick.
• Maple syrup is good for you (at least as far as sugars go). It has no fat, no preservatives, fewer calories than honey, and, because it’s not refined like white sugar, contains a variety of vitamins and minerals.

You can find maple syrup throughout the summer at local farmers’ markets, but if you want to see how the syrup is produced you’ll need to visit in the spring. Muskoka unfortunately does not have a maple syrup festival but there are several within driving distance. The closest is the Powassan Maple Syrup Festival, held this year on April 28. (Powassan is 50 minutes north of Huntsville on Highway 11.)

It’s March break right now and the forecast for the rest of the week is gorgeous! If you’re looking for a quick get-away, why not come and visit us? And remember, Easter is just around the corner. By then, our waterfront cottages may just have a water view again (but a bit too cold for swimming still!). We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Howell Family