Savouring Muskoka

An early morning shot from the dock at Colonial Bay

Muskoka in the fall is a pleasurable assault on the senses. Brilliant red, orange and yellow trees make beautiful vistas even more so; fallen leaves crunch and swirl underfoot; crisp morning air is gradually warmed by the rising sun; the smell of a crackling fire offers the promise of warmth; and local chefs bring out the best of the season with mouth-watering, hearty dishes.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend at Colonial Bay (and hope all of our Canadian friends did too). We even had the first snowfall of the year, albeit a small one. Ski season isn’t far off!

In the meantime, it’s still a great time to visit Muskoka and enjoy what Fall has to offer. The colours have now passed their peak for this year but there are still a lot of leaves on the trees making for a beautiful Fall drive or a hike in the woods. If you like horses, it’s a lovely time of year to go for a trail ride. Algonquin Highlands Trail Riding is a short drive to the east of Colonial Bay.

This coming weekend (October 13-14) is the annual Bala Cranberry Festival, a celebration of all things cranberry. You can tour the marshes where the berries grow and sample a variety of cranberry products, including wines from Muskoka Lakes Brewery.

If that only whets your appetite for more of Muskoka’s culinary best, don’t forget to visit one of Muskoka’s award-winning craft breweries or delectable locally-owned restaurants.

And, as always, when you’re done exploring, your cozy waterfront cottage awaits at Colonial Bay. Check our availability for the rest of the Fall season and heading into winter here.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

The Howell Family

Fall in (love with) Muskoka

You love Muskoka, don’t you? We know that if you’ve visited us once before (or many times), then you must. We don’t think it’s possible to come here and not be touched by Muskoka's natural beauty, charming towns and fabulous people. 

If there were ever a best time to fall in love with Muskoka, Autumn is probably it: warm days (mostly…), cool nights, a show of colour that gets better with each passing day and lots to see and experience without the crowds of summer. 

If you're planning to visit this month, here’s a taste of what’s happening for the rest of September in Muskoka:

• The display of gorgeous fall color has started but isn’t at its peak yet (that means there’s still time for you to get here to see it). In Muskoka, most areas are reporting 5-20% change while Algonquin Park is reporting 40% change. If you’re on Facebook, watch our page for photos or check out Algonquin Park’s photo stream for theirs.
• Film North, the Huntsville International Film Festival, presents a selection of Canadian and international films at the Algonquin Theatre from September 20-22.
• The Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour runs the next two weekends, September 22-23 and 29-30. Visit with local artists in their studios and see them in action!
• Culture Days celebrates the arts and cultural life in communities across Canada on September 28-30. There are creative events and activities happening across Muskoka. Check out the calendar of events to see what’s on.
• Northwords Muskoka Literary Festival runs from September 28-30 with author presentations, workshops and special events. If you love books, this event is for you!
• For all you cyclists out there (of both the road and mountain variety), The Muskoka Bicycle Festival celebrates all things bikes on Saturday, September 29.

As always, we’re happy to see you any time of year but if you’ve never come for a visit in the Fall then check out the availability of our waterfront cottages and experience what some call Muskoka’s most spectacular season.

The Howell Family

Fabulous Fall in Muskoka

Fall 2011 at Colonial Bay

Huntsville Fall Fair
September 21-23, 2012 at the Huntsville Fairgrounds, Ravenscliffe Rd.
-Midway, Live Music, Horse and Livestock Shows, Exhibits, Contests and More!
Huntsville Fall Fair
September 21-23, 2012 at the Huntsville Fairgrounds, Ravenscliffe Rd.
-Midway, Live Music, Horse and Livestock Shows, Exhibits, Contests and More!

While it’s not yet officially Fall (September 22 gets that honour), the cooler nights, shorter days and changing leaf colours signal that the change in seasons is not far off. It’s a beautiful time to visit Muskoka – the busy-ness of summer has subsided but the weather is still warm enough for hiking, biking, boating and swimming.

It’s also a time to celebrate the Fall harvest at one of our region’s annual Fall Fairs. With everything from horse shows and tractor pulls to artists and local growers, a fall fair is an excellent way to glimpse the diversity of rural life in Muskoka. Here are the local fairs happening in September:

South River Fall Fair

September 7-9, 2012 at the South River Community Centre, 1A Lincoln Ave (West off Hwy 11 & Ottawa Ave)

-Variety Show, Mutt Show, Exhibits, Western & Light Horse Show, Heavy Horse Pull, Parade, Lumberjack Competitions, Horseshoe Pitching Contest, Poultry Show, Livestock Displays, Children’s Games

Stisted Fall Fair "A Little Country Fair, with a Big Country Heart"..

September 8, 2012 at the Stisted Fairgrounds, Etwell Rd.

-Exhibits, Horse Shows, Egg Toss, Swede Saw, Nail Driving, Shoe Kick, 3-Legged Race, Corn Roast and more 

Bracebridge Fall Fair

September 14-16, 2012 at the Bracebridge Fairgrounds, 331 Fraserburg Rd.

-Midway, Live Music, Tractor Pull, Horse and Livestock Shows, Exhibits, Chainsaw Carving and more!

Whether you choose to take in a Fall Fair or not, the Fall colors are worth a visit to Muskoka all on their own. Mother Nature follows her own calendar so be sure to check the Fall Colour Reports for Muskoka and Algonquin Park before you head out. And if you’ve ever wondered why the leaves change colour, check out this article by HuntsvilleAdventures.com.

We hope you’ll come to visit us this month, particularly if you’ve never experienced Fall in Muskoka. It’s an amazing sight! You can view the availability of our waterfront cottages here.

Happy Travelling,

The Howell Family

Making Art in Muskoka

From the Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery

The arts are alive and well in Muskoka and Fall is the ideal time to explore the diversity of artists in our region.

First, check out The Art Space by the Huntsville Art Society (across from River Mill Park in Huntsville, open Tues – Sun). From August 31 to September 30, The Art Space presents Canadian Spirit/Huntsville, “an interactive installation of music, painting,  and sculpture  as part of Huntsville’s celebration of  the 100th anniversary of Tom Thompson in conjunction with the Tom Thomson Gallery in Owen Sound”.

While you’re in town, don’t forget to search out the murals that make up the Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery (pictured in the image above). Celebrating the unique art of Tom Thomson and The Group of Seven, these large outdoor murals are scattered throughout Huntsville with satellite installations in Algonquin Park, Dorset, Dwight, and Baysville. Take a tour of the downtown Huntsville collection using this map.

If you drive to the other Group of Seven satellite installations, make sure you stop in at the Algonquin Art Centre to see their latest exhibit. “Our 2012 art exhibit celebrates the unique story of water in Algonquin, from its origins in the Park’s highlands to its oceanic destinations. The story is told through the perspective of Canada’s leading landscape and wildlife artists, whose works reveal the powerful and inspiring nature of water.” The Algonquin Art Centre is open until October 21.

One of the highlights of the Fall art season is the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, which gives visitors a peek into the studios of area artists. “Conceived by one individual three decades ago, the idea of giving people a glimpse into the studios where raw materials are transformed into superb art pieces still holds its appeal.” This year’s tour is September  22-23 and 29-30.

Fall is one of the most beautiful time to visit Muskoka and combining your stay with a visit to local artisans makes it doubly so. If you’ve never been to Muskoka in the Fall, maybe this should be the year. You can view the availability of our waterfront cottages here.

We hope to see you soon!
The Howell Family

Making Music in Muskoka

Muskoka is a hot-bed of creativity. The beautiful, rugged landscape provides inspiration for artists of all types: painters and illustrators, sculptors and fibre artists, vocalists and musicians. We’ve highlighted visual artists on our blog before, but we also have a wide range of local musical talent.

If you’re a lover of music, check out some of these local artists:

Laganza

Tina Turley

Linda McLean Band

Big East

Muskoka Music Men  

Victoria Banks (formerly of Muskoka and now a Nashville recording artist)

And if you’re in Muskoka in August, Concerts in the Park at Huntsville’s Town Dock runs to the end of the month every Wednesday evening at 7:00pm. Bring your lawn chair and a toonie for some tunes.

•        August 8 – Cameron Of Lochiel Pipes & Drums
•        August 15 – Big East
•     August 22 Northern Lights Steel Orchestra

We had a fantastic August long weekend at Colonial Bay. Our guests enjoyed watersports, fishing, and basking in the sun on the beach or at their waterfront cottages. It was a beautiful weekend, despite a bit of much-needed rain on Sunday. And the summer is only half over! There’s still time to join us for more Muskoka fun. You can see our availability here.

We hope to see you soon!
The Howell Family

Image via Flickr user fmerenda

A Howling Good Time

Are there wolves in Muskoka? Yes! But chances are you won’t see them. These beautiful but elusive creatures are hard to spot. If you aren’t lucky enough to see them, you may hear them howling at night. 

There are two types of wolves in Muskoka: the Eastern Wolf and its larger cousin the Grey Wolf, which is more typically found in Northern Ontario (they are sometimes collectively called Timber Wolves). The photo above is Akayla the Grey Wolf, a captive wolf at the Muskoka Wildlife Centre. Here are some interesting facts about wolves that you may not know: 

• A wolf’s sense of smell is 100 times more sensitive than a human’s and they can hear as far as 10 km away. These strong senses help make them effective hunters but also make them extremely hard to spot in the wild; they are very shy around humans.
• They primarily eat white-tailed deer but may also eat moose or beaver. Packs may travel long distances to find food; their range can be as large as 500 sq km but is more typically 150 sq km.
• Wolves have few predators: humans, bears and other wolves.
• Only the leaders of a pack, the alpha male and alpha female, mate to produce pups. Between 3-8 pups are born per year and are nursed by their mother for the first 6-8 weeks. Once they are weaned, other members of the pack help to feed the pups, first with food regurgitated from their stomachs and later with solid food.
• Scientists believe wolves howl for a variety of reasons: a single howl helps members of the pack keep in contact; a group howl may be used to defend territory or for social cohesion. You can listen to a pack howling here (recording courtesy of The Friends of Algonquin Park).

Every Thursday in August, Algonquin Park holds its extremely popular public Wolf Howls. If you’re planning to stay at Colonial Bay Cottages or visit Muskoka during August, you might want to consider adding a Wolf Howl to your agenda.

We still have some waterfront cottages available in August. Why not book a stay at Colonial Bay Cottages before summer's over? We're having one of the hottest, driest summers on record and the gorgeous weather looks like it's going to continue right through August. You can view our availability here.

From our Muskoka chair to yours,

The Howell Family

Triathlons in Muskoka

Not only is Muskoka a renowned vacation destination, it has recently become a popular site for triathlons. There are seven events still to come this year, culminating with the challenging Ironman 70.3 in September.

Part of Muskoka’s popularity for triathlons is the same reason other visitors converge here in the summer: pristine lakes, rolling hills and gorgeous scenery. Those features make for pleasing yet challenging race routes and provide ample training opportunities on many of Muskoka’s back roads and tucked-away lakes.

If you’re a triathlete, or have always wanted to try one, here are this year’s Muskoka triathlons:

• MultiSport Triathlon /Duathlon (includes a Give-it-a-Tri), Gravenhurst, July 14-15
• Muskoka Kids Tri (includes an adult try-a-tri), Port Sydney, Saturday July 21  
• Subaru Muskoka 5i50, Huntsville, Sunday July 22
• The Muskoka Grind, Sunday August 5, Limberlost Forest Reserve (just north of Colonial Bay!) - Off-Road Triathlon, Duathlon and Trail Run
• MultiSport Triathlon/Duathlon (includes a Give-it-a-Tri), Bracebridge, August 11-12
• MultiSport Triathlon, Bala, August 19
• Subaru Ironman 70.3, Huntsville, Sunday September 9

For more information about triathlons in Muskoka, go to the TriMuskoka website.

If you’re visiting Colonial Bay Cottages this summer (and why wouldn’t you be?!), why not check out a race and cheer the athletes on? If you haven’t booked yet, you can see our availability here.

We hope to see you soon!

The Howell Family