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

Life from a Muskoka Chair

The Muskoka chair is our iconic image of summer and it’s the perfect spot to kick back and relax. You wouldn’t think a wooden chair could be so comfortable. On the beach, on the dock, by the fire, or in the woods, they are an inviting place to take a break wherever you find them.

Here are a few suggestions for what you can do from a Muskoka chair:

• Listen to the loons early in the morning.
• Do some yoga (yes, really)
• Read a book. To keep with the theme you could check out these ones written about or in Muskoka, but really any book will do.
• Pretend to read a book while secretly napping.
• Not-so-secret napping (but remember, more than one kid out there has pranked a snoozing parent).
• Think about going for a swim.
• Decide to enjoy one of Muskoka’s famous beverages instead.
• Dry off in the sun after a swim.
• Dig your toes in the sand.
• Have another nap.
• Warm up in front of the fire pit.
• Eat corn roasted over the fire.
• Have your picture taken to remember your trip to Muskoka.

There’s a Muskoka chair waiting for you at Colonial Bay this July long weekend. (If you haven't booked your spot yet, you can see our availability here.) And if you get tired of that, you could head out to one of the Canada Day celebrations in Huntsville or the rest of Muskoka.

We hope to see you soon!

The Howell Family

Teeing it Up in Muskoka

Muskoka’s landscape – with its abundance of rocky outcroppings, trees and water - makes for some stunning (and sometimes challenging) golfing. Whether you’re looking to just hit a few buckets of practice balls at the driving range or want to play 18 on a world-class golf course, you’ll find just what you’re looking for within a short distance of Colonial Bay.

Right across the road from Colonial Bay is The Acres Driving Range. It’s a well-marked range with both natural grass or mats on the elevated tee deck. They have natural target greens and bunkers to aim at (or avoid!). Clubs are available to rent and lessons are available by appointment.

A short drive to the west down Highway 60 are the two courses at Deerhurst resort. The Highlands is a majestic, world-renowned course that offers challenging lies and gorgeous views. Deerhurst’s Lakeside course is a good choice for beginners and families or anyone who wants to play a quick game.

Further west along Highway 60 are ClubLink’s Grandview courses: the 18-hole Mark O’Meara and a 9-hole Academy course. The Mark O’Meara offers spectacular views of Fairy Lake from a course that winds through granite outcroppings and towering trees. The Academy course is ideal for a quick round or a game with kids.

The historic Huntsville Downs course opened in 1925 and was originally designed by the legendary Stanley Thompson. Huntsville Downs is playable by inexperienced golfers but still challenging for more experienced players. They offer the option to play 9 or 18 holes and, in truly family-friendly fashion, let’s kids under 12 play free when playing with an adult (starting July 9 – contact the course for full details).

Bigwin Island Golf Course (pictured above) provides a unique experience for golfers: the course is on an island in Lake of Bays and is accessible only by water or air. Public play is available in the spring and fall: Monday to Friday after 10 am or Saturday and Sunday after 1 pm in May, June, September and October. Check their website for information on tee times and access to the island.

There are more courses further afield in Port Sydney, Bracebridge, Port Carling, Windermere and Gravenhurst. You’ll find a comprehensive list at Explorers’ Edge. Why not head out for a round the next time you stay at Colonial Bay? And when you return to your waterfront cottage, a Muskoka chair on the beach will be waiting for you.

Happy golfing!

The Howell Family

Summer, welcome to Muskoka!

The unofficial start of summer is here! The May long weekend (celebrating the Victoria Day holiday but also affectionately known as May two-four) has almost arrived. We’ve been enjoying summer-like temperatures and although the water is still cool it’s not too early for a dip in the lake. If that thought gets your teeth chattering, here are some other activities to try out this weekend at Colonial Bay and in Muskoka:

Get out on the water – we have a fleet of canoes, kayaks and paddle boats for our guests and the waterskiing boat is ready to go. Or maybe you’d like to try surfing?

Take in some local history – The pioneer village and train at Muskoka Heritage Place open for the season on May 19.

Go for a hike – Muskoka has an abundance of trails and world-renowned Algonquin Park is just a short drive away from Colonial Bay

Go for a spin – For two-wheel enthusiasts - the pedal-powered kind! – you can find maps of some local cycling routes and trails here. (And don’t forget about the Spin the Lakes Tour the following weekend on May 27^th with 20k, 50k, 110k and 170k routes around beautiful Lake of Bays.) If driving is more your style, check out our previous post of local driving tours - beautiful any time of year!

Soak up some sun – sink into a Muskoka chair, dig your toes into the sand and enjoy the sunshine!

We still have a few waterfront cottages available for the long weekend. Check out our availability on our website. For our American friends, Memorial Day is May 28 – call us for a Canadian lakeside get-away!

Here’s to summer in Muskoka! We hope to see you soon.

The Howell Family