Summer weekends (or glorious weekdays, if you can swing it) were made for road trips. They were made for carefree adventure, for packed itineraries that can be ignored at will, for new sights, new sounds, and — naturally — new flavours. If you’ve always assumed that spring’s thaw left little to discover in South Georgian Bay — an area favoured by winter sports enthusiasts — start your engines. With sandy beaches, lush trails, serene waterways, and a slew of sublime new spots offering the type of lodging and food that turns a mini-break into a true vacation, South Georgian Bay is a tempting destination, no matter the season.
Where to stay
Where to eat
Where to drink
Where to caffeinate
What to do
Scenic Caves Nature Adventures
Where to shop
Goldsmith’s Farm Market & Bakery
Friday
3 p.m.
Roll into Collingwood around 3 p.m., pull straight into the driveway running alongside The Dorchester Hotel, and begin your VIP experience. Equipped with all of the bells and whistles that a boutique personality implies, The Dorchester is the town’s newest, and most deluxe, hotel. Spacious rooms are home to the kind of lofty beds and luxe bathrooms that lead to five-star ratings, with modern amenities to ensure convenience at every turn. Drive a little further, to Thornbury, and you’ll find Penny’s Motel. A fancified roadside stop, Penny’s marries the romance of travel with bougee Gen Z aesthetics. Painted in soothing pastels, it features toiletries by Malin + Goetz, smart TVs in every room, an on-site wine bar, and the type of large-scale botanical wallpaper that makes stylish guests feel at home.
5 p.m.
With the journey topping out around 3 hours, you’ll be able to ease into vacation mode immediately without first having to minister to travel-induced fatigue. Toast to adventure with an aperitif at Gibson & Company, a café and bottle shop provocatively hidden down a narrow, twinkle-light lit alley. It’s a place that deftly straddles the line between coffeehouse and speakeasy, meaning you’ll find yourself there no matter what the hour demands. Start off with a bowl of marinated olives, thick-cut sourdough with vibrant, grass-fed butter, and a beverage from the ample offerings. Just east of Hurontario Street, Black Bellows Brewing Company offers live music, food and craft beer in its sizeable dining room and sun-strewn patio. Shareable appetizers and beer flights make easy work of sampling several of the team’s offerings, which range from the roasty, toffee-forward dry Irish stout named Ball Peen to the Crop Top, an all-Ontario saison with playful notes of bubble gum and citrus rind. At Side Launch Brewing Company, a dog-friendly taproom and beer garden, live music, and slew of taps pouring the company’s core brews guarantee a hit happy hour. Grab summer by the pint with a tropical Pineapple Sour IPA.
6:30 p.m.
It’s worth cutting cocktail hour short to sit among the happy few lucky enough to snag reservations at The Pine. Recently included in the list of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, The Pine offers tasting menus inspired by travel and Ontario’s seemingly endless supply of top-tier ingredients. Formal in its food yet comfortable in its approach, The Pine doesn’t just serve dinner; it provides guests with the type of incomparable experience that weaves its way into the fabric of core memories. Enjoy every second of the three-hour feast because it’s one you’ll mourn the second it’s over. If you insist on dining later, Collingwood’s diverse food scene allows visitors to choose the adventure that best suits their mood. For street corn, guacamole, tostadas and supple tortillas piled high with marvelous mishmashes of crunchy, citrusy, drippy ingredients head to Bent Taco. Effortlessly cool and casual, Bent’s menu (and margaritas) are magnets to the local clientele, so book early or risk missing out. At recently-opened Bello Pizza, pizza making is an art form, with seasonal produce, cold-fermented dough, and raw talent to thank for exceptional pies. Opt for any — Peppie, Portabella, Tropical Tony, Spicy Goat, etc. — add a Funfetti Deep and Delish for dessert, and you’ll be singing That’s Amore all the way home. BBQ fiends won’t want to miss The Smoke, where the sight of high-rise pulled pork sandwiches, glistening hickory-smoked pork back ribs, 18-hour-smoked brisket and other sticky, saucy carnivore lures more than make up for the simple dining room.
9 p.m.
There’s always room (and time) for a nightcap when on vacation making a visit to Low Down a natural next step. Get on the waitlist early and you’ll breeze right in when you arrive. Specializing in Asian-inspired snacks, Low Down is also the spot for playful cocktails, ranging from classic to contemporary, with sassy zero-proof options that lack nothing apart from hooch. Unsure of the vibe? Just consider June’s cocktail of the month — a pretty pink punch of Bacardi Coconut Rum, rhubarb liqueur, strawberry, lime, coconut milk and spirulina topped with brilliant dragon fruit dust. As approachable and nonchalant as its name sake (if a tad more dramatic), the Bob Ross Colada tells you everything you need to know.
Saturday
9 a.m.
Stroll along Hurontario Street and you’ll discover enough caffeine and breakfast staples to see you through the day’s adventures. Find fresh-made French pastries, cookies, cupcakes, and sandwiches at Espresso Post and its sister, Petit Espresso Post, on Simcoe Street. Revisit Gibson & Co., by the light of day and enjoy essential caffeinated (and non) drinks, from cortados and Americanos to matcha lattes, et al. A trio of avocado toasts offer the type of hearty start you’ll need for a day of fun. As energizing as that first sip of cold brew, downtown Thornbury’s Good Grief Coffee Roasters is a pastel-hued saviour for night owls. There’s something about greeting the day with house-made doughnuts, sweet and savoury croissants, bagels and vitalizing cups of hot or cold coffee that can help anyone feel like a morning person. Up the street, Bread & Butter Co., serves up a carefully curated selection of vintage goods, beverages, and snacks, ideal for eating on the patio or stowing away for assuaging hunger pangs later on.
10 a.m.
The South Georgian Bay area is peppered with ways to balance your dietary bounty with a little physical exertion and exploration. Though not for the frail, Blue Mountain’s Scenic Caves Nature Adventures offers plenty of vigorous activities that hale and hearty types will enjoy. Beyond self-guided tours into 17 unique caves and caverns, the site also boasts 15 kilometres of trails in old growth forest and the longest suspension bridge in Southern Ontario. Prefer to explore by boat? Free Spirit Tours allows guests to book scenic paddling trips on the Beaver or Nottawasaga rivers. With shuttle bus and equipment provided, each tour comfortably fits into any itinerary and offers a serene way to experience the area. Afterwards, relieve fatigued muscles with a trip to Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain. Reserve a massage or access to the thermal baths, and spend a few blissful hours committed to nothing more than your prescribed hot-cold-relax circuit. A routine devised to encourage myriad outcomes — from lowering blood pressure to releasing endorphins and stabilizing blood flow and heart rate — the thermal spa experience is the most direct route to zen-level rejuvenation.
1 p.m.
Equally exerted and soothed, you’ll be ready to refuel. Get behind the wheel, and take a scenic 20-minute drive to Heart’s Tavern, in Kimberley. Run by the same team behind Toronto’s Union and Côte de Boeuf restaurants, Heart’s operates within a similar aesthetic and approach to food. Local ingredients are plated here like still life paintings, with French culinary touches combined with a country sensibility to create every seasonal bite. Sit on the back patio or in one of the rustic rooms, and revel in every moreish plate as you jump from Mushrooms on Toast and frites dipped in pillowy blobs of flaxen-hued garlic aioli to a verdant tumble of Ontario asparagus hoisting a buttery, ripe wodge of local cheese. Alongside, sip on something crisp and cool, from craft beer to cider or wine. A few doors down, The Kimberley General Store is worth popping into for fresh-baked sourdough, pies, pastries and a wealth of pantry staples. On the way back to the hotel, continue the edible souvenir spree at Goldsmith’s Farm Market & Bakery. Beyond the impeccable produce and flowers, the market is stocked full of grocery items you’ll want to squirrel back home. A must-try? The bakery’s signature Thornberry Pie — a jammy combo of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and apples stewed together under a canopy of golden, buttery crumbs.
6 p.m.
Though relaxation is a required vacation state, don’t be tempted to spend all evening in the confines of your room. At Tremont Café, you’ll meet with an upscale Mediterranean menu where Steak Tartare and Seared Tuna co-exist alongside Falafel and expertly tossed and sauced plates of fresh pasta. From the chalk-board signs to the bistro seats and chic simplicity, Poppy’s Bistro is unapologetically French. Order a chilled bottle of rosé and Moules Frites to bolster waning energies, or go all in with classic Soup a L’Oignon and Steak Frites followed by Tarte au Citron and other typically Gallic sweets. Spanish for “cooked over coal,” Al Carbon’s menu is replete with flame-kissed exemplars of Peruvian cuisine. Ease in with bright, citrusy Ceviche Mixto, then cozy up to char-grilled Anticuchos de Pollo and Pulpo a la Parilla, or Quinoa Chaufa — a vegetarian take on the famed Chinese-Peruvian dish.
Sunday
10 a.m.
If you’re the type who views brunch as an excuse to dress up, nibble on elegant bites of food and sip on frilly drinks, skip this next part. If, on the other hand, you approach brunch as an excuse for wanton excess, then 1858 Caesar Bar just might make you giddy. Offering 48 takes on Canada’s unofficial brunch star, the Caesar, moderation isn’t a term the team here holds dear. Embrace the moment with a Surf N Turf Caesar that practically buckles under its crustacean-meets-meat garnish. Prefer to hold on to some sense of decorum? Go with the Feeling Dill, Pickled Bean’R or an 1858 flight, a set of four small drinks that provides a glimpse into the madcap menu while allowing you to save some room on your table for food. Plant-based restaurant Press Market, located on Mountain Road, offers lighter bites, grab-and-go goodies, assorted coffees, and a menu of smoothies you’ll need ample time to mull over. With names ranging from Maca My Day and Kale Me Maybe to Coffee Crisped and Hippie Hippie Shake, you can tell the team is having as much fun as you’re about to.
11 a.m.
Checking out of your hotel doesn’t mean that all good things are about to come to an end. Get a closeup look at Georgian Bay with a stroll to Harbourlands Park before heading to Collingwood’s main street, where an abundance of shops will inspire you to lose yourself to browsing. Found at The Maker’s Outpost (filled with intriguing, Canadian-made trinkets), Wild Baby, Blue Mountain Tea Company, The Body Bar, and more, Collingwood’s main drag is home to a cornucopia of goodies you’ll just have to have. Wander to Third Street and you’ll stumble upon the delightful Nicky’s Doughnuts & Ice Cream. Home to artisanal doughnuts and small-batch ice cream, Nicky’s is the sort of place where happy dances were born. Tuck into a Lemon Poppy Seed Cruller and a Blueberry Cheesecake Doughnut or go for a cool treat in Ube, Chocolate Ganache or Rum & Raisin. Owner Caesar Guinto (the Nicky behind the name) knows what he’s doing.
1 p.m.
It’s around the time when you should, probably, begin contemplating the idea of heading home, unpacking, doing the laundry and rejoining the real world. Instead, prolong the dreamy mood of a weekend away at The Roost Wine Company. Set in The Blue Mountains, slightly off the beaten path, Roost has an air of exclusivity and elegance about it, thanks to a beautiful setting, and a gorgeous variety of wines. Opt for a flight and sample four styles, alongside a Roost Plate brimming with local cheeses and fruit. Add a final stop at Still Fields Brewery before turning the car southeast, and discover a roster of brews made by a team known for its experimental, wild approach. With a trunk loaded with seasonal Still Fields treasures, like Spruce Tip Wild Ale and Raspberry Grisette, wines from Roost, pies, knickknacks, treats, and more, the return home won’t be quite so difficult to swallow.
