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Orillia is the nearest city to where i stay when I’m over in Canada, so its good to be able to finally give it a special mention on the site! If you’re looking for a city to base yourself for your holiday – that is both good to get to places of urban and rural varieties – this is probably your best stop.

Orillia always seems to have a cosy feel to it – almost everywhere you are when you are in Orillia has the feel of a small town – yet the amenities of a large one. The city has everything – a small mall called Orillia Square, the usual large supermarkets such as Wal Mart – but i think the more interesting things you’d be interested in – would be places like the Mariposa Market and the Marina and Couchiching Park.. On a sunny day – as you can see from the picture above – the place lights up like picture postcards, and a cool breeze off the lake will make you want to relax on the grassed areas – plenty of space to get a tan there!
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If you love trains, and love chicken the Wild Wing Restaurant near Brechin is the place for you! This was the first meal out on our first day in Canada this year – and we’d planned it for months – they do wings that good!
This small restaurant is located at a railroad crossing on Highway 12, east of lake Simcoe and being sat on a railroad crossing – it is themed in all things railroad! The actual restaurant has two railway cars behind it – converted into rooms to eat!

Wild Wing Restaurant

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Located 45km (30miles) North of Toronto, easilly travelled to North on Highway 404 or 400 is the town of Newmarket. You’ll always know you’re there when heading up the 404 as you’re welcomed into the town by a giant water tower. This town of 74,000 people is warm and welcoming and it has everything you’d ever wish offered in the way of amenaties.

Entering Newmarket

For the foodies out there, there is literally every type of eatary you would ever wish to have – most on the main highstreet, available as drive through resteraunts, but there is one other place which offers a huge range of exotic foods. This is Upper Canada Mall. This mall easilly rivals a number of the malls in Toronto for size and services, providing a comfortable and ambient atmosphere for you to browse the stores inside. You will never need to worry about parking neither – the many many times i have been, we have never had problems in finding a space ~ one thing you will notice about Canada, at the majority of attractions, parking space is not something to worry about.

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Orillia will have its own featured post shortly, however this place really does deserve a special mention of its own. If you drive into Orillia from the south and follow the road round to the right – - if you take the next right you will end up at the Marina, and just a short walk down the decked path beside Lake Couchiching to Couchiching Park. This, especially on a perfect weather day like the day i was fortunate enough to visit on is a great place to relax and even sunbathe if you’re tired after a busy day shopping or exploring.

If you walk down the promenade down to the small pier you’ll get to see a beautiful grassed park with trees and other areas to relax, as well as a beautiful bronze statue which explains some of the history of the area. If you’re not up for much relaxing this quaint place is certainly a place to get plenty of snapshots, with amazing views from a number of different angles, of both Lake Couchiching and Orillia marina and its park.
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A little place you may want to stop off at if you’re passing by for a photo opportunity – especially when the trees turn the whole spectrum of reds in autumn/fall is the Lookout at Minden. I go here every year simply out of tradition as its a nice little quiet spot to enjoy a drink on a hot day.

Effectively it’s a little road going up the side of a hill leading to a vantage point which you can take photos from of the surrounding countryside. At the top is some toilets, though if you dont have to, dont use them as they are not the most pleasent you’ll ever encounter! You will also find some raccoon proof bins, in an attempt to stop the crafty critters from finding a midnight snack in them.
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Kirkfield Lift Lock is a giant masterpeice of engineering. Construction of the lock took place between 1900 and 1907 – and is the second highest lift lock in Canada, only being surpassed by the Peterborough lock which exists on the same canal. As a place to visit – it is a quiet and tranquil setting – an ideal place to visit on a sunny day with a picnic, have a look at the lock and then go for a small walk up and then back down the canal. On a sunny day as you can see from the pictures, it can also create some great photo opportunities and if you are lucky you may get to see the giant structure in action as it either lifts up or lowers a boat from the upper canal to the lower area.

There are boards around the site giving information about the lock its self as well as more on the history of the lock its self, and remember to take some loose change with you as the carpark has a small charge of a couple of dollars.
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One thing you will have to experiance while out in Canada, is something everyone in the UK has to have heard of or seen in various movies – the Drive-In Cinema. If you’re in Canada in drive-in season (typically May to October) Make sure you look out for your nearest Drive-In. Sadly they arent as common as they once were, but some passionate owners keep them going for your enjoyment. One such place is the Cinedrive at Pefferlaw. They charge VERY reasonable prices and your admission usually includes two films played back to back, with a short break in between.

The Cinema comes complete with a snack-bar, toilets and even a kids play area so while you wait for the sun to set you can let your kids go to the play area, which is thoughtfully placed just below the screen so you can sit in your vehicle and watch the kids without having to strain your neck or turn your car around!
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One quiet little gem of a place you may want to call off at for half an hour or so is a little park which serves as a small grassed beach to Lake Simcoe near Beaverton. It offers some fantastic photo opportunities if you can get there at the right time, and if you’re interested in seeing some of the famous North American ‘mile long’ trains then here is one of the best spots you could park to see some.

One of the best things you could do to make the most of this is – if you’re hungry, call off at the nearby Tim Hortons, McDonalds or Subway and pick yourself up some dinner, then just another two junctions up Highway 12 turn left and near the end you’ll get to a railroad crossing, carefully cross and immediately take the left entrance into the gravel carpark. If you can hit this place at just the right time you’ll get some stunning sunset photos – though it is equally beautiful on a bright warm sunny day. Check out my directions below to get from the local food places to the beach

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If you’re partial to soaking up the sights and sounds of a truely spectacular casino, and in the Lake Simcoe region – convieniantly for you there does so happen to be one! Casino Rama – Ontario’s only First Nations commercial casino, is open 24 hours seven days a week. Not only do they provide all the gaming provisions you’d ever need – they also have hotel rooms and suites, resteraunts, bars, and ample parking.
For those who do wish to play or even simply visit – it’s worth signing yourself up for the Player’s Passport scheme that the casino runs, which allows you a certain amount of money back for every set amount you spend, and that is whether you win or even by chance loose.
The Casino is Host to many celebrety appearances – in the past people such as Diana Ross, Chicago, David Copperfield, Vince Gill, Wayne Newton, Bill Cosby, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Robin Williams, Stevie Nicks and Michael Bolton have all held shows at this venue.

For more information visit their Website: https://www.casinorama.com/

or take a look at the mini map below to find out how to get there

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If you’re in the Lake Simcoe area in the summer time, one place you really must visit is the Muskoka Wildlife Centre. The centre fashions its self on being not a zoo, but an ‘interactive learning centre’.  I’ve been there twice, and will be looking forward to visiting once more in august of this year.

It’s situated 20 minutes north of Orillia, Ontario or 10 minutes south of Gravenhurst, Ontario on HWY 11 North – so if you’re travelling north you’ll see it on your right, and if you’re travelling south it’ll be on your left. You’ll spot it by their large sign by the side of the road.

Muskoka Wildlife Centre's sign on highway 11.

The Centre offers a glimpse at the wonderful world of Ontario wildlife in and around the Muskoka region- you’ll get to see all the native species such as the Raccoon, Wolves, Skunks, Moose, Bald Eagles, North American Badgers, Porcupines, a Brown Bear, Lynx, Bobcat, Cougar and a whole lot more – a definite must if you want your kids are interested in wildlife, or even for you!

The park is not just set in a typical open area with fences and paths. It’s set in a beautiful setting, in a small wooded area with meandering paths which go up and down small hills – making your trip more exciting and more of an adventure as you walk about the park on carefully signposted tracks hunting for your next enclosure.

But there’s more than simply animals just to look at – as i mentioned earlier, the centre classes its self as being interactive, and that is certainly the case – if you are not told by the kind people when you pay your admission ~ ask them when the next handling is. You will get to meet a variety of different animals from skunks, raccoons, ground hogs and some snakes  – though the animals you meet will depend on which animals are available for handling when you visit. This allows yourself and your kids to get a hands on experience – finding out – how do some types of animals actually feel like – is the fur on a skunk super fluffy – or is it more coarse? I’ll leave it up to you to find out!

Please read on to see a gallery of photos and to read more about this must see location:

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