Whether you are looking for a family-friendly experience, outdoor adventure, an exploratory road trip, or peaceful relaxation, there’s a version of The Kawarthas that fits your style.
To help you find it, Peterborough County Tourism has designed four traveller personas — The Otter, The Bear, The Fox, and The Bee — that highlight different ways to experience The Kawarthas based on what you enjoy, what inspires you, and how you like to spend your time while you’re visiting this region. To discover your traveller persona, complete the quiz at thekawarthas.ca/quiz/.
This story is for Otters — families travelling with a purpose in mind, whether to explore nature, discover a hidden gem or a unique experience, learn about local history or culture, or just have meaningful fun. Otters enjoy spending quality time together and want to return home with memories that will last a lifetime.
Here are some not-to-be-missed destinations to travel like an Otter in The Kawarthas.
EXPLORE
Lovesick Kayaking
Discover why The Kawarthas is the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) word for Land of Shining Waters by exploring the region’s waterways.
At Lovesick Kayaking, located in the Township of North Kawartha, guide and owner Alex Grant will take your family on an immersive kayak tour full of breathtaking views of Lovesick Lake, Stoney Lake, and Burleigh Falls.
The tour will give you an up-close view of the flora and fauna that make up the unique landscape where the granite of the Canadian Shield meets the limestone of the St. Lawrence Lowlands.
To learn more or to book a tour, visit www.lovesickkayaking.ca.
The Pearly Acre
Did you know that pot-bellied pigs are highly intelligent and sociable animals?
Your family can find out more fascinating facts at The Pearly Acre, a not-for-profit sanctuary in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen for rescued and abandoned pot-bellied pigs. Book an immersive tour that will give you opportunity to go into the pig pen and interact with the animals, including a llama and three alpacas, while learning all about them and their life at the sanctuary.
You can even sponsor a pig or order a custom painted pet portrait done by owner Sarah Heydon, with all proceeds going right back to the sanctuary.
To learn more, visit thepearlyacre.com.
Red Mill Maple Syrup
Learn about Quebecois culture right here in The Kawarthas with a visit to Red Mill Maple Syrup in the Township of Cavan Monaghan.
Owners Sebastien Poulin and Julie Vallieres, who were both raised in a region of Quebec well-known for maple syrup, bring decades of experience to the sugar shack named for Millbrook’s famous Needler’s Mill.
Kids will discover the magic of maple syrup production from tree to table by getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the sugar shack. When you visit during maple syrup season, they can even take part in a tree-tapping experience. No matter the time of year you visit, don’t forget to sample the unique syrups at the tasting bar!
To learn more, visit www.redmillmaplesyrup.ca.
Escape Maze
Adventure for the whole family awaits at Escape Maze in the Township of Otonabee South Monaghan, which offers mind-bending immersive escape rooms, fun trail games, disc golf, and laser tag all on one property.
Work together to solve the puzzles to get you out of a themed escape room, race through the fields and woods to complete challenges before time runs out, find out how good you are at throwing flying discs into baskets, or suit up for a high-energy game of laser tag (don’t worry, it’s actually infrared light).
Pair an escape room with another activity for a full day of fun family adventure! To make it even more of an experience, spend the night on the 129-acre family farm beside the Otonabee River by booking a cabin or old-timey caravan, or by pitching your own tent.
For more information and to book an adventure, visit escapemaze.ca.
Canada’s Dinosaur Park
Education, fun, and adventure all come together at the country’s only dinosaur park and reptile sanctuary. Canada’s Dinosaur Park in the Township of Asphodel-Norwood was established in 1999 as a not-for-profit registered reptile sanctuary and is now home to 200 rescued alligators, crocodiles, caimans, snakes, turtles, and lizards from around the world. See them up close and take the croc-walk if you dare!
Prepare to be awed by more than 100 life-sized replicated animatronic dinosaurs, including two based on the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils discovered to date. You can also experience the thrill of discovery by digging for real dinosaur bones in the park’s boneyard, check out the new feathers and fossils museum, or tee up for a round of 18-hole championship mini-golf at a unique course that flows through megalithic standing stones like those at Stonehenge.
At the end of the adventure, your entire family will feel good knowing that all proceeds from admission fees are used to maintain the rescued reptiles.
Plan your visit at reptileanddinosaurpark.org.
EAT
Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market
Your family can take home a taste of The Kawarthas by visiting the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market, the only afternoon farmers’ market in the region.
From 1 to 6 p.m. every Friday until Thanksgiving, the market is held on the south side of Highway 7 in the village of Havelock.
From meats, maple syrup, produce, and preserves to jewellery and fibre arts, you’ll find something to remind you of your travels.
To learn more or browse participating vendors, visit www.havelockmarket.ca.
Central Smith Creamery
When the kids are screaming for ice cream, make a stop at Central Smith Creamery in Selwyn Township.
A favourite destination for local residents, Central Smith was founded in 1896 as a farmers’ co-op that produced cheese and butter from milk provided by local farmers. Today, the family-owned business produces premium ice cream in more than 60 unique flavours.
Step up to the dairy bar to get ice cream cones, ice cream and yogurt bars, sundaes, milkshakes, and frozen yogurt, or grab a full container to take home — if it makes it that far!
For more information, including a list of all the ice cream flavours, visit www.centralsmith.ca.
Wildflower Bakery
For more treats for the road or to take home, pick up some artisan baking at Wildflower Bakery in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen.
Husband-and-wife team Scott Williams and Lea Tran make European-style pastries made with locally sourced ingredients and specialty sourdough bread using certified organic ingredients.
You can find everything from cinnamon buns and danishes to butter tarts, cupcakes, croissants, and more. This Havelock bakery also serves up specialty coffees and has a small art gallery displaying work from local artists.
To learn more, visit www.wildflowerbakery.ca.
Doo Doo’s Bakery
Originally baked by Canada’s settlers, butter tarts are a popular treat widely considered to be our national pastry. They are a dessert of cultural pride in many communities across Ontario and The Kawarthas is no exception.
Doo Doo’s Bakery in the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan is renowned in the region for its butter tarts, which the bakery has been producing for more than 25 years, winning award after award after award-including at the Royal Canadian Winter Fair and at both the Kawartha Northumberland Butter Tart Tour and Ontario’s Best Butter Tart Festival.
There’s a butter tart at Doo Doo’s Bakery for every member of your family, whether they prefer them plain or with raisins (a national debate), with pecans or walnuts, or in more adventurous flavours including chocolate peanut butter, cheesecake, maple bacon, pumpkin, currant, maple whisky, and more. There’s even a gluten-free version of the classic plain butter tart.
To learn more and to order for pickup or shipping, visit doodoos.ca.
STAY
Beachwood Resort
Celebrating its 100th anniversary this summer, Beachwood Resort in Selwyn Township has long been a destination of choice for families.
Sitting on 1,100 feet of shoreline on Lower Buckhorn Lake and surrounded by 330 acres of forest and walking trails, Beachwood Resort can accommodate even the largest family gathering with its two to four bedroom lakeside cottages.
There are lots of opportunities for guests to enjoy water activities, playground games, poolside lounging, pickleball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, and many more family-friendly activities. The resort’s onsite restaurant serves a breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner, including a selection of entrees for children.
For more information and to book a stay, visit www.beachwoodresort.com.
Shambhala Bed & Breakfast
Immerse the whole family in nature at Shambhala Bed and Breakfast, offering child and pet-friendly accommodation on the edge of Buckhorn in the Municipality of Trent Lakes.
The name derives from Sanskrit text meaning “a place of tranquility” and that’s exactly what you’ll find when stepping into this log cabin that rests on over 40 acres of natural beauty.
With a two-bedroom family suite that includes a full kitchen, accessible trails, and a pond onsite, Shambhala Bed & Breakfast attracts families from around the world seeking a unique experience.
To learn more and to book a room, visit www.shambhalabedandbreakfast.com.
Connect with Mobile Visitor Services during your travels in The Kawarthas
When you’re travelling in The Kawarthas, keep your eye out for Peterborough County’s Mobile Visitor Services. Their team will be popping up at events and attractions throughout the eight townships in Peterborough County.
Share your traveller persona by email with tourism@ptbocounty.ca or through Facebook or Instagram @TheKawarthas and you can connect with the Mobile Visitor Services team when you’re on the road and pick up a free water bottle and UV-coated and water-resistant stickers branded with your traveller persona.
Not only will your family get unique keepsakes, but you will also have the opportunity to learn from knowledgeable local ambassadors, receive personalized recommendations, and get insider tips for making the most of your experience in The Kawarthas.
To see where the Mobile Visitor Services team is popping up this summer, check the listings at thekawarthas.ca/findus/.
This story is one of a four-part series created in partnership with the Peterborough County Tourism and Communications Division.
Drawing on national research from the Canadian Tourism Data Collective’s Traveller Segmentation Program, Peterborough County Tourism has identified four visitor profiles that represent the typical travellers who come to The Kawarthas.
Known as traveller personas, each draws its name from wildlife that inhabit the natural landscape of The Kawarthas: The Otter, The Bear, The Fox, and The Bee. Which one are you? Find out by completing the quiz at thekawarthas.ca/quiz/.
The Otter – All Trails Lead Home
The Otter is a purposeful traveller, looking to find meaning in every place they pass by and every face they see on the journey. For the Otter, it is important to move as a unit, because experiences mean more when they’re shared, and memories are more vividly recalled when filled with ones to love.
The Bear – Rest While You Roam
The Bear is a wise, lumbering traveller, understanding that to really know a place, one needs to stop and breathe it in. Appreciating every berry and butterfly around them, they carve out joy from the simplicity of calm days, good food, and beautiful views. In a world of speed, a Bear sees the world for what it is — imperfect, but entirely incomparable.
The Fox – Brave the Unknown
The Fox is an adaptive traveller, ambitious in each new adventure. Their determined spirit means every problem has twice as many solutions. If there can be found a hill to climb, The Fox will climb it. If there exists a gorge to cross, The Fox will be there to leap it. For every great story, you can be sure. A Fox will be behind it.
The Bee – Sweet as Honeycomb
Like moving from flower to flower, Bees make certain to learn from every place and pollinate the next with stories they have collected. For a Bee, it is vital to share the most vast and wonderful parts of the world with every new person they may meet.
