I am so overjoyed to say that SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! Have you started thinking abuot all the amazing ways to enjoy the weather? I’ve already booked a cottage and a campsite.
Parks Canada offers unique and amazing campgrounds all over Canada. Don’t have a car? Don’t sweat it! The new Park Bus departs from Toronto and goes up to campgrounds! Check it out here.
Here’s what’s new this summer at Parks Canada’s Ontario Parks.
Bruce Peninsula National Park (ON)
Stay in a yurt!. People who stay in yurts also have access to flush toilet and shower facilities. More info on the park’s yurts is available at: http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/on/bruce/activ/activ2/activ2d.aspx
Fathom Five National Marine Park (ON)
2014 is the 50th anniversary of Parks Canada’s marine archeology department. The park is working on new exhibits for the visitor centre, including a touch screen exhibit that will enable visitors to explore some of the park’s underwater features. A new Fathom Five visitor guide during the 2014 season.
www.parkscanada.gc.ca/fathomfive
Georgian Bay Islands National Park (ON)
The park’s Art in the Park program will start its 3rd season this year. The landscape of Georgian Bay Islands National Park has been a fixture of iconic Canadian art for generations, including the Group of Seven and Emily Carr. With the Art in the Park program, artists are invited into the park to create new works of art, and the public is invited to engage in the process and ask questions at public presentations / Q&A sessions with the various artists. It is a fun way to connect the natural setting of the park with some of Canada’s greatest cultural artefacts while encouraging the continuation of an artistic tradition. www.parkscanada.gc.ca/gbi
Check out my visit to Georgian Bay Islands!
Thousand Islands National Park (ON)
Thousand Islands National Park is 110 years old in 2014, and was the first National Park of Canada east of the Rockies. If you camp in an oTENTik at Mallorytown Landing you can also take advantage of some great family activities at the park’s visitor centre.
The park visitor centre offers opportunities for a great day out with the entire family. Fill a picnic basket to enjoy along the shore, or under the historic picnic shelter, built in 1904. This summer, Salamander Saturday’s will provide an opportunity to get up close and see living examples, both local and exotic, of these fascinating amphibians. The visitor centre will also be presenting special exhibits that include Seeds in Disguise from the Royal Ontario Museum, a monarch butterfly exhibit from the Canadian Museum of Nature, and a collection of photographs of invasive species from the Montreal Biosphere. www.parkscanada.gc.ca/thousandislands
Check out my camping experience in an oTENTik!
Fort Wellington National Historic Site (ON)
Fort Wellington will be offering an exclusive 2 hour experience, where visitors will get the opportunity to enlist in the Royal Artillery, go through basic training, and fire a real 1812 era cannon.
Light the fuse and fire a real 1812 era cannon to earn the respect of your fellow recruits and become a certified artillery person. Stand down and march off the field with your crew knowing you will be proud to share the photographs and stories of the blast you had at Fort Wellington with friends.
The cost is $150 / per person, and each participant must be 18 years or older. This one of a kind experience will launch just on time for Fathers Day (June 15, 2014) and it is the perfect gift for the adventurous parent. For more information or to make a booking, please contact Leslie MacPherson by phone at 613-925-2896 x.104.
Weekends during July and August the fort will escort visitors escorted on a journey back in time with a soldier or his wife who will share exciting tales and tastes of the fort’s past. Explore the fort’s history and features during an engaging 1½ hour tour with a guide in historic costume. The tour concludes with period summer refreshments served within the walls of the fort. Cost: $8.80pp (includes site entry)
Candle Lit Tours – two nights only – July 19 and August 9, at 8pm. Experience Fort Wellington in a different light through a unique candlelit tour with a costumed guide. Admission $8.80 pp
www.parkscanada.gc.ca/wellington
Great stuff, right? Have you ever been to a Parks Canada park?
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