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Secondary region of Ontario, Canada
Photo: HuronErie, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Central Ontario is a traditional lakes-and-mountains getaway for Torontonians and Ottawans.
Less developed region between the Kawarthas, the Muskokas and Algonquin Provincial Park.
The Kawartha Lakes cottage country with the Trent Severn Waterway linking them together. If you're not travelling by boat, there are many pretty spots to watch them go by for an hour or a day. The main city is Peterborough, known for the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world.
A rolling expanse of forest and lake, with rocky inlets and wood-lined shores. Its natural beauty was an early inspiration for Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven painters. Today, it's prime cottage country with expensive waterfront and some multi-million dollar cottages.
Spanning from Lake Simcoe to Lake Huron, Simcoe County is a popular area for outdoor activities. The lakes offer beaches and water sport opportunities, while inland, there are some ski resorts. Barrie is the largest city, Collingwood is the gateway to Blue Mountain, the biggest ski area in Ontario, and Wasaga Beach, with its long stretch of sand, is a popular summer destination.
By bus
Ontario Northland offers service along Highways 11 and 69. GO Transit reaches Barrie and Peterborough in the southern parts of the region.
By car
From Toronto, Highway 400 provides the main access to the western part of the region, while the eastern part is usually accessed from Highways 35 and 115 running north from Highway 401.
By car
Distances between towns can be long as roads often have to wind their way around lakes and bays, but there are many service stations along the way, not to mention beautiful views.
By bus
Bus service between towns is not frequent as it is primarily only along the long-distance routes operated by the companies listed under "Get in". You'll pretty much need your own vehicle or a bike.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Gravenhurst · Regional · YQA
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the largest city in the region, and a playground for watersports and boating
a pretty tourist village that caters to sport fishers and shoppers
a small town, with some spectacular falls
the self-proclaimed "Gateway to Muskoka"
features a walking tour of 80 outdoor murals that are reproductions of paintings by the Group of Seven, an important early 20th-century group of Canadian artists
home of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, a living history museum
festivals, museums, and Casino Rama
a business, education, cultural, and health care centre
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