Port Dover

Theatre and concerts.

A good example of a building associated with the establishment of navigational aids on the Great Lakes. The construction of the Port Dover lighthouse was part of the Canadian response to improve the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence route, to compete with the American-built Erie Canal system that linked New York with Buffalo on Lake Erie. The wharf and light have been, and continue to be, the centre of Port Dover's economy, which is focused on commercial fishing and an active summer resort trade. This lighthouse is one of a number of square wooden towers built on the Great Lakes in the 19th century and is one of the oldest examples in Ontario of the small wooden lighthouses built in pre-Confederation years.

Partially housed in an original fisherman's net shanty, it is dedicated to the history of Port Dover's commercial fishing industry. Permanent galleries present exhibits on the days of commercial sail, Lake Erie shipwrecks, shipbuilding, Long Point, rum running, and other aspects of lakeside life. Outdoor attractions include the 1932 fishtug Almidart, a 1912 lake-freighter wheelhouse, and access to the river along a picturesque wooden dock. There is also a major collection of artefacts from the 1852 wreck of the Steamer Atlantic near Long Point.

A trail on the former rail line that was established along the Pioneer River Trail in 1873 as the Lake Huron and Port Dover Railway. It is a multipurpose corridor that includes hiking and cycling. The 10-km trail connects the business districts of Simcoe and Port Dover. The trail passes through a number of different habitats including; mixed woods, wetlands, open grassland and agricultural land, all along the scenic Lynn River. Examples of Carolinian flora and fauna may be found along the trail: cardinals, bluebirds, red-tailed hawks, chipmunks, deer, raccoons, turtles and frogs. Plant life includes multi-flora rose, skunk cabbage and trilliums in the spring, lobelias, white snakeroot and Grass of Parnassus in the summer and asters, grasses and goldenrod in the fall. Benches, picnic tables, a portable washroom, fencing and signage.

A smaller, relatively quieter provincial park compared to the larger parks to the west of Port Dover. Grassed sites accommodate a variety of car camping equipment. Relaxed paddling is possible on the creeks passing through the park.