We love road trips. I especially love road trips to small towns in rural Ontario. Less traffic, open fields, a lot of greenery, and fresh country air are the things that draw me out of the suburbs. Our latest trip took us West to the Municipality of Kincardine and the Township of Huron-Kinloss. Here are 8 hidden gems that entertained us for a weekend.
 1. Trout Hatchery Kincardine Because who doesn't love watching little fish swim around in giant fish tubs? Location: Huron Terrace, Kincardine, ON (just south of the Kincardine Lighthouse) View their website for more details and info to call and book ahead for tours. Eloise loved seeing the little fish swim around.  2. Pine River Cheese Mmm....cheese. You can just shop here, or join a tour of the factory! Location: RR 4, Ripley, ON N0G 2R0 They are also included in the Huron-Kinloss Ice Cream Trail and have a great cow to milk! Don't forget to try their cheese curds they are famous for.  3. Bruce Botanical Food Gardens "Tie one on" at the BBFG! is a fun little art installation that we participated in, and sometimes it is the simplest forms of entertainment the kids love about trips the most. This was one of them. Location: 62 Park Street, Ripley, Ontario Canada N0G 2R0 A fun community non-profit garden run by volunteers with a lot of rare, endangered plants to see.  4. Station Beach Big Blue Chairs It may not be a 'hidden gem' but sitting in these chairs is still pretty fun! Location: 601 Durham Street, Kincardine ON N2Z 1L6 The beach gets windy at night so bring a jacket or blanket to watch the sunset.
 6. Kincardine Pipe Band Parade Join the pipe band and try your drumming skills! Location: Queen Street, Kincardine ON Every Saturday night at 8pm in the summer you can immerse yourself in the local Scottish history. TIP: The Pipe Band will go up Queen Street, then back down (so it's like two parades in one). Follow the locals at the end of the first pass of the band to a parking lot where you can try your hand at banging on their drums.  7. Buy Farm Fresh from the Gate There are over 40 local farmers who will sell directly from their gate or farm in the area. With so many farms in the area you couldn't get any more 'Farm Fresh'! NOTE: Mennonite locations will not sell on Sundays.  8. Huron-Kinloss Ice Cream Trail It would have been a hidden gem, had a friend not mentioned it to us. There are several to a dozen stops every year. OUR STRATEGIES: Read our tips to complete the trail in one day! |
Accommodations: |  |
This trip we decided to stay at the brand new TownePlace Suites Kincardine, by Marriott. They are the top accommodations now in the area and each room has either a mini kitchenette or full sized kitchen. A light serve your own breakfast is included with every stay in an area just beside the lobby. There is no restaurant on site, but with a Sobeys within walking distance and a kitchen in the room that wasn't an issue for us. We didn't have time to enjoy the pool, which looked like a lot of fun with a built in bucket dump (the kind you see at splash parks), but we will definitely try it the next time!
| We stayed the very first weekend the hotel was sold out, and the staff were amazing! The housekeeping team swept through the hotel with expertise each day and we never had to ask for a thing. The staff in the lobby keeping up with the breakfast stations were so fast that I barely pumped the last of the coffee before they swung a new carafe around the corner to top up my half full cup. This hotel is definitely a win in our books and I'll be adding the same summary for my personal Trip Advisor account review. NOTE: We were not compensated in any way for this review and all opinions expressed are our own. | |
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