Top Attractions in Muskoka Canada

Muskoka has been a family experience for about 70 years now. There was a time when it was great in July, August and September when most folks went back to the city and left what was then nearly a wilderness to the loggers and a few farmers. What a difference half a century has made.

From backwoods summer sanctuaries for the well-off, Muskoka is now a four-season dynamo for families to break out of the cities and explore a piece of Canadian heritage.

It is just a two-hour drive from Toronto, and there are so many small towns to visit, each one an attraction by itself.

There are so many things to do in Muskoka and to enjoy many of these, own or rent a cottage for a week in the summer. Your family will have so much fun outdoors that it is all worth it.

Fall is special in Muskoka. In its approach, the colours of the trees change into neon orange, yellows, reds with each day bringing a new display. With the glorious smell of autumn, nothing can beat Muskoka at this time of year.

Here are some of the things you can enjoy in Muskoka:

1. Drive around Muskoka and explore some of its attractions
2. Take a tour of the lakes in the old steamboats
3. Take the Artists Tour in the Spring and Fall
4. Hike the trails of Muskoka
5. Enjoy watersports
6. Enjoy a Day at the Farmer's Markets or Fall Fairs
7. Experience the quiet and the beauty of mornings and evenings
8. Learn something new about something old

Nothing can beat Nature's display in Muskoka. The forests and shimmering lakes dot the area, and as you drive through, you will discover many villages, each one unique with its special attraction. You can travel to Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Parry Sound and Huntsville or go to Port Carling, Port Sandfield or Rosseau.

In the Fall, there are stretches of road where the maples, oaks, and sumacs show off colours that change from yellow to orange to red and nothing like Nature can mix this in complete harmony.

You can visit the artists in their places of work and engage with them and their art. Brochures on this are all over Muskoka, and it has a map to guide you on your trip. You can choose to visit all or just what you like. We see what interests us, but when some artists go the same route, we try to have a peek.

Every year, we enjoy visiting the woodturning artists in the area as that one captivates our imagination, and it is so close to Muskoka life with all the trees and woods around.

Even better, this tour is an annual activity with early promotions so that you can plan ahead of time.

Nothing is more peaceful than the trails of Muskoka. It is also very colourful not just in the Fall and the feel of the leaves at your feet make you feel very much at one with Nature.

Fall is the best time to do long hikes in Muskoka as there are no bugs to bother you as you walk and know more about the trees and other living things in the woods. So, do a meditative walk and feel Nature sharing its energy with you.

Summer, of course, is family magic. It allows you to enjoy many water sports from kayaking, swimming, water skiing, canoeing, boating and sailing.

All the water sports and hiking your body can tolerate. And you are speaking of hikers and campers, Algonquin Park, while perhaps a little north of Muskoka, is still one of the most incredible displays of undisturbed forest, rivers, lakes, and wildlife that the world has to offer.

If you haven't yet tried Hydro Bike and Kayak Polo, time to do so. Kayak Polo is an international team game that requires paddling and ball-handling skills

In the Summer or starting in late Spring, almost every village in Muskoka has its day for a farmers' market, so you can visit one each day of the week if this is your fancy.

There are so many fairs in Muskoka in the Fall. Some of these have a history of over a thousand years, like the annual fall fair in Bracebridge. Don't miss going through the town and enjoying the charm of small-town Ontario.

Every season in Muskoka has its unique offer of early mornings and evenings. The sunrises and sunsets in the summer are so unique that some visitors buy cottages here just because of these.

In autumn, when Muskoka seems to fall into a beautiful silence and stillness, the mornings are magnificent as the sun slowly peeks through the fog in the lake, and the evenings are even much more attractive. It is quiet in its still colours of pastel pink and blue, a beautiful time to enjoy a glass of wine or two on the deck.

You can visit the Muskoka Heritage Place and enjoy a chronological journey of what it was like to live in a pioneer village.

You can take the steamboats and tour the Lakes. There are some harbour points where you can get on and information abound to guide you.

You can enjoy meals in some of the old resorts in Muskoka that have stories of its own to tell. Try Windermere in Rosseau or Cleveland's House in Minnet.

Muskoka is a four-season wonderland. It's not overcrowded, and its small towns and villages welcome visitors from hikers to van campers to new cottagers who want to escape the city and live in a bit of Canadian history.

Early spring is alright, but around June, the bugs come. Don't come at this time. Summer is the time to go and enjoy all the water sports. The water is not as cold, so swimming is possible.

But nothing like Fall to make you love this place. It is still, quiet without bugs and not yet too cold, so this is a great time to enjoy it.