Every Wednesday I feature an antique wooden boat I’ve spotted in Muskoka on our Instagram account @cottageinmuskoka. Today’s feature was “The Jeffrey,” a 1939 Greavette rebuilt by Peter Breen in the early 90s after being rescued from a boathouse on Lake Nipissing during the previous decade. The Jeffrey now lives on East Bay in Lake Muskoka.
21′
225HP
1963 318 Low Profile V8
Looking for things to do in Port Carling and Muskoka Lakes? Here are the essential experiences, laid out in order by time of day. You may want to plan out a few weekends to visit, or talk to us about getting yourself a cottage, because you’ll need lots of time for the most essential experience of all – relaxing by the water and forgetting that time even exists.
View the sunrise from wherever you choose – but I’d highly recommend picking a bay or smaller section of lake. It’s not just about the sunrise itself – it’s the mirror-like reflection of the morning clouds on the lake that really make early Muskoka mornings magical.
The Port Carling wall is a local icon. I recommend grabbing a coffee at Beveragino before walking over to the wall. From there you can enjoy the sun and views on the docks, or walk downtown to do some shopping.
Don’t forget to find the blue and red Muskoka chair while you’re there – the wall is part of the View the Lakes tour, said to showcase the best views in Muskoka.
The Muskoka Lakes Museum is set on James Bartleman island, between the locks. It houses a collection of artifacts and interactive exhibits showcasing the way life was in Muskoka. I’ve been to a lot of museums around the world, and believe me when I say this is a special one.
You can walk or drive there of course, but the best way to go is by boat! Turtle Jacks is a classic choice, but there are a few great waterfront restaurants to check out. Or, grab takeout from York & Mason, Portside Fusion, or one of the many other choices in Port Carling and bring it down to the docks for a picnic.
Check out Mooskokas right in Port Carling, or go by boat to Silver Streams Market on Lake Rosseau. It’s located right across from Port Sandfield Marina. Pro tip: they make amazing sandwiches.
Or visit one of the many antique stores in the area – there is another along Hwy. 118 that opened this year – just look for the red, white, & blue ”antiques” sign (before you hit Windermere nursery on your way into Port Carling).
The LCBO in downtown Port Carling is located right at the water – park your boat outside and head in for some drinks. This is a unique Muskoka experience and a definite must! Just remember the golden rule – water on the water, and beer on the pier!
My favourite? Jumping off the boat a few minutes before we dock at home, so I can swim in for a drink. Passengers only, of course…
Boat from Lake Muskoka up the Indian River to the Port Carling locks, then through to Lake Rosseau. From there you can head toward Port Sandfield, and under the bridge to Lake Joe. Interested in checking out some interesting builds in the area? Message us and we’ll give you a list of must sees!
Visit the spa, have a few drinks, have dinner, or do all 3! I highly recommend having dinner out on the patio – watching the colours change with the sunset over Lake Joe while surrounded by all those big tall trees is just lovely. And the food is amazing, which certainly doesn’t hurt.
Huckleberry Rock Lookout Trail is one of the absolute best places to catch a sunset in Muskoka. Watch closely for the white marks on the rocks to follow the trail up to the lookout point – some of the oldest rock in the world at well over a billion years old. The exposed rock dotted with lichens and moss is gorgeous to begin with, but the view is out of this world. You can see right across Lake Muskoka.
This is a favourite of mine year round, but I think fall is the best time to visit. Be warned – there is a small portion of the trail which is steep, and the trail can be very icy in the winter.
So there you have it – lots of things to do in Port Carling and Muskoka Lakes! If you need a few more (or ideas for an area we haven’t covered yet), give me a shout at Len@cottageinmuskoka.ca!
For those who have more critical things to do than refresh our Blog Page just to see different header images, I have had a request to add a gallery page. After all time is better spent looking at Muskoka cottages for sale.
Hey, thanks for the request, we like them too … and, here it is:
As we go about looking at Muskoka cottages for sale for our buyers, and listing cottages for sellers, we get some great comments about our images, design and videos. They are fun to share and with Muskoka as our backdrop, it’s pretty easy to look good.
Some are images taken throughout a lifetime of cottaging here in Muskoka. I am told I started at two weeks old, and at some point later the first sentence I put together was an excited and agitated “boy go boat!!!” when others were headed out while I was to be left in the care of my Grandmother.
Other pictures are taken of friends and clients’ cottage activities and, as mentioned above, as we go about searching for Muskoka cottages for sale (actually and potentially for sale), that fit both our ideals for value and the various specifics of our current group of buyers.
There are quite a few images, more or less suitable to headline the blog, and we have lots more in the archive. One that I had mostly forgotten was a photo of the ritual where I had convinced tried to convince our kids, that kissing fish you caught and were releasing was good luck. Somehow it would encourage the released fish to spread fairly positive communication about the entire event. I took the picture when I noticed with delight, that our daughter Lenore carried on the same tradition with her cousin Jordan. This turns out perhaps, to be something of an accepted practice of anglers around the globe. However, a Wikipedia search for kissing a fish, only brings up Kissing Gouramis .
Here’s a list of commercial fishing superstitions:
• Don’t leave a hatch cover upside down.
• Don’t whistle on board.
• Don’t bring a suitcase or a black bag on board.
• Don’t bring a banana on board.
• Don’t even wear yellow.
• Don’t allow women on board.
• Don’t leave port on a Friday.
• Don’t mention four-hooved animals (pigs, horses, etc.).
• Hang coffee mugs with the opening facing inboard.
• Don’t comment on good luck, or the possibility of bad luck.
• Dolphins are a good omen. Sharks are a bad omen.
• Don’t kill an albatross or a gull.
• Don’t change the name of a vessel.
• Leaving on Sunday is good luck.
• Don’t wear green. (It makes the boat seek land.)
• Don’t say “rabbit.” (No clue.)
• If you meet a minister before sailing, turn around and go home.
• Hang garlic over the galley port hole.
• Don’t use blue paint (particularly on a lobster boat).
• Don’t wear a hat in the galley.
• Don’t step onto a boat with your left foot.
• Don’t coil a rope or stir a pot counter-clockwise.
• Don’t bring an umbrella on board.
• Don’t make pea soup.
• Toss the first fish back. (Or kiss it.)
• Don’t use the number 13.
• Turn starboard first after backing away from the dock.
• Don’t bring honeybears on board.
• Having a virgin pee on a new net is good luck.
(Courtesy of Matthew Hutson, article here.)
