The Great Canadian Towns and Villages Thread

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Wigs

megadude,
if you're looking for an authentic ski town go to Ellicottville, south of Buffalo. It's only 55 minutes south of the Peace Bridge.
Even if you don't ski/snowboard, Holiday Valley has a mountain coaster open year round (like an alpine slide on a rollercoaster track). The village has numerous shops and restaurants, a good craft brewery, and overall a more casual, happy vibe.

Ellicottville Streetview

Holiday Valley

• Video Link

I almost went there several years ago. When I did the math, it would have been cheaper to stay there a couple of weeknights than at Blue. Plus, I did find that authentic ski town more appealing. Ultimately didn't make it, but I did pass through the town a couple years later on my way to NYC.

Blue Mountain also has the mountain coaster. Didn't try it there, but I did try it in Gatlinburg, TN in the Great Smokey Mountains. VERY FUN. But not so fun you puke your guts out.

By the way, the last time I did a proper roller coaster was Darien Lake circa 2010. Showed up at opening time and after the third ride, I had to shut it down. Spent next the next three hours passed out in my car. Same with my wife. That's when we both knew that roller coasters were over for us. The previous time was at Wonderland 11 years earlier, grad night, drunk and at 2am. No problem. Being thrown around on Top Gun or Mine Buster with half a mickey in your system, bring it on! Fast forward a decade and I don't think I could handle Ghoster Coaster anymore. No check that, I couldn't handle the tea cups, let alone a roller coaster.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Wiarton is much more interesting, colourful and charming than Friday Harbour. It may not have the trendy boutiques and restaurants that Collingwood and Thornbury have, nor the endless new construction you see towards Meaford, but to me it reminds me of a traditional small Ontario waterfront town. While not a trendy village, I really liked Ayton on the way there - very old school "Scottish Ontario."

I'm planning another road trip to Sarnia area - I will be heading south along the river towards Wallaceburg, then back through Petrolia and Oil Springs to Strathroy.

Some of these places you mention on this thread don't even have a downtown. What do you find interesting in Ayton, for example?

The only reason I stopped in Wiarton was because I was going from Tobermory to Owen Sound to Wasaga to the cottage. Since I was going to pass through, I had to stop and see Wiarton Willie. Well the statue, not the marmot, or whatever he is. Plus it's a nice little bay they're on. Was a beautiful day, so had to check out the water.

Also got some grub from New Orleans Pizza. And it was in Wiarton that I discovered that some small town LCBOs aren't open till 9 during the week. They close at 5 there! I had to go the whole night without booze!

Owen Sound really impressed me with some of the grand Victorian homes there. But I didn't stop. It was a drive through experience. Next time I have to actually walk around.


https://blackburnnews.com/midwestern...e-sees-shadow/


https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractio...y_Ontario.html


https://www.flickr.com/photos/activesteve/14806637910

[esquire]

Originally Posted by megadude

Being thrown around on Top Gun or Mine Buster with half a mickey in your system, bring it on! Fast forward a decade and I don't think I could handle Ghoster Coaster anymore. No check that, I couldn't handle the tea cups, let alone a roller coaster.

Those kid rides that just spin around a lot are worse than the thrill rides... I used to love the Tilt a Whirl when I was a kid, I'd take ride after ride on it. But last summer I took my kids on it once and after all the spinning, my day was pretty well over, it was like a bad hangover descended on me and I just needed to go lie down

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by megadude

I almost went there several years ago. When I did the math, it would have been cheaper to stay there a couple of weeknights than at Blue. Plus, I did find that authentic ski town more appealing. Ultimately didn't make it, but I did pass through the town a couple years later on my way to NYC.

Went skiing once in Alcoholville when we lived in the west end of the GTA. Went with relatives in Burlington who claimed it was quicker to get to Ellicotville than Collingwood. I doubt that especially factoring in the border crossing time. Either way it was a fun day out and I didn't have to drive. We went skiing for the day and it was a good place to ski. We went for dinner somewhere in the town and were in there a couple of hours and came out to a huge lake effect snow squall so headed back inside. Eventually left the town with probably 30 cm of new snow on the ground and poorly ploughed roads in town but 10-15 minutes north it was bare pavement and no new snow.

Having said all of this, the skiing is basically southern Ontario level. Its not Quebec, New England, Adirondacks or Rockies level.

[Wigs]

^ Bristol Mountain, a 3 hour drive from Toronto near Canandaigua, NY (south of Rochester) offers the highest vertical between Southern Ontario and Quebec (1200ft vs 750ft for Holiday Valley/720ft for Blue Mountain)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristo...ain_Ski_Resort
They offer Canadians discounted lift tickets https://www.bristolmountain.com/welcome-canada/

[urbandreamer]

Yeah I gave Willie a big hug - he was pretty lonely. Owen Sound was pretty depressing - strung out meth types in an otherwise empty core. I did enjoy stopping at Cedar Hill Park = great view of an austere Georgian Bay - and Balmy Beach.

Ayton is a sheep farming village - very authentic Scots-Irish and Dutch Canadian - I used to know a bee keeper in the area.

Today I drove through Grand Valley, Fergus and popped by the Elora Gorge lookout for a few minutes on the way home from Glen Cross side trail at Hockley Valley. Considering it's very mild it wasn't that busy - although I met a lovely couple from Chicagoland.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Owen Sound was pretty depressing - strung out meth types in an otherwise empty core.

We had opposite experiences in Owen Sound, then. I really enjoyed my visit and found the built-form and environment very nice. Wiarton had a cute little downtown stretch, too, just near that Willie statue which doesn't at all look phallic.

[905er]

^^ same. I really enjoyed Owen Sound.

If you want a depressing downtown core.. might I suggest Drumheller Alberta
The dino museum was pretty cool though.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I'm planning another road trip to Sarnia area - I will be heading south along the river towards Wallaceburg, then back through Petrolia and Oil Springs to Strathroy.

Yes the St.Clair Parkway is a lovely drive but once done prepare yourself for Wallaceburg as it is a truly horrid little place. It is one of the very few towns in Canada that reminds you of a Rust Belt US town that has completely hollowed out with crime and urban decay.

Petrolia is kind of cool and Strathroy isn't a very exciting place but it's a nice enough little city. While on your way thou you should definitely go to Dresden. Few towns in Canada have as much important cultural significance.

[Blitz]

Wallaceburg is not horrid and is not even close to being hollowed out. Yes, there is some decay there (unfortunately, several glass factories have closed and the jobs have not been replaced) but crime isn't a big issue. Of all the cities/towns in SW Ont it has struggled the most but at this point it's more or less just stagnant.

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by megadude

Though you can only boat for so long during the year. And it ain't in Muskoka or along the Trent-Severn.

Isn't this development on Lake Simcoe?

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by JHikka

We had opposite experiences in Owen Sound, then. I really enjoyed my visit and found the built-form and environment very nice. Wiarton had a cute little downtown stretch, too, just near that Willie statue which doesn't at all look phallic.

Owen Sound is definitely an underrated city. The downtown core is actually quite extensive for a city its size, and for people just driving through, its extent is not at all apparent. It also has a fairly sizeable employment base such that its daytime population is quite healthy. Couple that with its magnificent natural setting (Harrison Park, Inglis Falls, the waterfront and so on), makes it one of my favourite big small towns in Ontario.

Wiarton, unfortunately, is struggling. It benefits as a major service centre for the Bruce Peninsula, but the downtown and areas around the water are visibly hollowing out. I far prefer Lion's Head, both for its location, and also its built-form, but it definitely has a more seasonal population compared to Wiarton.

[megadude]

Originally Posted by jamincan

Isn't this development on Lake Simcoe?

Yes. But what I mean is that it's not along the path of the Trent Severn, if you will. I guess you can say it's technically located on a part of the Trent Severn as Simcoe is a part of it, but this is on the SW shore of Simcoe. It would take a long, long time for most of these boats to cross the lake and enter the waterway, whether to the north or east.

If your boat was located in a marina in a Muskoka or Kawartha lake or river, that is on the Trent Severn, then you could go either direction and pass through locks, lots of interesting scenery and little towns in a more intimate setting in quicker time.

The best boating areas for me are places like in BC, Muskoka, Eastern Georgian Bay, Thousand Islands outside Kingston where you are in a sheltered area surrounded by tonnes of islands, inlets, rivers, beaches and towns in beautiful scenery where you can spend infinite time exploring because it's all close by, with much of it doable in one day. Not just an expanse of blue water to look at.

[TorontoDrew]

I went through Owen Sound for the first time about 6 weeks ago. You can tell it used to be a very important and wealthy region. So many beautiful old large homes. I think i was reading somewhere that the old townhall/jail was up for sale for about $250,000. The only thing was you had to restore it it over time and not change any of the structure.

[hipster duck]

It would have been nice if Owen Sound were larger. That part of Ontario is missing a decent, midsized city.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

It would have been nice if Owen Sound were larger. That part of Ontario is missing a decent, midsized city.

It's in a bit of a pain in the butt area to get to. It's at the start of a peninsula that's only driving economy is tourism and farming. It used to be part of a major ship building and shipping network which is now gone. I also believe Collingwood was the main port so if there were to have been a major centre on Georgian Bay that would have been the port city. As it stands Canada only has one Major city on the great Lakes, where as the U.S has... 8?

[905er]

Originally Posted by Blitz

Wallaceburg is not horrid and is not even close to being hollowed out. Yes, there is some decay there (unfortunately, several glass factories have closed and the jobs have not been replaced) but crime isn't a big issue. Of all the cities/towns in SW Ont it has struggled the most but at this point it's more or less just stagnant.

I beg to differ. Wallaceburg i found rather depressing. Unless there have been some extensive changes in the last decade since I've been there I don't find it particularly special.
I did enjoy nearby Chatham though.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

It would have been nice if Owen Sound were larger. That part of Ontario is missing a decent, midsized city.

Definitely one of my candidates for that thread we had a while ago for custom Canadas and adding people to specific cities or regions.

[Tone]

Rimouski le 28 novembre

[Tone]

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