Sunshine City: Orillia, Ontario

Who wouldn’t like to spend their days in a place called Sunshine City?

As the inspiration behind Stephen Leacock’s 1912 short story collection “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town,” the lovely community of Orillia, Ontario, is a must-see port of call and among the best-kept secrets on the Great Lakes.

Situated on the historic Trent-Severn Waterway linking Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario, Orillia’s position overlooking a narrows between lakes Couchiching and Simcoe has long made it a bustling transportation hub. Archaeologists can trace evidence of human settlement there dating back more than 4,000 years, long before Samuel de Champlain became the first European explorer to visit the region in 1615. Champlain promptly developed friendly relations with the local aboriginal peoples, establishing a fur trading post where Orillia’s municipal marina stands today.

The trading post was soon joined by a hotel, a tavern, a blacksmith and a shipwright, leading the government of the day to purchase the land along the shoreline from the local First Nations peoples in order to develop a larger settlement. By the mid-1800s, more than 200 people lived in what became known as Orillia, named by Upper Canada Lieutenant Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland from the Spanish word orilla, which means shoreline.

Orillia incorporated as a village in 1867, but it was the completion of the Trent-Severn Waterway in 1920 that drove its most explosive period of growth, as the new canal system brought a significant influx of boat traffic carrying people and goods. Today, the boat traffic is entirely recreational, including cottagers, cruising boaters and those traversing the Trent-Severn as part of the Great Loop. Accordingly, arriving by boat is still the best way to visit Orillia.

One would have to try very hard to miss Orillia when navigating the Trent-Severn waterway from either Lake Ontario or Georgian Bay, in view of its position at a prominent narrows between two large, inland lakes. You’ll want to stick to the marked channel and keep well clear of a carefully marked shoal located off Barnfield Point, but otherwise the approach is open and obstacle-free. For a visual guide, look for multiple church steeples on the south-west corner of Lake Couchiching, and the large condo building that sits immediately south of the marina. As you draw near, you’ll spot the marina’s two long breakwalls, each topped with shrubs to discourage seagulls.

Orillia’s municipal marina, properly known as the Port of Orillia, sits adjacent to the downtown core, making it the most convenient space for visitors. The marina offers more than 220 transient slips for vessels up to 80 feet in length. But what it does not have is a pump-out or fuel; for either of those you’ll need to visit one of several large private marinas located a stone’s throw away (see sidebar).

Welcome weary traveler

One of the joys of visiting Orillia is the simple fact that pretty well all of its key attractions lie within easy walking distance from the municipal marina.

The best way to find your way around is to simply go for a stroll. Orillia’s streets follow a straightforward grid pattern, making it tough to get lost. It’s fun to wander aimlessly through tree-lined streets and admire the architecture, but if you want to know more about the different heritage buildings you pass, the city offers three different downloadable walking tours that explain all (tripvia.tours/orillia-audio-walking-tours). These include a downtown and historical homes tour, the Millennium Trail tour with more than 30 sites along Lake Couchiching, and a tour of the Stephen Leacock Museum National Historic Site.

Right in downtown, the historic Orillia Opera House, built in 1895, includes a 700-seat auditorium that has hosted artists ranging from The Marx Brothers and Glenn Gould to Oscar Peterson, KD Lang, Liona Boyd, Blue Rodeo, Bruce Cockburn and native son Gordon Lightfoot. As the largest professional live theater venue north of Toronto, the Opera House presents a diverse lineup of plays, concerts and presentations each summer with programming to suit every taste.

The Orillia Museum of Art and History, on Peter Street, is easily spotted with its iconic clock tower. Built in 1894, the museum displays its extensive collection documenting the region’s settlement and cultural life, along with a range of art exhibits throughout the year. It can also provide private historical tours of the city on request.

Mississaga Street, which runs straight west from the marina, is Orillia’s main drag with more than 150 different shops and galleries — and not a single big box store in sight.

When it comes time to wine and dine, visitors will be happy to know Orillia offers a wide range of fare from pub grub to fine dining. You’ll find more than 30 different restaurants on Mississaga Street alone, plus several bakeries with all manner of tasty desserts. That includes Wilkie’s Bakery, famous for its butter tarts, and Apple Annie’s for its baked goodies and ice cream. Kenzington Burger Bar and Studabakers are popular with locals, while Wadasi Sushi and The Common Stove offer sit-down fare. Mariposa Market is an old-fashioned, family-owned bakery and gift shop, popular for its Chelsea buns and Muskoka berry pies.