I’m looking around at the Whetung Ojibwa Centre, a small country store on the Curve Lake First Nation reserve outside Peterborough. I admire the colourful artwork, dozens of styles of moccasins and sparkling jewelry, not to mention the walrus skulls and old, black and white photos in the basement. As I’m heading out, I spy a large collection of jams and jellies made with local berries. To me, breakfast isn’t complete without toast and good jam, so I pick up a jar and head to the cash register. The woman handing the register looks at me and smiles. “Would you Read more
Peterborough
You can tell a lot about a place by the bulletin boards or the signs in the window of their local coffee shop. Are there are ads for organic soy milk? Goat yoga? A concert starring a KISS cover band? At the Pastry Peddler in Millbrook, a small community a few minutes southwest of Peterborough, the messages in the window seemed all about community; “Support local farmers.” “Thank a Quilter Day.” “Port Hope Fair.” I liked it already. And then I stepped inside and found beautiful, wood floors, soaring ceilings, bicycles hanging from the walls, local art on display, and Read more
RICE LAKE AND ENVIRONS, ONTARIO – A deep-in-the-woods garden with hundreds of Zimbabwean stone sculptures. A new winery run by a young couple who refused to let naysayers ruin their dream. Maybe the best butter tarts in the country. And a great family resort on a beautiful stretch of water. I live in Toronto and have been writing travel stories full-time for 11 years, but I’d somehow never made it to the area around Rice Lake until a recent, late-summer weekend. What I found was a surprisingly diverse array of attractions run by wonderful, passionate people with the kind of Read more
