Ontario’s popular Muskoka tourist district isn’t all about the fantastic golf. There are dinnertime lake cruises, awe-inspiring natural wonders and, not least, the most delicious cinnamon buns you’ll ever eat.
The R.M.S. Seguin docks at the Gravenhurst Wharf. (Image: Discover Muskoka)
(Last updated May 2020.)
Summertime and the living is easy in Muskoka. The lake-filled, dramatically rocky tourist district two hours north of Toronto is one of Canada’s premier golf destinations and an ideal place for the whole family to kick back on vacation.
Muskoka attractions include lake cruises on a historic Royal Mail steamship, a wildly popular bakery where weekend crowds have clamoured for cinnamon buns and scones since 1947, and a rollicking waterfront venue that hosts Saturday night rock concerts with headliners like the Tragically Hip.
Read on for these and more fun things to do in Muskoka away from the links. And for an overview of golf throughout the district, see our feature story, Challenge Muskoka’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Fairways.
Lake Muskoka Cruises
Built in 1887, the R.M.S. Segwun is North America’s oldest operating steamship. Enjoy lunch or dinner while cruising past spectacular scenery that includes the string of Lake Muskoka summer manses known as Millionaires Row. Some of these palaces have been owned by the same families for five generations.
Don’s Bakery
Set near the Bala Falls in the picturesque town of Bala, Don’s Bakery has been serving scrumptious scratch-baked chelsea buns, cinnamon buns, scones, tarts, pies and cookies to summer cottagers since 1947.
Bethune House
A National Historic Site, Bethune Memorial House in the town of Gravenhurst is where Dr. Norman Bethune was born in 1890. Videos and displays document the life and times of the tireless surgeon who became a national hero in China by joining Mao’s communist forces in their fight against the Japanese invaders.
Algonquin Provincial Park
A vast natural wonderland of maple hills, rocky ridges and thousands of pristine lakes just outside of Muskoka, Algonquin Provincial Park is less than a half-hour drive from downtown Huntsville, Muskoka’s largest — and perhaps most scenic — town.
Rock Out at The Kee
Originally called Dunn’s Pavilion, where Muskoka danced to the hits of Louis Armstrong, Duke Wellington and other barnstorming big-band superstars, The Kee is now a rollicking Bala waterfront rock concert hall that features appearances by Sam Roberts, Matthew Good and other top Canadian bands.
