Summer Fun in Tobermory
Shipwrecks, lighthouses and hidden caves. It may sound like things you would run into on a Caribbean adventure, but it can all be found in Tobermory, Ontario. Located on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, three hours northwest of Toronto, this little town delivers big outdoor family fun in a small town setting. In fact, after spending some time in Tobermory, it’s guaranteed your kids will have the best “what I did on my summer vacation” story when they return to school.
Take a Hike!
The Bruce Peninsula National Park offers some of the best spots to hike in Ontario. Along with a spectacular backdrop of sculpted cliffs and crystal blue water, visitors will enjoy hiking the last part of the Bruce Trail, the 778-kilometre footpath that begins in Niagara Falls and ends in Tobermory.
Families out for walk will quickly find it harbours an overabundance of flora and fauna. There are 900 species of plants, including 40 species of wild orchids in the park. Co-existing is a multitude wildlife including foxes, black bears and the endangered Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake.
There are also several hidden caves to be explored, but the most famous is the Grotto, a huge formation of dolomite rock that has been hollowed out by the incessant motion of waves washing into it for centuries.
Anchors Away
Little Tub Harbour, Tobermory’s marina, is the launching pad to great nautical fun. Tour boats, including some with glass bottoms, take visitors right into Fathom Five National Marine Park, Canada’s first national marine conservation area, which is dotted with 20 islands and even more shipwrecks. Flowerpot Island is the only one open to the public and camping. It is known worldwide for its unique rock formations resembling massive flowerpots, but there’s more to discover here than just that.
A system of hiking trails that criss-cross the island not only take visitors to the famed twinned flowerpots, but also to caves, a light station and pretty beaches. Interpretive panels along a viewing platform teach about the island geology and explain how the powerful forces of nature and receding water levels have carved the bedrock into the formations seen today.
Light up my Life
A history deeply enmeshed with water means that lighthouses are sure to abound in the area. There are several in the vicinity, but perhaps the most majestic is the Big Tub Lighthouse, which sits at the entrance of Tobermory. The first lighthouse keeper was Charles Earl, one of the first settlers in the township, whose pay for safely leading all boats into the harbour consisted of a paltry $100 a year. These days ,the lighthouse is fully automated and every August, during the Marine Heritage Festival, it is open to the public.
Canada’s diving capital
The deep waters surrounding Tobermory harbour a deep secret: this area is ranked consistently as one of the best diving locations in North America.
The reasons for that can be found in the crystal clear waters, where some of Canada’s oldest and best-preserved shipwrecks can be found. There are also ancient corals and underwater caves to be explored. Little Tub Harbour, a diving mecca, also has everything a diver might need from specialty dive shops to charter boats. More importantly, a medical clinic with a hyperbaric dive chamber is available as well.
For information:
Bruce County Tourism
Story: Anna Rodrigues
Images : Phil Raby
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