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BAYVIEW - Area Attractions

Bordering Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching on the spectacular Trent-Severn Waterway, Orillia is a vibrant city and year-round tourist destination. An array of attractions, activities and events await you less than 90 minutes North of Toronto! Accommodation and dining are available to suit every preference, and our hospitality and naturally beautiful surroundings are sure to entice you back again and again.

Waterfront Parks and Trails

Orillia's waterfront parks - Couchiching Beach Park, Centennial Park, Veteran's Park, Tudhope Memorial Park and Kitchener Park, offer everything from music festivals and free Sunday evening band concerts to a miniature train ride to outdoor skating rinks! Gardens, monuments, supervised beaches, boat launches, a skateboard park and splendid views create a perfect setting for family outings. Our famous Champlain Monument, unveiled at Couchiching Beach Park on July 01, 1925 is cast in bronze and stands 36 feet high. The Port of Orillia, our 206 slip transient marina on Lake Couchiching, welcomes boaters to the heart of our waterfront at Centennial and Couchiching Beach Parks. The Millennium Trail, Orillia's 9.5 km paved link in the Trans Canada Trail, winds through our City, connecting our parks, the Port of Orillia, heritage sites and horticultural delights.

Casino Rama - Big Time Excitement!

Experience the thrill of over 2,400 slot machines and 110 gaming tables. Ten restaurants (from Chinese food to steak to all-day breakfast), year-round concerts and shows in a 5,000 seat state-of-the-art Entertainment Centre, and a 300 suite Luxury Hotel with full-service spa make Casino Rama the place to be for Big Time Excitement! Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free on-site parking.

Orillia Museum of Art & History - A Vibrant Cultural Centre


Housed in the designated Heritage "Sir Samuel Steele Memorial Building" with its own fascinating history, the Museum features outstanding local and national art exhibitions, including works by the "Group of Seven", and historic artifacts from Orillia's past. The Gallery Shop specializes in works by award-winning regional artisans. The Museum is located in the heart of the "Arts District" on Peter Street in Downtown Orillia.






Downtown Orillia - Shop, Dine and Discover!

Steps from our beautiful waterfront and Port of Orillia, Downtown Orillia offers excellent shopping, dining, art galleries, live theatre and road shows at our historic Opera House, and cultural exhibits at the Museum of Art and History. Savour our colourful Saturday morning Farmers' Market, join in the festivities at our Sidewalk Sales, Spring Blues Festival, Classic Car Show and Beatles Celebration, take in the vivid colours of our Festival of Banners and discover some of our fine, heritage architecture.





Leacock Museum - A Destination for Family Fun


One of Canada's premier National Historic Sites, the summer home of famed Canadian humourist Stephen Leacock sits on 9.5 acres of Lake Couchiching shoreline, offering family programs and "Children's Discovery Place". Visit the Book and Gift Shop, and enjoy a delicious lunch with a fabulous view at the Shoreline Cafe.The Museum hosts the "Leacock Summer Festival" each July, Ontario's largest summer literary event! Readings by award-winning authors and emerging writers, dinners and other special events are featured at the Festival.




Mnjikaning Fish Weirs - A Rare and Ancient Place

A National Historic Site, the Mnjikaning Fish Weirs in the Atherley Narrows date back at least 5,000 years. Aboriginal fishers drove wooden stakes called "weirs" into the channel between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching, weaving brush and vegetation among them to create an underwater fence system to guide congregating fish into areas for harvesting or preservation for later use. The weirs were an extremely efficient food-gathering technology. The Mnjikaning site became a traditional meeting place for Aboriginal Nations, where agreements and treaties were made, goods exchanged, and spiritual ceremonies took place. Preserved by layers of protective silt, the wooden weirs at Atherley are among the few known in Canada, and were in use until about 100 years ago. Part of the Trent-Severn Waterway today, fish still congregate in the Atherley Narrows.



OPP Museum - Fascinating and Fun!


The OPP Museum is located on Memorial Avenue, minutes from Downtown Orillia, right inside the General Headquarters of the Ontario Provincial Police. Explore the OPP's fascinating heritage through engaging displays of specialized law enforcement equipment, uniforms past and present, insignia, investigative techniques, vintage vehicles, police photographs and more! Enjoy the interactive children's area, check out the educational CD-ROMs or try on a uniform in the "dress-up" area. Don't miss the Museum's OPP 100th Anniversary Signature Exhibition, "Frontiers: A Century of Policing", starting April 30, 2009. The Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and admission is free!


Orillia Boat Cruises

Orillia's Island Princess offers siteseeing, lunch, dinner and special occasion excursions on Lakes Simcoe & Couchiching. Cruise in comfort aboard this 230 passenger, wheelchair accessible vessel, with heated main deck, enclosed upper viewing deck and LLBO snack bar. All day Fall tours, including lockage at Trent Severn Lock 42, are available the last two weekends of September and first two weekends of October. The Island Princess docks at the Port of Orillia, adjacent to our waterfront parks and steps from Downtown. Reservations are required for lunch/dinner cruises and Fall tours.

Orillia Opera House - Live Theatre & Entertainment


Built in 1895, and largely reconstructed in 1916 following a fire, this handsome theatre is designated an Heritage Site by the Province of Ontario. Community events, theatre, road shows and concerts are presented year-round in both the 700 seat Gordon Lightfoot Auditorium and the smaller Studio Theatre. The Opera House Green Room, with it's beautiful 18 foot ceiling, is an ideal venue for receptions, parties and meetings for up to 60 persons. Located in Downtown Orillia, the Opera House is air-conditioned, wheelchair accessible and equipped for the hearing impaired.

Washago Cruise Lines

Departing from the Historic Severn River Inn just North of Washago, the MV River Queen takes you on a remarkable voyage along the historic Severn River. See spectacular scenery, the confluence of the Black and Green Rivers, the first hydro-electric power dam in Ontario and a variety of wildlife. Learn about the rich past and present of the area. Relax in comfort on this quiet, wheelchair accessible pontoon boat. Refreshments on board. Reservations recommended.