The 7 Most Romantic Places in the Blue Mountain Area

July 23rd, 2010

Whether you’re celebrating an anniversary, trying to get out of the doghouse or just want to earn some Brownie points with the one you love, here are some romantic places to visit while in the Blue Mountain area.

Treat your loved one (and yourself) to a luxury spa day. At Scandinave Spa you can enjoy a massage, a sauna, hot and cold baths plus a healthy meal, all in beautiful surroundings. The price is surprisingly affordable, particularly if you can get there mid-week. http://www.scandinave.com/en/bluemountain/

Scandinave Spa

Take your loved one dancing on Tuesday evenings at Jazz in the Park. This free concert series is in Wasaga Beach at the Oakview Woods gazebo on Mosley Street. It start at 7 pm and runs weekly until August 31st. Featuring mostly swing and big band music, you’ll be able to dance to live music as the sun sets. call 429-3844 x 2287 or check out the Meaford events calendar http://www.wasagabeach.com/events.index.gk

Do the two of you love cheese? Really good cheese? Why not plan to attend Read the rest of this entry »

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Things To Do With Your Mother-In-Law

July 20th, 2010

Travelling with your mother-in-law can be a challenge. She probably doesn’t want to go mountain biking or rock climbing and you don’t want to leave her behind. Instead, here are some sure-fire mother-in-law approved outings to keep her happy and you in her good books.

Bruce County Wine TastingIf your mother-in-law enjoys wine, try taking her to the Bruce County Museum’s 2nd Annual Wine Tasting on July 28th.  Five wines will be sampled; first alone, and then with food, to experience the difference food can make in the flavour of wine. Sommelier and caterer, Ellen Schmaltz of Mildmay will be your guide for the evening. Register at 519-797-2080
http://www.brucemuseum.ca/calendar/a-wine-tasting-experience/

If she’s crafty, try taking her to a traditional rug hooking workshop. Textile artist, Micheline Mann will teach you the basic method, tools and patterns. The classes are offered in a one-room schoolhouse in Paisley, Ontario. Full day workshops include Read the rest of this entry »

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What Are The Best Restaurants In The Blue Mountain Collingwood Area 2010?

July 13th, 2010

Best Restaurants in the Collingwood Blue Mountain area

There are over 30 restaurants in Collingwood alone and dozens more in the surrounding area.  And each season new ones open.  Some are great additions to the area’s growing reputation as mixing fine dining with small town goodness.   Some not so much.

So it’s no wonder that our guests are looking for advice on where to dine when they come visit.

So we’re putting out the call to rank the top restaurants.  We’ve compiled a list of 20 potential candidates.

So, if you had a culinary fan coming up for a week-long tour, where would you send them?

Just click on your answer below. Vote for as many as you think qualify as the ‘best’.

Are there some absolutely fantastic restaurants that we’ve missed?

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Collingwood Blue Mountain Area Summer Event Calendar

June 29th, 2010

From Elvis in July, Wakestock in August and the Apple Harvest Festival in October, the Collingwood Blue Mountain area has something going on all the time.  It’s one of the things we love about this area.  So we’ve tried to capture great events for the whole area (not just Blue Mountain Resort) so you can love it here as much as we do.

Kids at Collingwood Events

Here’s a quick jpeg capture of our calendar that we thought you might find handy as a printout but if you Read the rest of this entry »

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A Packing Checklist For Your Summer Vacation

June 23rd, 2010

While going on a summer vacation is fun, packing for it is not.

Packing Tips for Summer Vacation

There’s the rushing around, getting things into bags and fitting it all in the car. Then there’s the worry that you’ll forget something important.  It’s no wonder ‘What should we bring?‘ is the biggest question we get asked.

One way to ease the stress of packing is to have a checklist. Then on the actually packing day, all you have to do is check off each item. No need to make any decisions or rely on your memory.

To get you started, we polled our staff & used our decades in the business to provide you with a list of what you might need to bring on your Blue Mountain summer vacation.

Clothing

Clothing can be a challenge when you’re packing for more than one person. Print off a copy of the clothing list for each member of the family and have them gather together their own clothes. If you don’t trust them, you can double check, but it will save you having to hunt for yourself.

  • Underwear, socks and bras – enough for each day unless you plan to do laundry
  • Shoes – sandals, flip flops, running shoes, hiking shoes, dress shoes (for dining out)
  • T-shirts
  • Sweater or sweatshirt and a jacket for cool evenings
  • Shorts
  • Cotton pants & jeans
  • A dressy outfit for dining out (more than one if you’ll be dining out frequently)
  • Hat & Sunglasses
  • Bathrobe or beach cover-up
  • Bathing suit(s)
  • Pajamas & slippers

Toiletries

Don’t forget your essential toiletries. Visit a drug store well in advance and get travel sized versions of everything. Not only will it save space in your packing, you can leave it behind when you leave, giving you more room to pack souvenirs.

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Collingwood Vacation Ideas: Rural Food Tours

June 16th, 2010

Got a hunger for sampling the best food and drink the Blue Mountain area has to offer?  In addition to some outstanding restaurants, the rural area around Collingwood offers some great treats.  Here’s five ideas to store away for your Ontario summer vacation.

Coffin Ridge Boutique Winery

Blue Mountain Vacation Idea: Wine Tasting & Tour

Located north of Hwy 26 between Meaford and Owen Sound in the town of Annan, Coffin Ridge Boutique Winery is Grey County’s first winery. Creating small batches of wines from locally grown grapes, Coffin Ridge has become a popular spot for locals, selling out all it’s wine in 2009.

They offer tours of the winery and orchard plus wine tastings and special events. Call ahead or visit the website to get hours and details about events. 519-371-9565 or http://www.coffinridge.ca

Ted’s Range Road Diner

If you’re looking for casual dining with exotic fare, Ted’s Range Road Diner is just what you’re looking for. With items like emu, elk and alligator on the menu, it’s not for the timid palate or for vegetarians. It’s hearty food with a twist. Located west of Meaford and north of Hwy 26 on Grey Road 112 (formerly the Range Road). Call 519 538 1788 for reservations.

http://www.meaford.com/teds/index.htm#Our%20Menu

The Apple Pie Trail

Collingwood Area Vacation Idea: Culinary Tour

The area between Owen Sound and Collingwood, along Georgian Bay, is prime apple growing area. And where there’s apples, there is Read the rest of this entry »

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Chalets For The Canadian Forces & 4 Other Ways To Support Military Families

June 10th, 2010

Whatever your personal feelings are about our troops overseas I think we all support the families of these soldiers and have empathy for everything they go through.  They spend long periods apart and the support we get from our families is not always available to them when they face tragedies: big and small.  Sometimes they just need to get away from it all and spend quality time together; something we take for granted but is a luxury for them.

That’s why we created ‘Chalets For The Canadian Forces‘ where we could take what we do – creating vacation memories for families in the Blue Mountain Collingwood area – and turn it into something that can help them.  Here’s how it works as well as some ways you or your business can do the same.

  • We have 3 bedroom mountainside condos and chalets ranging from 3 to 8 bedrooms most of them with hot tubs and all with full amenities and access to all the wonderful things to do in the Blue Mountain Collingwood area.
  • When we have availability – in other words, unrented properties – we offer free accommodation to Canadian Forces families who have suffered loss, or whose Canadian Forces member has been injured or just currently deployed and could use some respite.

Sometimes families just need to find time to relax and reconnect in moments like these.  Here’s some memories of some families who have taken advantage of the program:

“It was like living ‘The Lives of the Rich and Famous’…It was absolutely amazing…It was sooo important…and so appreciated…we were only able to stay two nights but it was exactly what we needed.  YOU DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our lives!!”

“Our family had a wonderful time reminiscing the times of my son, a fallen soldier.”

“As a result of his illness, we had to cancel a trip to Cuba, which very much disappointed (the kids)..we could certainly use a break after all we’ve gone through in the last month.”

And here’s a great video done on our program by a local tv station which shows how, for one family, sometimes it’s just the little moments that are missed.  Get a hanky!

So if you know of a Canadian Forces family that are in this situation share this with them using the tools below or have them call 877-368-2583 or email us at rentals@bluemountainlodges.ca to book their time.  We’ll do our best to accommodate them.

And, if you’re a family who has already taken advantage of our offer, please share your memories by email or on our new Facebook page www.facebook.com/bluemountainlodges .

We’re also told by our partners at the Military Family Resource Centre that people often say they wish they could do something so here’s four ideas on how you – or your business – can help. Read the rest of this entry »

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Elvis Tribute: 8 Great Elvis Pics & Videos

June 4th, 2010

The Elvis Festival is coming to Collingwood again this year in late July.   To honour all those dedicated Elvis fans we present to you eight great pics and videos devoted to the King!

1. Elvis In Everything

Elvis Presley Photos

Click the link to see Elvis where he’s never gone before thanks to a little photoshopping.

http://www.bloggerheads.com/photoshopping/photoshopping_elvis.htm

2. Johnny Cash Does Elvis

This hilarious video on YouTube has gotten 3 million views.  Johnny does a terrific job as an Elvis impersonator.

3. Elvis On Mars

Elvis Presley photo on Mars

We’d like to believe he’s still alive but apparently some people think he’s alive and living on Mars?!

4. Elvis Trooper

Getting Ready for an Elvis Festival

Elvis impersonators are an amazingly creative with Read the rest of this entry »

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The Top 5 Beaches in the Blue Mountain Collingwood Area

May 28th, 2010

After a long, cold winter, there’s nothing we Canadians love more than getting out of the city and hitting the beach. Sand, sun and swimming make for a perfect summer day. There’s no need to head south. When you’re having your vacation at Blue Mountain, there are tons of great beaches to choose from.

Georgian Bay Family Vacations

Memorial Park Beach

This lovely beach is located on the eastern side of Meaford on Grant Avenue. Offshore are “the Sisters”, large rocks jutting out from the waters of Georgian Bay. Legend has it two sisters swam too far from shore and drowned. Afterward, these rocks mysteriously appeared where the unlucky girls perished.

In spite of the gruesome tale of the Sisters, this park is a lovely place to spend the day. There are 400 metres of shoreline, a picnic area, a children’s playground, miniature golf and clean washrooms. Parking is free.

http://www.meaford.com/town/membeach.htm

Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach (the beach, rather than the town) is the longest freshwater beach in the world, with 14 kilometres of white sandy shoreline and is designated a Blue Flag beach http://www.blueflag.ca . Located on Georgian Bay, east of Collingwood, this is probably the best-known beach in Ontario. Wasaga Beach is actually divided into six beach areas; five are family-friendly (including one that allows dogs) plus the main beach which is part of the entertainment district of the town.

Ontario Summer Family Vacation

In addition to the beach, there are watersports rentals, beach volley ball, washrooms, and shopping. There’s also the Nancy Island Historic site with a War of 1812 museum, a lighthouse and children’s activities in the summer.

http://bit.ly/bxsm89

Little River Beach Park

Little River Beach Park is a pebbled beach surrounded by trees near the Town of the Blue Mountains. This beach is up for a Blue Flag designation and has a lifesaving station, washrooms, a children’s playground and parking.

http://blueflag.ca/drupal/?q=node/133

Collingwood Cottage Vacations

Hibou Conservation Area

Named one of the top 10 beaches in Ontario, Hibou is something of an undiscovered gem. It is located Read the rest of this entry »

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What Are The 7 Best Golf Courses in the Blue Mountain Collingwood Area?

May 25th, 2010

The survey results are in and our readers have picked the top golf courses in the Blue Mountain Collingwood area.  Here they are in order:

1. The Georgian Bay Club

Georgian Bay Ranked In Our Golf Holiday Poll

With spectacular views overlooking Georgian Bay, the Georgian Bay Club is elegance, challenge and scenic beauty wrapped into one.  It was the Top Ranked New Private Course in Canada for 2005 by Golf Digest magazine and it’s our top-ranked too.  The 217 yard par 3 third hole provides an amazing vista but keep your eye on the ball because the green is on a plateau.  This year it’s the host for the Wayne Gretzky Classic in July and the Wayner is always right.  www.georgianbayclub.com
Tel: 519.599.9949

2. Blue Mountain Golf & Country Club

Blue Mountain Golf Club Ranked In Our Golf Holiday Poll

The longest established club in the area is also the local’s secret friendly play and our #2 ranked course.  An excellent walking course the natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment acts as a great backdrop to the course’s well maintained tees, mature fairways, greens and and friendly crowd.  Blue Mountain is an 18 hole par 70 golf course that measures 6097 yards.  http://www.bmgcc.net/ Tel: 705-445-3911

3. Batteaux Creek Golf Club

Batteaux Creek Ranked In Our Golf Holiday Poll

Nestled between the Escarpment, Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, this is one of the most scenic and playable courses in the area.  For the talented, there’s plenty of risk/reward scenarios with lots of water, sand but spacious greens.  For the lesser-skilled, five sets of tees on every hole allows the low handicap player to bring certain hazards into play to present more of a challenge. http://www.batteauxcreek.com Tel: (866) 479-3754

4. OslerBrook Golf & Country Club

OslerBrook Ranked In Our Golf Holiday Poll

One of the newest kids on the block, OslerBrook was started by a group of local players which included a group from neighbouring Osler Bluff Ski Club.   Designed by Graham Cooke, the course butts right up against the 800 foot Escarpment providing spectacular views of the entire area.  From there is follows the rolls put there by the same glaciar that gave us the escarpment.  Challenging but with easy outs, it’s becoming the serious golfer’s favourite but with six tee boxes, your grandmother can play it too.  You might need to know someone to get on.  http://www.oslerbrook.com Tel: 800.616.4623

5. Monterra Golf at Blue Mountain Resort

Monterra Blue Mountain Ranked In Our Collingwood Golf Holiday Poll

Only an iron shot from most of our chalets,  Monterra is part of Blue Mountains Resort.  It’s a traditional links course with Read the rest of this entry »

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