Utterson
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Bracebridge
Bracebridge is a town of 13 000 right smack dab in the middle of cottage country. It is one of the three main towns of Muskoka, the other two being Gravenhurst and Huntsville. It is not directly on Highway 11, instead it’s a bit west of it.
Bracebridge is exactly halfway between the equator
and the North Pole. Named after the book Bracebridge Hall by
Washington Irving. I believe the local postmaster was reading it at
the time. Gravenhurst also had the same postmaster, and was also named
after something in the same book.
Bracebridge was founded on the backs of a number of different industries, including furs, agriculture, brewing, logging, milling, and hydroelectricity. In fact, Bracebridge was the first town in Ontario to have its own hydroelectric generation due to North Falls (pictured). Today Bracebridge, being in the heart of the Muskokas, is all about cottaging, camping, and tourism. There is still some hydro generation, and there is still a brewery too.
The main tourist attraction, aside from cottages, is Santa’s Village. I have a friend who is 37 years old and he can’t stop telling me how magical it is. Whatever. Maybe because it is relatively cheap. He also likes that it’s in off the highway and in the bush. It's low key and kid oriented, but supposedly inexpensive and not too touristy. And it’s full of men with bad beards.
Bracebridge is hoem to Woodchester Villa, one of the finest octagonal houses in Canada. As well, Guha’s Lions and Tigers is a little lion and tiger zoo in Bracebridge and is another one for the kids to see.
There is also golf, boating, art,
parks, cottaging, camping, snowmobiling, a water park, a movie theatre, a
little film festival put on by the highschool, and the Festival of the Falls
which celebrates the 22 waterfalls within Bracebridge’s fairly expansive town
limits (one of them is even referred to as the north’s Niagara Falls – someone
should tell that to Kakabeka.)
Being a tourist town, Bracebridge is relatively full of places to eat, drink, and sleep and have fun. You’ll have no problem finding accommodation. I mean, book ahead of course (especially during the summer!) and don’t just show up expecting to find something. But you don’t need me to tell you where to go in cottage country because places abound, and I haven’t really travelled it in any depth.
If you have any good photos or want to add info, please email me at info (at) highway11 (dot) ca and I’ll be happy to add to this.
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