Huntsville: Like a painting!!!

 Both, I and my husband just love travelling. We are from India and have recently moved to Canada. It is such a gorgeous country and has too many places to visit. In fact, there are so many options that one has to really overthink to decide on a place of interest. It was our anniversary weekend and we wanted to travel to some place outside Toronto. We decided to visit Huntsville, a quiet little laid back town in Muskoka. I would say it is a perfect paradise for people who just want sit with a glass of wine on a lakeside, read a book or just go hiking in the dark trails. Although this place is beautiful all-round the year but Fall (August-Oct) is particularly the season when this place is at peak of its charm. A lot of visitors flock to this town in search of tranquility and colors. You must be wondering as to why I mentioned 'in search of colors'. Well, this place looks as colorful as a rainbow or even more during Fall. Check out the pictures and you will believe me!!

Hunstville has a lot of things one could do. But I would like to share how we spent our weekend in this town. We started our journey from Toronto from where we took a bus that took around 4 hours to reach Huntsville. One could also take his/her own car which would take you half the time, as buses generally have stops and take a longer route. I must say, the journey was as beautiful as the destination. So keeps your camera ready to get some great clicks. (P.S: only if you are not driving). Once we reached Hunstville, we decided to explore this place on foot. I think that was the best decision and gave us a better feel of the life here. We walked from the city bus stop to the inn where we stayed. Hunstville has a lot of options to stay from beautiful lake side resorts like Deerhurst Resort or Hidden Valley Resort to cheap inns and b&bs. We stayed at a motel, next to the Avery beach park which was over prized because of the long weekend. Otherwise, you can find affordable places to stay in Hunstville.

On our first day, we visited the downtown of Hunstville on foot, where we realized that the whole town is situated on the banks of a lake. The downtown is tucked with cute little cafés, restaurants, bakeries and souvenir shops. The people are warm and easy breezy. You can very comfortably walk in downtown and feel the lovely breeze soothe your body. We decided to sit on the banks of the lake which is actually right in the heart of downtown. After relaxing there for a couple of hours, we did a bit of shopping and decided to have dinner at one of the cool lakeside cafes On The Docks. It has a cosy terrace that faces the lake, where you can enjoy amazing food with a glass of wine and watch the mesmerizing sunset. One place I would like to recommend for all fish lovers is Westside Fish and chips, which has some amazing grilled fish and a lovely ambience. This little restaurant will lift your spirits high with its great interiors and delectable food. All around you can see hills that have turned their colors during fall. The trees turn their leaves into magical shades of red, orange, pink and yellow.

Next morning, we decided to visit Arrowhead Provincial Park for trailing. Some of the important things to keep in mind in trails are you might need a car/taxi to get there. Carry some food and lots of water with you and wear comfortable clothing and shoes. It is best to have someone who is good with maps or has an experience in trails. We spent 3-4 hours there trying to reach the camps but failed. Nevertheless, we enjoyed walking in the middle of nowhere and clicked some amazing shots. The park looked like it had been dipped in the bucket of colors. After coming back from the trail, we tried our hands on canoeing. There is a shop called Algonquin Outfitters in Downtown Hunstville. This place has all the paraphernalia for different water activities like canoeing, kayaking etc. The shop is right next to the lake and has guys who will help you do these activities. After canoeing, we were hungry and decided to try another lake side restaurant which was also amazing (but I don't remember the name). Post that, we went to another trail which was near our hotel and walked aimlessly and saw some spectacular sights.  I

   All in all, Huntsville has some beautiful places to see and lots of stuff to do. It has a theatre where you can see a great live rock show or stay at a European style Bnb and read a book on a hammock. You could also walk upto Lions' Lookout from where you can see the whole town painted beautifully or you could visit the Muskoka Heritage Place to get a feel of the history. There are many beach parks where you can spend hours fishing, canoeing or simply reading a book. It is best to walk around to see the town but for some places you might need a car or a cab, which can be booked easily at local taxi services. I would definitely give this place a big thumbs up and would add to my list of customary visits every year.

Hope this blog helps my travel buddies. Happy travelling!!

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