Island Queen cruise - Parry Sound, Ontario

Here is the next in our series of attractions and things to do when in Muskoka, Ontario.  There is so much to do a see it may take awhile to review everything but we are going to give it our best shot!! Click here for our youtube video of the review!

Ok so I have to be up front here in saying that I wasn’t expecting much when it comes to a sight seeing cruise of some islands.....  What I was most excited for was that it would force me to get away from the work I was doing at the cottage and I might be able to relax for a couple of hours out on the water.  I gotta say….it was way better than I expected!! 

They offer a two hour morning cruise or a three hour afternoon cruise.   I had teenagers in tow so I thought it best not to push my luck on a three hour tour and chose to do the two hour morning cruise.   Once we were underway I was regretting the fact that I didn’t choose the three hour tour!   We toured through the many islands – I should say that the tour is also known as the 30,000 island tour….  I really enjoyed looking at the cottages on the water, seeing all of the islands, and hearing facts about the area from the loudspeaker as we passed points of interest.  It was a smooth relaxing tour with an on board cafeteria and washrooms.

Would I do it again?  Absolutely!!  Next time I will do the three hour tour and I think I will give it a try in the Fall season to see some of the changing leaves!  The kids ended up having a fun time too!  

Next time you are at one of the Serenity Vacation Rentals cottages – be sure to check out the Island Queen cruise!!

Bear Claw Tours

Looking for something fun to do while staying at one of our Muskoka Cottages?  Look no further! For an adventure that you and your family won't forget, try Bear Claw Tours!

So what is Bear Claw Tours? – Well it is a guided ATV tour through 1,000 acres of private trailed beautiful Muskoka land.   Bear Claw is located just 7 kilometres East of Parry Sound which is centrally located for all of the Serenity Vacation Rental Cottages.   We had the opportunity to take the four hour tour with Owner / Operator - Andrew Ryeland in late June of 2015 and all I can say is WOW!

I knew we were in for an adventure right from the opening emails when I asked the ridiculous question “What is your rainy day policy” and is humorous reply was “we don’t charge extra for that”!  We arrived for our private tour and Andrew greeted us and had us begin to prepare for the ride.  Andrew had us go through a large selection of helmets, gloves, rubber boots, and rain coats and pants.  We were then all geared up we were ready for our ride!

There was a large selection of ATV’s to choose from.  Because we had our two youngest with us, we chose two of the side by side ATV’s for my wife and I to take with the younger kids.  Our older son had an ATV to himself.  After a short safety and instructional talk, we were on our way.  Our family had little to no experience on ATV’s, so it was nice that the vehicles were all very easy to learn and ride.  Within a minute we were on the trails!  I was blown away by the terrain we were able to go through.  We were over rocks, tree stumps and fallen trees, streams, mud, and open fields.  Andrew was fantastic for showing us points of interest and pointing out any animal tracks we came across along the way!   There was only a couple of times during the tour where one of us got stuck but Andrew was an expert at quickly getting us back on the trail.  

During the tour we stopped for periodic breaks.  I had to laugh when Andrew offered my wife coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, or expresso, – and then he opened his storage container on the back of his ATV and he had it all!  The kids had juice and snacks while my wife had a hot coffee!   All of the  snacks and drinks were included in the cost of the tour!  For the entire four hours we were making our way through the bush on the scenic trails, or we were on breaks listening to Andrew tell stories of his adventures, eating snacks, or looking at the beautiful Muskoka scenery and wildlife.   

My family and I had a fantastic time and we can’t wait to go back!   We do have some video footage of the adventure you can click to see.   Thanks for a fantastic time Andrew!  If you are staying at one of the Serenity Vacation Rentals cottages, you have to make a point to visit Andrew and experience the Bear claw ATV tour!   We highly recommend it!

Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

While on vacation at one of the Serenity Vacation Rental Cottages, "Birch Grove", We were fortunate enough to have a visit at the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.  What an amazing place and an amazing cause!  The following is the mandate for Aspen Valley taken directly from their website...

To rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned native wildlife To provide quality care that avoids habituation to humans and respects each animal’s need for a safe, healthy, species-appropriate environment while in captivity To release animals into the wild in a condition that gives them the best possible chance for survival To provide a permanent home for native species unable to survive in the wild due to human interference To educate the public about issues surrounding wildlife and wildlife interactions with humans To work within the established rules and regulations set out by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Once we read this we knew we had to visit to see the good work they were doing first hand.  The sanctuary was just minutes from Birch Grove cottage and we wanted to go with our family to see the animals and the work they were doing.  Aspen Valley has open houses for the public periodically through the year but as luck would have it, there were no open houses planned the week of our vacation.  We were excited to find out that they will hold private tours for a donation of $50 or more.  

As it was such a good cause, we were excited to donate so that our family of five could come and visit.

We met with staff on a hot humid day in late June and prepared for our tour.  The necessities included bug spray and sun screen as we were walking around the holding pens and rehabilitation areas throughout the spacious 100 acre sanctuary.  We met with Rachel and Marta who would be our personal tour guides.  We walked along the habitats and they explained that most of the animals would be hiding in the shade but we did manage to see a few of the animals.   Most of the animals we saw on the tour were permanent residents as they were either too injured to survive in the wild, or they had become too domesticated.  The goal of Aspen Valley is to get the animals back into the wild whenever possible.  We were able to see porcupines, coyotes, wolves, bears, and foxes on the tour.  During the tour Marta explained that the big part of the volunteers day was spent just feeding baby animals.  Much of the wildlife brought into Aspen Valley are there because there parents had been killed or injured.

Overall we had a fantastic visit at Aspen Valley and we can't wait to go back again.  I hope you will take some time to visit there while staying in Muskoka and why not leave them a donation while you are there.   Enjoying nature is part of a summer vacation and supporting this fantastic cause will only add to the positive memories you and your family have created this summer!

7 must see tourist attractions for 2015!!

We have our family vacation coming up soon both at Birch Grove and Lee Valley. Unfortunately we won't make it to Curtis Cottage this summer but have plans to visit in the Fall and Winter. For this summer, I have made it a goal to hit some of the many tourist attractions in close proximity of the cottages so that I can give honest and first hand reviews and feedback on them for future guests. Is it worth your money? Should you go there or not? Here are the top 7 attractions I plan to visit this summer while at the Serenity Vacation Rentals cottages! - In no particular order...

1. Terry Boyle Ghost Tours
How cool does this sound?? A local expert on the supernatural takes you on a tour of towns in cottage country and points out the areas with a history of ghost sightings and the most haunted areas!! For the summer of 2015 he will be running tours in Gravenhurst every Thursday night from 7pm until approximately 8:30pm. The charge is $13 per person and be sure to bring a camera!
entwood@vianet.ca 705-382-6920 

2. Muskoka Lakes Winery and Johnston’s Cranberries 
I keep hearing amazing things about this place and it seems to be a staple of the Muskoka region. Food and wine tasting, nature and self guided trails, daily "bog to bottle" discovery tour, and kids scavenger hunt are just some of the activities that await!
www.cranberry.ca

3. Bear Claw ATV tours
The name pretty much says it! Can't wait to rent some ATV's and get out on the trails! They offer guided tours and self guided adventures! When I called to book I asked the following question which really showed what a novice I am when it comes to ATV'ing. (What happens if it rains?). I loved his response.....(We don't charge extra for the extra fun you will have during the rain) GOOD POINT! Can't wait!! 
www.bearclawtours.com

4. 30,000 Island Queen Cruise
They offer a 2 hour morning cruise or a 3 hour afternoon cruise touring the beautiful islands of Georgian Bay!
www.islandqueencruise.com

5. Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
Our family is very excited to visit here! The Sanctuary's mission is to care for injured and orphaned wildlife, and once they are rehabilitated, to return them to the wild. If the animal cannot be returned to the wild, it is cared for. What a fantastic cause! Open limited hours to preserve the animals' natural habitats as much as possible, this is one of the best places to see and learn about Canadian wild-life such as bears, moose, and raccoons, as well as abandoned exotic animals. Open mid-May to mid-October. 
www.aspenvalley.ca

6. Georgian Bay Airways
Some amazing adventures available here! Sightseeing air tours, Fly and dine, fly-in fishing, and fly and hike just to name a few. for more information on these adventures check out the website below!
www.georgianbayairways.com

7. Bala
One of the many very cool tourist cottage towns! It is considered one of the hubs of cottage country. Its year-round population of several hundred is swamped by thousands of seasonal residents and day-trippers. Known as the Cranberry Capital of Ontario! When in this area you must visit Don's Bakery.


So there is my list of cottage attractions I hope to visit this summer. I will be leaving a full blog post on each one with a review and feedback for our cottage guests to read. Look for future posts here on these tourist destinations and some of the local restaurants! Hmmm......relaxing at the cottage, doing some sight seeing, and getting my fill at some great restaurants....sounds like my kind of work!!

You've been to one of these 7 attractions? I'd love to see any comments you might have on them good or bad! Leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it!!  What attractions did I miss?  Let me know so we can go and check them out!

Check out our website at www.serenity-vacationrentals.com

Rocky Horror Picture Show

RCMPI production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show!

Well Lee Valley is up and running! I am very excited about the response from out guests! We have almost completely booked the summer, most spring weekends are full, and we are now starting to inquiries about our Autumn weekends. Some of my favourite things from Lee Valley are 

1) The Bunkie - A fantastic one bedroom bunkie with kitchen, bathroom, and living room with fold out sofa bed. Amazing views of the lake and a little getaway from the rest of the family if they are getting too noisy! lol. This is a perfect spot for older kids, inlaws, or friends.

2) The Muskoka room and Sunroom - Here we have a screened in area at the back of the cottage for those evenings where you don't want the bugs, but you also don't want to miss out on the cool outside air! The sunroom on the second level is a great spot for reading, listening to music or playing a board game!

3) The land! This is our first cottage on flat land allowing you to easily walk to the water without any steps. The lake is just a few feet away from the cottage which is great for watching the kids play, swim, or just to enjoy the view! Password - Lake Manitouwaba

I'm hope you will get a chance to come and enjoy Lee Valley and I hope you enjoy the presentation of "The Rocky Horror Show"!!

Count down to Lee Valley

I'm super excited about adding our third cottage "Lee Valley" and I'm happy the new owners put their trust in Serenity Vacation Rentals to rent it out for them! There are only few things I can say at this point as the deal closes April 5th, but what I can tell you is that we will have all the information updated here on the website on that day. I'm happy to email any details to anyone who is interested in the meantime! I can highlight some of the features for you though..... A nice sandy beach, flat land close to water (no steps down stairs or walk down a steep hill to get to the water), a separate bunkie with it's own kitchen and bathroom perfect for the in-laws or older kids! 

I can't wait to get in there and take more pictures after we've had a chance to make it a true Serenity Vacations getaway! We will have one month to get it ready before the rentals begin. We will begin renting Lee Valley for May 1st and we've already had some bookings! 

We are meeting with the previous owners this week to learn about some of the operations of the cottage. i'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress!

First blog ever!

I thought it was time we started our very own blog here at Serenity Vacation Rentals! We will have some very exciting news in the next few weeks! We are in the process of adding our third vacation rental property Lee Valley. There is not a lot that we can say at this time other than check back to our website after April 5th for more information!