Serenity Vacation Rentals gives back!

Over the last six months, we have run a pilot project collecting donations from our guests for the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and our guests did not disappoint!   We collected an assortment of discarded towels, bed linens, old dog and cat crates, old stuffed toys, and other much needed items!   Many of our guests also made a point to visit Aspen Valley Sanctuary and leave cash donations.    We appreciate each and every one of our guests who took the time to bring items for Aspen Valley when travelling to enjoy their vacation at one of the Serenity Vacation Rentals properties.  

For those of you not familiar with Aspen Valley, they are a 460 acre wildlife sanctuary of natural habitat located in Muskoka.  Their primary mandate is to rehabilitate animals so that they can eventually be returned to their natural habitat.  They also provide education to the community about co-existing with wildlife and humane solutions for wildlife-related issues. The size of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary makes them one of the most unique and important wildlife rehabilitation centres in Ontario.

Thank you to the following Serenity Vacation Rentals owners for participating in the program;  

·         Birch Grove

·         Copper Cove

·         Curtis Cottage

·         Deep Woods Haven

·         Lee Valley

·         Mallard Beach

·         Muskoka Pines

·         Wraight Escape

I wanted to give a special thanks to the M. Wu family who were guests of Lee Valley, and left a cash donation of $50 for the sanctuary.  I also want to thank the owners of Muskoka Pines for their cash donation of $30.  Serenity Vacation Rentals matched the cash donations and a total of $160 was given along with the donated items.

Lastly I want to thank everyone at Aspen Valley for all of their very important work!   You are greatly appreciated!   I am hopeful six months from now we can more than double the requested items and cash donations!

You can see a YouTube video of a private tour we did of Aspen Valley in 2015 here.

Dean Curtis

Serenity Vacation Rentals

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