The Town of Penetanguishene is a bilingual community that’s located at the southern tip of Georgian Bay. The town is oriented toward the water with a unique landscape of rolling hills, woodlands, and wetlands. As you drive through the town you will notice it’s filled with picturesque views and tree-lined streets leading to beautiful waterfront properties as well as streets with single-family homes, and townhomes.
Penetanguishene is served by three school boards, public, catholic, and French because of its bilingual history. Some local elementary school options are the Canadian Martyrs Catholic School, Ecole Saint-Louis Catholic Elementary School, and James Keating Elementary School. Students in high school will attend either Ecole Publique Saint Joseph or Ecole Secondaire Le Caron.
Since Penetanguishene is surrounded by water, there’s no shortage of beaches and recreation activities here. Boaters can launch from Penetanguishene Harbor which provides picturesque views of the town line and harbor as you ride. The Harbor connects to Georgian Bay providing many dock options in Georgian Bay Islands National Park where you can spend the day exploring or swimming.
Penetanguishene Rotary Champlain Wendat Park is a popular area during the summer for swimming and playing. It’s located along the Penetanguishene Harbor providing a beautiful view as you relax and play. There’s also a basketball and volleyball court, skate park, and picnic area here to enjoy. For sports enthusiasts, Mcguire Park has a variety of sports fields and parks for kids and families to enjoy like bocce courts, horseshoes, tennis, pickleball, and two baseball diamonds.
If you enjoy walking the Penetanguishene Trail is a 4.8-kilometer trail that branches off into two other trails. This trail leads you to points of interest along the waterfront and through Rotary Champlain Wendat Park. A second trail at Discovery Harbor begins at the historic Port of Penetanguishene guiding you through the harbor. This is a beautiful trail during the summer and fall as it displays picturesque views of the harbor and trees surrounding it.
The Town of Penetanguishene offers a variety of sports and recreation programs for kids, youth, adults, and seniors. Youth programs include sports like Curling, Figure Skating, Tennis, and Swimming, and for adults they can join different yoga style classes or Zumba. Lastly, there are also a variety of programs made accessible to seniors in the community like Nordic Pole Walking, stretching, and chair yoga.
Penetanguishene offers a sense of community for residents, and you will see that in their community events. The Bayside Summer Soiree is a weekly outdoor event on the shores of Georgian Bay that runs all summer long. Some activities you’ll find here are outdoor movies and kids games, as well as live entertainment. The festival of lights brings visitors from all around during Christmas to see the discovery harbor lit up in Christmas lights. Residents and visitors can participate in guided walking tours around Discovery Harbor to see the variety of light displays as well as enjoy some food and drinks, and live music.
If you’re wondering what kinds of things there are to do in Penetanguishene, Discovery Harbor is a great place for kids and families as it showcases many ship replicas and guided war-themed tours. They offer kids and youth educational programs, and full-day summer camps that are always a great learning experience. Some other actvities or day adventures nearby that you may enjoy are visiting the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, Martyr’s Shrine, or Saint Marie Among the Hurons.
Shopping is limited in town, but you will find a Foodland and Shopper’s Drug Mart that will satisfy your small grocery items needs and a Circle K for quick gas fill-ups. Any retail shopping or services, and other larger urban amenities can be found in Midland.
Café Kittyhawk is a small European-inspired café that sells coffee and baked goods that are made in-house each day. It’s a great little place to catch up with a friend or stop by while doing some shopping downtown. Flynn’s Public House is a great Irish pub and grill that serves all your favorite traditional Irish pub fare comfort food. It’s always a full house here, and you will see why after dining here for the first time.
The Town of Penetanguishene is a great place to live or invest in a cottage property because of its access to outdoor activities and community focused living.
-The BDAR Team