Wasaga Beach – The Georgian Bay’s Party Beach Town With A View of the Blue Mountains
As the harsh summer sun beats down on southern Ontario, locals decamp for the cool waters of the Georgian Bay or their lakefront cottages in the Muskokas. For those of which are looking to embrace the party lifestyle, one destination stands out above the others, Wasaga Beach, a mecca of the weekend benders and late night bar crowd.
Geography
The city of Wasaga is built on a long sandbar sandwiched between the meandering (as well as murky) Nottawasaga River and the southern end of the Georgian Bat. The city is located two hours north of Toronto, fifty minutes north of Barrie and is just to the west of Collingwood/The Blue Mountains, a pretty ideal location if you ask me!
A Brief History
Once home to the Huron people, the city was colonized in 1649 by the Iroquoi allies of the English-Dutch. In fact Nottawasaga is a word of Algonquin origin where Nottawa means “Iroquois” and saga means “mouth of the river”. In fact the word Nottawasaga was was one of warning for Algonquin scouts when they would spot Iroquois raiding parties. For the time being the European neglected to settle the area due to the poor soil conditions. It would not be developed until the 1830’s when it became a lumber town. It became an important resort town at the start of the 20th century, a process accelerated by visits from Canadian servicemen serviced here during the Second World War and bringing their families with them thereafter. In 1934, the flat beach was the departure site of the first transatlantic flight from Canada to England. The town’s growth only accelerated from then on, only slowed down by a devastating 2007 fire that destroyed much of the main strip near beach one.
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What to do in Wasaga!
There is not that much to do in Wasaga proper outside of the beach and a few other related activities. For culture vultures, I recommend heading out to the nearby town of Collingwood, diddo for hikers who may want to hike the Blue Mountains and grab a cold cider at the ever delicious cidery at Thornbury.
Head out to the Bar!
Despite the fire that destroyed much of the city’s seedy nightlife, there is still plenty of places near the beach to order a stiff drink or a cold beer! Later at night you will typically find these places crawling with patrons.
Sunbathe at the Beach (Wasaga Provincial Park)
The long sandbar on the north shore of the Nottawasaga is home to over eight beaches for a total of 14 kilometres. The popular day use area may be difficult to park near as over two million people visit the tiny town of twenty-thousand during the summer. Private parking does exist but it can get pricey Beach! Beach Areas 1-6 can be accessed off Mosley Street in Wasaga.
Once on the beach itself, you will get a great view of the blue mountains rising over the fresh water in the distance. The waves of the bay are decent and there is usually a decent breeze blowing into shore. Enjoy!
Pay A Visit to the Nancy Island Historic Site
In the center of the Nottawasaga River is an island called Nancy with an important connection to the city’s past. To get to hit you will have to park at the visitors center, where a memorial to the transatlantic flight mentioned in the history section is located.
At the far end of Nancy island is a second footbridge crossing over to tower island where a beautiful old lighthouse guards the river.
The most important historic site in Wasaga is located on Nancy island itself. The site is actually hidden by a modern building overhead as seen in the picture below. The island is named after the HMS Nancy, a vessel built in 1789 for the fur trade, constructed in then British Detroit. It served admirably in the Great Lakes trade until the war of 1812, where it often stopped at the Nottawasaga River for supplies. In fact Detroit had fallen to the Americans and during the Battle of Lake Erie the British Upper Great Lakes navy was wiped out (Detroit being the point of entry into this section of the great lakes), the Nancy was the only surviving ship as it was away at at Fort Mackinac during the battle. The ship continued to supply British garrisons, particularly at for Makinac. In 1814, once again docking in the Nottawasaga River to stay hidden, it was discovered by American vessels gathering wood and fired upon. Outgunned and out-maned the commanding officer sunk his ship (rather then let it be captured) and retreated into the woods, yet returning to capture two of the American ships by surprise.
Over time silt from the river deposited around the ships hull, creating the island you see today. The modern building is museum where you can observe the excavated hull of the ship that so gallantly served her nation
