The charming lakeside town of Collingwood, Ontario, is popular with local residents and visitors in both the summer and winter. The town of about 20,000 people lies on Nottawasaga Bay, which is at the southern tip of Georgian Bay in Simcoe County.

The town’s name is in honor of Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood, who was second in command to Admiral Horatio Nelson during the famous Battle of Trafalgar. Collingwood then took over the British Navy after Nelson died.

The area of Collingwood was originally settled by Native North Americans until European settlers arrived in the 1840s. The town was famous for its shipbuilding up until the 1980s and is now known as a popular summer and winter resort.

Thousands of skiers head there each winter to glide down the hills at the Blue Mountain ski resort. The mountain’s scenic caves are also quite popular with visitors.

During the summers, people flock to the nearby sea and sand at Wasaga Beach and camp out at the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. The town also attracts budding tennis players to the Thomson Tennis School, which is an elite tennis school.

The town is also famous for its yearly Elvis Presley festival. The event will be entering its 17th year in 2011 and it features Elvis Presley impersonators from across the globe every July. Apart from a lake port, there’s also a small airport about five miles from town.

Whether you love boating, camping, hiking, swimming, skiing, or just watching a town-full of Elvis Presleys walking around, Collingwood has something for everyone.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

15 − thirteen =