Travel Like a Bee: Spring in The Kawarthas
There’s something about The Kawarthas that tends to draw in a few distinct types of travellers. Not by design, but by the experiences this place naturally offers; each one shaping how it’s explored.
The Fox is all about movement, drawn to trails, water, and the thrill of discovering what’s around the next corner.
The Bear prefers a slower pace with quiet mornings, lakeside views, and the comfort of returning to familiar places year after year.
The Otter looks for meaning in their travels, often alongside family and friends. Curious and thoughtful, they’re drawn to experiences that offer a deeper understanding of a place.
And then there’s the Bee.
Spring is where the Bee comes alive in The Kawarthas. As the days grow longer and the region begins to hum again, cottage country energy returns – patios fill, conversations flow, and communities reawaken. Drawn to culture, people, and stories, the Bee’s moves are guided by curiosity, seeking out moments that feel authentic and meaningful. For them, travel is about engaging – trying, tasting, learning – and leaving with something that lasts long after the trip ends.
In Lakefield, the Bee will be drawn to the stories woven into the landscape. Long a source of inspiration for writers like Susanna Moodie, Catharine Parr Traill, and Margaret Laurence, the village still carries that literary influence. Each July, that connection comes into focus during the Lakefield Literary Festival, when readers and writers gather to celebrate generations of storytelling. Beyond the festival, the Bee will continue to enjoy connection in conversations with boutique owners, dishes at local restaurants, volunteers and displays at the Christ Church Museum, or a stay at The Village Inn, where historic charm meets modern comforts.
Further south in Millbrook, the past is woven into everyday life. With the highest number of historically designated buildings per capita in Ontario, the village’s downtown is not only rich in history but regularly used as a filming location – a testament to its timeless character. The online self-guided walking tour available from the Millbrook and Cavan Historical Society brings those stories forward, offering a deeper look at the people and places that shaped the community.
Minutes from the village, 4th Line Theatre carries local history into the present. Its outdoor productions, located on a storied farmstead, create an evening that feels intimate and immersive. For those drawn to culture, it’s an experience worth planning your entire trip around.
To truly understand The Kawarthas, a Bee naturally begins with the First Nations who have cared for it since time immemorial. Their stories, knowledge, and traditions are woven into the land itself, shaping this place long before it was known by any other name. At Whetung Ojibwa Centre, handcrafted pieces and artwork reflect generations of tradition, storytelling, and community – and your conversations with the members of Curve Lake First Nation will stay with you long after you leave. That connection continues at Petroglyphs Provincial Park, where the largest known collection of ancient carvings in Canada tells a story that words could never express. It’s an experience that encourages you to slow down, take it all in, and thoughtfully reflect.
For the Bee traveller, some of the best experiences are the ones you can take part in. At Rice Lake Arts, that might mean signing up for a class or workshop and trying something new. It’s a chance to step out of passive travel mode and create, learn a skill, meet new people, and leave with something made by your own hands.
An unexpected kind of cultural experience in The Kawarthas can be found at Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden. Spanning more than 500 acres, it reflects an ambitious vision to create one of the largest Buddhist cultural complexes of its kind outside China, blending traditional design with the Canadian natural landscape. Walking the grounds, there’s a sense of both scale and stillness, a space designed not just to be seen, but to be felt.
For those who travel like the Bee, it’s never just about getting away. It’s about engaging with a place through its people, its culture, and the experiences that bring it to life. It’s about following curiosity, staying open, and letting each moment unfold naturally. In spring, The Kawarthas offers exactly that. A place to explore without overplanning. To connect effortlessly. To travel like you and leave with stories that feel entirely your own. Because the best kind of travel isn’t passive, it’s something you step into.
Ryley Gutoskie,
The Kawarthas Tourism
