15 Amazing Things To Do in Huntsville, Ontario
Looking for things to do in Huntsville Ontario? I can’t wait to dive into that with you.
I go to Huntsville every year for my wedding anniversary, and it’s one of my favourite small towns in Ontario.
There’s enough to do (in town and nearby) there that every time we go back, we find new things to do.
Most of the ideas below are designed for summer, as many small businesses open only seasonally. However, a few of them can be done in the wintertime too – I will specify.
So, let’s jump in – the best things to do in Huntsville Ontario to make the most of your trip there!
Best Things To Do in Huntsville, Ontario
1. Take a stroll along the main strip
One thing we never want to miss out on during our trips to Huntsville is to take time to just walk up the main street.
There are cute shops, cafés, restaurants, art galleries, and street art. Definitely build some time into your weekend to just take a walk.
Shopping on Main street
Huntsville may be a small town, but its actually has decent shopping. Most of the shopping is along Main street.
It’s a great place to find unique Canadian gifts and souvenirs.
Some of the unique stores you can find on the main street in Huntsville are:
Some notable things you can find on Main street in Huntsville
- Lots of colourful town murals
- Tom Thomson Maler, a nice place to sit down on a bench, and take in the views
- Town Dock Park, where you can enjoy views of the river. It connects to a park that has a kid’s playground
- The Old Town Hall, one of the oldest buildings in town. It is often decked out for different seasons of the year
- Algonquin Theatre/Civic Centre which plays year-round love performances. See what’s upcoming here
3. Enjoy the Muskoka River
Part of what makes Huntsville such a scenic area is the river running through it.
The boardwalk shown in the photo below is nice to walk down on a summer or fall day, getting photos.
Up ahead, Algonquin Outfitters rents out kayaks. We haven’t rented kayaks from them yet, but every year we see people taking their kayaks onto the river right from behind the Algonquin Outfitters.
Have a meal with a view of the river
There are a few restaurants that offer a view of the river. In the summer, there’s outdoor seating, but all of these places have indoor seating with windows that look out to the river as well.
- On The Dock’s Pub – This place (pictured above) is right beside the river, and has indoor and outdoor seating. Serves pub food
- 1858 Caesar Bar – Across the street from the river, but has a patio and windows that look out over the review. The food here is still comfort food, but a little bit more upscale than On The Dock’s. (Funnily enough, 1858 used to be an AirBnb – my husband and I stayed in it back in 2019!)
- That Little Place By the Lights – a cute, hole-in the wall Italian place. Has a patio with view of the river in the summer months
- Boston Pizza has a location right beside the Muskoka River, with a patio right on the river.
4. See paintings all around town
Part of what makes Huntsville so cute is the artwork all around town. Many can be seen on Main street, but some are located down side streets that you’d have to go for a walk beyond just the main strip to see.
These paintings are replicas of the Group of Seven, a classic Canadian art group.
Whether you’re being intentional to see all this artwork as a free self-guided tour, or just happen to see it as you’re walking around – you’ll see lots of these paintings regardless.
5. Head up to Lion’s Lookout
Lion’s Lookout is just a short drive from downtown Huntsville and offers very scenic views.
It’s like the top of a mountain that you can walk around, getting different views from all directions (it’s not just one single view!)
You could spend a good hour up there, just relaxing and taking in the beauty.
You have three options for getting up to the top of Lion’s Head:
- There’s a parking lot at the bottom of Lookout Road, where you can park and walk up to the top – it would take 15 minutes from that parking lot
- You can drive all the way up; there’s also a parking lot at the top.
If you want to drive all the way up Lion’s Head, just keep in mind that parking can be pretty tight, and it won’t be easy to get a spot on summer or fall weekends. (A spot will open up, you just might have to be patient.)
We actually had no idea that there was a parking lot at the top, until we got there. We just kept driving until we were at the top.
Luckily, we were able to get a spot but we saw some people struggle after we arrived (around 1pm in the afternoon on a Saturday.)
6. Check out Muskoka Heritage Place
Dob’t miss this Muskoka Heritage Place. It’s right at the bottom of the hill that you would take to drive up to Lion’s Lookout.
We came to Huntsville for too many years before realizing it was here – finally last year, we visited and we were glad we did!
It’s a cute, small museum with people dressed in century outfits.
It’s generally open between 10am and 4pm, and you can just wander in and learn about the roll the train played in the development of Huntsville, and history of the Muskokas.
7. Ride the old-fashioned train
From the Heritage Place, you can get on a train ride which only takes 25 minutes.
It’s called the Portage Flyer Train, and it generally runs from mid-May until October.
The Portage Flyer Train is one of the best things to do in Huntsville with kids. We don’t usually bring our kids to Huntsville (not that it isn’t kid friendly – just that we’re always here for our anniversary weekend.) But when I do bring the kids, we will for sure be riding this train.
To ride the train, show up at least 15 minutes before departure time and buy tickets on the spot. See departure times for each season here.
We haven’t ridden the train yet, but we enjoyed watching it coming through. It’s nice to have this piece of heritage in town!
8. Go Treetop Trekking
Treetop Trekking Huntsville is just a 10 minute drive from downtown Huntsville.
The whole retreat has more than just tree-top trekking. It has so much there for both adults only and families with kids.
Some activities are summer only, but many are year-round! Check out all their options here.
9. Take a walk on Hunters Bay Trail
Hunter’s Bay Trail is largely made up of floating dock sections over the water. You can walk, bike or run along it surrounded by open water.
The entire trail is 4.6 km and takes over 2 hours to finish if you’re walking. I’m actually sad that I didn’t know about this place before, we’re going to have to do it during our next anniversary weekend.
To walk Hunter’s Bay Trail, you need to head to the Centre St North Bridge, which is about a 5-minute drive out of downtown Huntsville.
10. Do the Tom Thompson Mystery Walk
Tom Thompson was a member of the Canadian art group, The Group of 7.
This Mystery Walk is apart of an app you download onto your phone. You walk through Huntsville trying to solve the mystery about the true reason behind Thompson’s death – if it was accidental, or if it was a homicide.
The activity which you use your smartphone to navigate, is $28 per person and takes about 2 hours.
Grab your Tom Thompson Mystery Walk here
11. Go hiking
Hiking is the reason why my husband and I choose Huntsville as our anniversary weekend every single year.
No other place in southern Ontario compares to us in terms of the amazing views we can get from so many different trails.
The area is surrounded with lots of good places to hike. Here are some options:
Algonquin Provincial Park
Distance from Huntsville: 42 km (35 minute drive)
Algonquin isn’t by any means the closest hiking spot to Huntsville, but it’s by far, the most famous. We almost always visit Algonquin in fall for our wedding anniversary.
Huntsville is over half an hour from Algonquin, but still a great place to stay for hiking Algonquin.
If you want to beat the crowds (on a summer or fall weekend) then I highly recommend getting out there early so you can secure parking in your parking spot in your preferred hike.
Arrowhead Provincial Park
Distance from Huntsville: 9 km (10 minute drive)
To be honest, I don’t know why Arrowhead isn’t more popular.
It’s a beautiful provincial park; much smaller than Algponquin and doesn’t seem to get anywhere near the crowds.
12. Check out the Dyer Memorial Monument and Nature Reserve
Distance from Huntsville: 12.5 km (20 minute drive)
Just a 20 minute drive from Huntsville is an interesting monument, with a nature reserve surrounding it. This is a hidden gem in Huntsville, as it doesn’t get visited too often.
The story behind the monument is that it was built by a man for his wife. You can check out the monument, and enjoy the old-growth pine forest surrounding it.
The drive up to this rugged, natural spot is steam with some rocks – just drive carefully. There is a parking lot at the top. The park is open from mid- May until mid-October.
13. Visit the nearby Sugarbush
Distance from Huntsville: 10 km (12 minute drive)
Sugarbush Hill Maple Farm is close to downtown Huntsville. They produce maple syrup, and offer many ‘maple’ related things to do for visitors between mid March to end of October:
- Sugarbush hiking trail, 1.2 km (25-30 minutes) and family-friendly
- Maple Heritage Cabin, where you can learn about the history of maple syrup tapping in the area
- Maple Weekend, an annual event held first weekend of April
14. Grab some treats from Henrietta’s Bakery
My parents are obsessed with Henrietta’s Bakery, and recommend it to us every time we go to Huntsville – and we have gone there, a few times. (And yes, the baked good are very good.)
Everything is baked in Dwight, another village near Huntsville – and sold either in Dwight or Huntsville.
Sometimes it can be tricky to visit Henrietta’s in Huntsville because they’re closed on Sundays, and don’t open until 9:30 on Saturdays (we’re usually long gone by then, to get to our hikes early.) But if you do manage to make it there, its worth it.
15. Stay in a cabin
Whenever my husband and I go on our anniversaries to Huntsville, we always stay in a nearby cabin.
Part of what we love is that connection with the peaceful outdoors, while still being close to Huntsville and provincial parks.
Some of the cabins we’ve stayed in have been eco-cabins, and others offered more luxuries – like hot tubs. Many are good for winter or summer – in fact, they would maky an amazing winter getaway in Ontario.
Either way, we love enjoying fire pits, starry night skies, and the simplicity of being together outside in the wilderness. While we usually do this as our anniversary weekend, it can be done as a family too (depending on which cabin you choose.)
- Allure Muskoka Tiny Homes – this is more of a five star retreat for couples. We stayed here for our 4th wedding anniversary. They have a glass dome that you can rent as well. Great customer service Check their website here.
- Eco cabin (pictured above) We felt like we were in the middle of the forest at this place, and still very close to Huntsville.
Best Places to Stay in Huntsville, Ontario
Not into the cabin idea? No worries – here are some other great places to stay that are closer to downtown Huntsville
- Budget: Motel 6 – Huntsville Only 2 km (5 minute walk) from the town centre, and offers a great value
- Mid-Range: Home2Home Suites by Hilton Huntsville – Offers a free breakfast, and is within walking distance from downtown
- Luxury: Deerhurst Resort – A fun resort with two swimming pools, and a restaurant and spa on site. They also rent out equipment for you to enjoy
Where to Eat in Huntsville
Huntsville is actually home to quite a few very nice restaurants. It has catered to people who are on vacation – couples retreats, girl’s weekends – and for that reason, I find it does have a decent foodie scene.
The restaurant options are part of what we love about Huntsville. Without repeating the restaurants we mentioned above along the river, here are OTHER great places to eat that you should consider in Huntsville!
- Tall Trees – suitable for a special occasion or date night. Do make reservations in advance, they fill up fast in high season. They do breakfast as well
- Seng’s Thai Cuisine – This is the only place we’ve eaten at every time we’re in Huntsville. I love their Thai food, and some of their dishes I haven’t been able to find anywhere else
- Five Guys and a Stove – Located more in the outskirts of town, Five Guis is a Huntsville Classic. Has a nice environment, also great for date nights or girl’s nights. Food is very creative, see menu.
- Main St. Local Kitchen – Right on Main street as the name suggests. Great breakfast, but they do lunch and breakfast too. See menu. They fill up by 8:30-9am on weekends, so I suggest reserving.
Final Thoughts on Huntsville, Ontario
I hope that you’ve enjoyed my guide on Huntsville, Ontario. Being the location for our mini honeymoon (during covid) and our anniversary destination for so many years, it has become near and dear to our hearts. Thank you for reading, and I truly hope you love Huntsville as much as we do!