15 Amazing Things To Do in Huntsville, Ontario

Huntsville is a medium-sized Muskoka town nestled near the Algonquin Highlands, right on the Canadian shield. It’s a special place for us, as me and my husband go there every year for our wedding anniversary. Every time we head out to Huntsville, we look for something new to do that we haven’t done before (although we often find ourselves going back to our same favourite spots.)

Huntsville has a really nice downtown, and surrounded by so much beauty and lots of amazing things to do. It’s second-largest town in Muskoka, and is full of little gems that make it worth checking out. I’m sure you’ll agree after seeing it that its one of the cutest small towns in Ontario. Most of the ideas below are designed for summer and fall, as many small businesses open only seasonally. Huntsville is quieter in the winter, although it does still receive some visitors who want to experience a snowy Ontario winter destination. So, let’s jump in – here are all the amazing things you can do in Huntsville, Ontario!

Best Things To Do in Huntsville, Ontario

1. Walk along Huntsville’s main street

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 so many great independent stores, cafés, ice cream, art galleries, street art and restaurants. The nice thing about Huntsville’s main street is that its just a stone’s throw from the river.

There’s lots of good shopping on main street – not that I’m a huge shopper, but its a decent place to get nice gifts and support local businesses. Some of my favourite stores are Soapstones (they make their own skincare products) and Cedar Canoe Books, an independent bookstore. I also love Muskoka Bearwear, where I’ve gotten a number of my hoodies and comfy cottage pajama pants.

Overall the main street is a great place to find unique Canadian souvenirs and gifts, many of which are locally sourced and family owned businesses.

The best part is that Main street isn’t all shopping and food. You’ll see other things such as:

• Lots of colourful town murals (you can do a free self-guided tour of them)
• Tom Thomson Maler, a nice place to sit down on a bench for a break, maybe with an ice cream
• Town Dock Park, just a stone’s throw from the main street, where you can enjoy views of the river. It connects to a park that has a kids’ playground
• The Old Town Hall, one of the oldest buildings in town. It is often decked out for different seasons of the year, such as Christmas and Halloween
• Algonquin Theatre/Civic Centre, which plays year-round love performances. See what’s upcoming on their schedule here if you’re interested in seeing a show

2. Enjoy some great cuisine options

For a smallish town, Huntsville is actually home to quite a few great food options. Since we’re always here on a romantic weekend away, we love to try the restaurants when we’re here and we have our favourites that we always keep going back to.

Our favourite restaurants are Seng’s Thai Cuisine and Tall Trees. These are the two that we seem to eat at at least once every time we’re in town. Tall Trees is a fancy date night atmosphere, and on the pricier side. If you’re here at a busy time, then you’d definitely need a reservation, ideally weeks in advance.

Seng’s Thai Cuisine is much more casual, and their food is delicous. They’re also right on the main strip. We’ve also eaten at On the Docks Pub a number of times, its really nice in the warm weather months for being able to eat with views of the river (they have indoor seating in the winter months.) But these aren’t the only good places to eat at, there are a few other really great restaurants in town, check out my article on best restaurants in Huntsville.

3. Walk along the Muskoka River boardwalk

Part of what makes Huntsville such a scenic area is the Muksoka River running through it. This walking spot is right next to the main street, so its easy to get to. The boardwalk shown in the photo below is nice to walk down on a summer or fall day, getting photos of the river, and of the Historic Swing bridge (the green one in the background.)

Up ahead, Algonquin Outfitters rents out kayaks so you can go kayaking on this river in the warm months. Every year we see people taking their kayaks onto the river right from behind the Algonquin Outfitters.

There are a few restaurants right on this river to eat at for nice views too, On The Docks Pub, That Little Place at the Lights (Italian), a Boston Pizza and Smokin’ Hot BBQ.

4. Head up to Lion’s Lookout

Lion’s Lookout is just a short drive from downtown Huntsville and offers a panoramic scenic view of the surrounding lake. 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, getting millions of different shots.

You have three options for getting up to the top of Lion’s Head:

• Walk from the parking lot at the bottom. 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, and it would be a pretty steap climb
• Park at the top. 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.)

5. Check out Muskoka Heritage Place

Don’t miss this Muskoka Heritage Place, which is a small museum with a little train station (and an actual running train) beside it. 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. The museum is 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 some history of the Muskokas. We spent about 20-30 minutes walking around reading about the town’s history. It’s wild to think that public transit used to be so much more widespread in Ontario than it is now.

6. Ride the old-fashioned train

From the Muskoka Heritage Place (museum mentioned above), you can hop 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!

7. Walk the Hunters’ Bay Trail

We came to Huntsville way too many times without realizing that there was this amazing trial that walks along the river, and even takes you on boardwalks across the bay! Hunter’s Bay Trail has different sections. You can park at one spot and then hike all of the sections, but it wouldn’t be a loop, it would also be a 5 km walk one way and then 5km back. It’s all apart of the Trans Canada Trail.

What we did instead (as we were limited on time), was park at the small lot at 42 Centre Street North. From there, we walked on a beautiful dirt trail along the river; the sights were gorgeous. We turned around, went back to the Centre street north parking and then drove to a parking lot right beside Orchard Park which is just a few minutes away. From there, we hiked the boardwalk over the water sections (pictured above.)

The most unique and jaw dropping part of the trail are the boardwalks over the bay. For those, you need to park at Orchard street park. There’s a beautiful park there where people have picnics in the shade, and there are two different sections of the trail that you can walk to from that lot.

8. Do the self guided art walk

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. Don’t miss the Tom Thompson statue just outside of the theatre – he was a Group of Seven Painter who died in Algonquin Park under mysterious circumstances, and there’s a memoiral for him inside the park. His statue is often dressed for the seasons, so there’s a scarf around him if its cold.

9. Go on some incredibly scenic nearby hikes

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. With Huntsville being located on the Canadian shield, there are so many dramatic, rugged views.

We have hiked many other places around Ontario, but the Algonquin Highlands offer something special. So many lakes, and serene Ontario beauty. Some views that literally stop you in your tracks, and make you want to have framed, or printed on a postcard. Here are the two options we always go back to:

Algonquin Provincial Park –42 km (35 minute drive) from Huntsville. Algonquin isn’t by any means the closest hiking spot to Huntsville, but it’s by far, the most popular! Yes, it gets a bit overcrowded in the fall, but for a good reason. Its so, so gorgeous. 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. Also remember to buy your park pass in advance, as at peak times, they often sell out for the day. I have seen people arrive from Toronto only to be told that they can’t get in.

Our favourite trails in Algonquin are Booth’s Rock, and Centennial Ridges. Track and Tower is also a great option. All of these hikes are very popular during the peak fall season, and you need to be in the parking lots early!

Arrowhead Provincial Park – 9 km (10 minute drive). I don’t know why Arrowhead isn’t more popular, especially for the amount of people visiting Huntsville. It’s a beautiful provincial park; much smaller than Algonguin and doesn’t get anywhere near the crowds. I’ll admit it doesn’t have as many ‘spectacular’ views as Algonquin; its a bit less epic and postcard like. But there are some really pretty sites and its definitely worth a visit, especially if you want more of a peaceful day out rather than dealing with crowds. My favourites (and the most popular) in Arrowhead are Stubb’s Falls, and Big Bend Lookout.

10. Check out the Sandhill Nursery

If you’ve spent any time on instagram lately, you may have seen reels and photos of the Sandhill Nursery and Garden Centre which is about a 10 minute drive from downtown Huntsville. They do a number of really cool festivals and events throughout the year. In the fall, they have a daytime festival as well as “forest of light” which happens in the evening. This transforms into Winter Forest of Light in the winter evenings, happening from November 13th – March 2027. (I may just have to make my way back up here for that.)

Sandhill Nursery has turned into a tourist attraction, but they also have concerts, comedy nights and workshops. check out their full lineup of events here.

11. 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. They have fresh croissants, quiches, pizza bread, scones, tarts and so much more.

12. Go Treetop Trekking

Treetop Trekking Huntsville is just a 10 minute drive from downtown Huntsville. There are only a handful of other places in Ontario that offer Treetop Trekking (the only ones I know of are Barrie and the Blue Mountains) so its pretty cool that a small town like Huntsville has this option. The place also has more than just tree-top trekking.

You can do night treetop trekking here, ziplining and a few other activities. Some activities are summer only, but many are year-round! Check out all their options here.

13. Check out the Dyer Memorial Monument and Nature Reserve

Distance from Huntsville: 12.5 km (20 minute drive)

The Dyer Memorial Monument is somewhat of an off-the-beaten-path thing to do in Huntsville. It’s a monument with a story behind it, surrounded by a nature reserve. It’s just a 20 minute drive from Huntsville. You can check out the monument and enjoy the old-growth pine forest surrounding it. I have yet to come here myself, but it is on my radar as something for our next trip. We’ve worked our way through most of the other things to do in Huntsville and the area, and this is next on the list! If you head here, I’d love to here how it went!

The drive up to this rugged, natural spot is steap with some rocks, so drive very carefully. There is a parking lot at the top. The park is open from mid- May until mid-October.

14. Visit a 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

15. Nearby cozy glamping

Whenever my husband and I go on our anniversaries to Huntsville, we always rent a nearby cabin. Part of what we love is that connection with the peaceful outdoors, while still being close to Huntsville and provincial parks. 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.)

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, summer, or fall – it depends on the specific cabin. Here are a few cabins that we’ve stayed in and recommend (none of these are affiliate by the way – we booked and paid for them and genuinely recommend them based on our experience:) Or, click here to see all of our favourite cozy romantic getaways in Ontario.

• Allure Muskoka Tiny Homes – this is more of a five star retreat for couples. We stayed here for our 4th wedding anniversary, which had a hot tub and a fire pit. 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. Check out their AirBnb listing here.
• Haus in the Trees – this house was pretty simple on the inside, but the views from the little wooden patio were amazing. It felt like we were floating in the forest. Listing on AirBnb here.

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

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. It’s a bit far for a day trip from Toronto, so staying for 1-2 nights is worth it to really feel like you get to connect with the surrounding nature. If you want to venture off a bit, I also recommend the Dwight Lookout Tower, or Screaming Heads in Burk’s Falls. Thank you for reading, and I truly hope you love Huntsville as much as we do!