18 researched places across 4 pockets — restaurants, shops, schools and parks.
Orillia's Mississaga Street downtown holds the city's best restaurants, pubs and cafés, steps from the Opera House and the Lake Couchiching waterfront.
Local pick: A meal on the heritage main street
A popular brunch restaurant with a beautiful lakeside patio in Orillia, beside the Stephen Leacock Museum on Old Brewery Bay.
Local pick: Brunch on the lakeside patio
The restaurants and lounges of Horseshoe Resort in Oro-Medonte — slope-side and clubhouse dining for skiers, golfers and resort guests.
Local pick: Après-ski by the slopes
The cafés and eateries serving the leafy village of Midhurst, just north of Barrie near Springwater Provincial Park.
Local pick: A coffee near Springwater Park
Elmvale's main-street cafés and diners — a relaxed country stop in the Springwater village known for its fall fair and zoo.
Local pick: A country diner in the village
Orillia's charming Mississaga Street downtown — heritage storefronts, boutiques, the famous Mariposa Market and cafés near the waterfront.
Local pick: Mariposa Market and heritage shops
Orillia Square Mall and the West Ridge power centre — grocery, big-box, department stores and services for the city and central Simcoe.
Local pick: Big-box and mall shopping
The shops and services around Horseshoe Valley and the Oro-Medonte villages — resort retail, general stores and country essentials.
Local pick: Resort and village essentials
Elmvale's Queen Street shops and general store — the everyday centre of the Springwater village near Georgian Bay.
Local pick: The country village main street
A Simcoe County DSB public secondary school in Orillia, serving the city and surrounding central Simcoe communities.
Local pick: An Orillia public high school
Georgian College's Orillia campus (shared with Lakehead University) — a modern, sustainable campus offering college and university programs.
Local pick: Orillia's college and university campus
A Simcoe County DSB public secondary school serving Elmvale, Midhurst and the Springwater and north-Simcoe communities.
Local pick: The Springwater high school
Orillia's lakefront on Lake Couchiching — a beach, the Port of Orillia marina, the Champlain monument, gardens and the waterfront trail.
Local pick: The beach, marina and Champlain monument
The lakeside home of humorist Stephen Leacock on Old Brewery Bay — a National Historic Site, museum and gardens that inspired 'Sunshine Sketches'.
Local pick: The humorist's lakeside home
A large casino and entertainment resort just outside Orillia on Rama First Nation — gaming, a hotel, restaurants and a major concert venue.
Local pick: Gaming, a hotel and big-name concerts
A four-season resort in Oro-Medonte — downhill skiing and snowboarding, two golf courses, an adventure park, Nordic spa and trails.
Local pick: Skiing, golf and the adventure park
A provincial park at Midhurst just north of Barrie — forest and meadow trails, picnic areas and a wildlife focus in the Springwater countryside.
Local pick: Forest trails near Barrie
The Elmvale Jungle Zoo and the village fairgrounds — a family zoo and the host of the long-running Elmvale Fall Fair in the Springwater countryside.
Local pick: The zoo and the fall fair