Originally this night away was planned around us taking our Son to a 2.5-hour zipline course. I booked a wilderness cabin months ahead. Then we went into lockdown. As Ontario opened back up the site said they wouldn't be opening the course in time for our night already booked. This changed the whole idea of the night away. We still wanted to check out Glamping, now we did it with Pup in mind.
Over the years of having a Pup, I have heard of a great dog beach at Port Burwell Provincial Park. When planning this adventure I thought it would be great to bring her along. When traveling with our Pup I have to be extra thoughtful of where we stay and where we can eat. A lot of patios don't allow dogs so this took me calling ahead to book everything.
We packed up the car and headed to Port Burwell Provincial Park http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/portburwell for a hike and a swim. Having been to several Provincial Parks I thought we needed to get there early if we wanted to get in under the lower capacity requirements. To my surprise, Port Burwell is free for day use Monday- Thursday and there wasn't a line of cars to get in. I was already liking this place!
We attempted to hike Ravine Creek Trail. I would love to tell you how it went but after a few steps in and being attacked by mosquitos we didn't think it was worth it. It looked like it would have been an easy enough trail, bring repellent and bath in it! If you are looking for camping the sites looked good in size and flat-surfaced. This might be on our list for next year.
We decided to not waste any more time and hit the beach! The beach is a short drive from the campsites. The off-leash dog section is close to P1. It's a bit of a walk, so if you have a lot to bring a wagon would be really helpful. We loaded up and headed down the path. The off-leash area is to the left and well signed.
Once we walked to the other side of the sign it was a magical place of dogs running free! I don't know if Bo knew what to do with herself. She was crying as soon as she came out from the path and saw the water. We couldn't hold her back. If you have a dog that loves water this is the beach for you. The beach is great. White sand, only small areas of weeds that were beached. Smelled clean and the water looked amazing!
We stayed for the morning and were able to cool off from the heatwave Ontario was going through. My Son loved it as well. We were looking forward to bodyboarding but the water was so flat that we couldn't ride a wave if we wanted to. We still had fun on the long sandbar.
We walked the beach several times to see all the dogs and give Bo a chance to stop drinking the lake!
Eventually, we started to get hungry and knowing we had check-in at our Glamping spot in a couple of hours we thought it best to start heading out. We headed into town and found a great spot to eat and get ice cream. The best part the patio was open to the sidewalk so Bo could sit and eat with us. That's the hardest part when traveling with your dog, restaurants that want to leash your dog up away from your table. The food was great and the portions are huge. I got family-sized fries it said for 2-3 people. No way it fad to be for a family of 5! Simply Scoops was a delsious break in our day https://simplyscoops.com
We were off to our Glamping for the night. Long Point is about a 45-minute drive from Port Burwell. I had heard of this place from a past coworker and thought it sounded like so much fun. Long Point Eco-Adventures has a lot of choices for accommodations and how to fill your time www.lpfun.ca booking was easy. I called them to make sure I had booked a dog-friendly cabin and to make sure Bo would be able to eat with us on the Patio, All was able to be accommodated.
They have so many attractions to keep you busy while on site. We would have loved to do the Zipline course but unfortunately not this visit. Only gives us more reason to come back. We did book Axe throwing, which the Kid got one to stick! Those little arms can have trouble. Pat who helped us with Axe throwing was great and showed patience with my Son as he learned how to throw the Axes.
We had dinner at the Marshview Patio. The Menu is small but I think most people would find something they would enjoy. There is a kid's menu as well. The adult beverages were very good!
While waiting for our dinner there is a gorgeous view of the area. An old war story to pass the time!
Well, this is where our trip took a bit of a turn. We were supposed to go for a kid's stargazing group but the weather had other plans. Luckily we got back to our cabin in time for what would be several downpours of the night. This canceled any plans we had for the rest of the evening. If you do plan on going bring a smores kit and flashlights. You get your own fire pit with wood provided. Luckily we weren't in our normal tent, we were Glamping! That made the downpour so much better. We had beds, our own bathroom that comes with an outdoor shower. We also had lights inside and a mini-fridge. This was camping in Style. When the rain came we stayed nice and dry.
When I am looking for a quick night away in the future I will for sure keep this trip in mind. It really checked all the boxes. We had fun as a family, did new things, and learned about new areas of Ontario!! Everything I look for when planning a great Ontario Adventure! It also helps when the Pup is ready for a nap that is days long!
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