#jackson's point

New Post has been published on https://www.torontonicity.com/2018/08/07/franklin-beach-at-jacksons-point/

Franklin Beach at Jackson's Point on Lake Simcoe

Summer is so short in Toronto that beach time can be at a premium. Fortunately, there are many beaches that are within an hour or two of Toronto, which means you can visit for the day. Crystal Beach and Port Dover are popular beaches to visit for residents of Toronto, but there’s also, Franklin Beach, a little known beach in Jackson’s Point.

Many people visiting Jackson’s Point for the day visit Sibbald Point Provincial Park. I have been to Sibbald Point and have found it very crowded, with large families having barbecues and picnics. There are also pebbles and small stones at the shore of the lake, as well as seaweed, which made walking into the lake a little unpleasant.

Franklin Beach, Jackson’s Point

I much prefer the more intimate (and yes, small!) Franklin Beach, where you can walk for many metres out into Lake Simcoe before the water gets deep. The beach is very well maintained with soft sand and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any seaweed or rocks in the water. There is a roped off section of the beach for kiddies to splash around in, but beyond the rope, the water is still shallow due to numerous sandbars. I was able to walk several metres beyond the rope and the water was still up to my waist.

There are public washrooms beside the parking lot, which is a one minute walk to the beach. This year, the Town of Georgina constructed an accessible ramp to Franklin Beach, which makes it easy for those in wheelchairs or families pushing strollers and wagons down to the beach. Many of the local cottagers on Lake Drive come to Franklin Beach to swim.

Franklin Beach, Jackson’s Point

New Post has been published on http://www.torontonicity.com/2017/08/14/lake-simcoe-arms-in-jacksons-point/

A Delicious Meal at Lake Simcoe Arms in Jackson's Point

By Lori Bosworth

It’s great to get away for a few trips in the summer and with that in mind, I recently spent several days up at Jackson’s Point in Ontario. We stayed at the newly renovated Ramada Jackson’s Point Resort. I always love to try local restaurants so we ventured out from the hotel into nearby Sutton to have dinner at the Lake Simcoe Arms Pub and Restaurant.

Patio at Lake Simcoe Arms in Jackson’s Point, Ontario

When we arrived, there were a few couples dining on the patio, but we opted to go inside since it was still very humid outside. The indoors revealed a pleasing room with exposed brick, hardwood floors and a lot more light than you would expect in a pub. This was all good. A long bar with several HDTVs was separated from the dining room.

Lake Simcoe Arms Pub and Restaurant in Jackson’s Point, Ontario

Our charming server quickly greeted us and gave us menus. She advised us of the three daily specials and took our drinks order. The restaurant offers 15 different beers on tap. My dining partner opted for a glass of house white while I stuck with water. The server brought us a vintage-looking wine (or perhaps water) bottle filled with water. I love this idea since we could pour our own water when we wanted it.

After eating our for several nights, I was looking to order something light so I chose the Grilled Vegetables with garlic aioli and goat cheese in pita, $15. My dining partner opted for the Simcoe Cheese-Steak Sandwich with roasted and shaved Certified Angus roast beef, mushrooms, peppers, onions and cheese on a demi-baguette, $17. (This is obviously their version of the famous Philly Cheese Steak.) Both of our meals came with soup, salad or fresh-cut fries.

Simcoe Cheese Steak Sandwich at Lake Simcoe Arms

My dining partner enjoyed her Simcoe Cheese Steak: the baguette was crispy and fresh and the roast beef, cheese and onion blended perfectly. She did say that she would have liked some sauce on the beef. According to my dining partner, the fresh-cut fries were some of the best she’s ever had.

Grilled vegetables with garlic aioli and goat cheese in pita at Lake Simcoe Arms

I was expecting an ordinary house salad as a starter, but was surprised to see that my salad included spring greens and just-picked fresh vegetables. The balsamic vinaigrette was perfect: not too bitter and thick enough to coat the vegetables. My grilled vegetable pita was to die for! The filling included chunks of grilled zucchini, eggplant, onions and mushrooms and the garlic aioli and goat cheese lent the perfect amount of spicy moistness to the filling. I love that the pita bread was grilled since I find plain pita bread boring to the palate. So much for ordering a light meal since I couldn’t finish this sizable pita. I ended up taking half of the sandwich home; there was no way I was going to leave this baby on the plate!

My dining partner opted for ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert while I passed on this course.

Overall, our experience at Lake Simcoe Arms was exceptional. We experienced warm and friendly service, lovely surroundings and extremely well-executed food. I will definitely return to Lake Simcoe Arms the next time I’m in Jackson’s Point.

New Post has been published on http://www.torontonicity.com/2017/08/13/ramada-jacksons-point/

Ramada Jackson's Point Resort: Only an Hour from Toronto

By Lori Bosworth

Jackson’s Point is just an hour north of Toronto on Lake Simcoe. Many people drive up for the day to visit Sibbald Point Provincial Park. I recently spent a few days at the Ramada Jackson’s Point Resort and Spa. The hotel underwent renovation in the last year so everything is brand new.

Ramada Resort Jackson’s Point

Lobby at the Ramada Resort Jackson’s Point

We opted for a Lakeview Queen room close to the lakefront. Our room, which contained two queen beds, a desk and chair, a lounge chair, LED HDTV and mini fridge was huge…much larger than standard queen rooms. There was ample room to place our suitcases without tripping over them. I loved the yellow and grey decor, which was very summery.

Lakeview Queen Room at Ramada Jackson’s Point Resort and Spa

A breakfast buffet is included with your hotel room rate. There was a great selection to choose from including fresh fruit, toast, muffins, danishes, scrambled eggs, waffles, oatmeal, yogourt, coffee and tea. You can enjoy your meal inside or on the patio, which has a view of the lake.

Breakfast pastries at Ramada Resort Jackson’s Point

We enjoyed spending some time sitting in the hotel’s Muskoka chairs overlooking Lake Simcoe. The Ramada Resort is right beside Jackson’s Point Marina so you can watch the boats going out for a sail.

Lakefront at Ramada Resort, Jackson’s Point

Muskoka chairs on the lawn at the Ramada Jackson’s Point Resort

As far as swimming goes, you could probably swim at the lake in front of the hotel as there is a ladder going into the water from the dock, but there is no beach. We preferred to take a two-minute-drive down the road to the popular Franklin Beach. The lake at Franklin Beach has a sand bottom and you can walk out a fair distance before it gets deep. There is a charge for parking at Franklin Beach – $4 per hour with a maximum of $20 during the week and a maximum of $35 (yikes!) on the weekend.

Franklin Beach at Jackson’s Point

If it rains while you’re there, you can always take a dip in the Ramada’s indoor swimming pool.

Indoor pool at the Ramada Resort Jackson’s Point

There are a few shops selling country decor items that I found very reasonable including The Whipple Tree Country Store in Sutton, The Sutton General Store and Pepperwood Design in Jackson’s Point.

While we were staying at the Ramada, we ventured over to The Briars Resort, which is only a few minutes drive away, to enjoy lunch on their exquisite patio. I highly recommend checking out lunch or dinner at The Briars if you are considering visiting Jackson’s Point as the prices are surprisingly reasonable. Read my blog on lunch at The Briars.

Jackson’s Point is so close to Toronto and it offers a lot including great sand beaches, five star dining and shopping. I definitely recommend Jackson’s Point for a day or weekend getaway.

New Post has been published on http://www.torontonicity.com/2017/08/12/lunch-at-the-briars-resort-jacksons-point/

Lunch at The Briars Resort, Jackson's Point

By Lori Bosworth

During a recent trip to Jackson’s Point, we decided to stop in for lunch at The Briars Resort. The Briars is a Lake Simcoe institution, that features a championship Scottish woodlands golf course, fine dining, spa, outdoor and indoor swimming pools and frontage on the Lake Simcoe shoreline.

We had made a reservation for the dining room, but when we passed the Fountain Court patio, we couldn’t resist eating outside. The gorgeous patio is bordered by manicured gardens of wildflowers, lush lawns, hundred-year-old maple trees and a pristine view of the lake. (By the way, you don’t need reservations if you are dining on the patio.)

Fountain Court Patio at The Briars, Jackson’s Point

The Fountain Court Patio at The Briars has a view of Lake Simcoe.

Our server immediately arrived and brought us a bottle of water while we perused the menu. I decided on the Grilled Vegetable and Feta on Naan with Chipotle hummus and pea sprouts, $13, while my dining partner ordered the daily special: Breaded Tilapia with rice and veggies, $13. My order came with the soup or salad so I opted for the daily soup: Gazpacho. My dining partner’s dish did not come with appetizers, but she decided to order the Gazpacho as well.

Gazpacho at The Briars’ Fountain Court Patio

After we finished our soup, our entrées arrived about five minutes later.

Grilled Vegetable and Feta Naan with Chipotle hummus and pea sprouts, $13, at The Briars

My grilled vegetable sandwich had a wonderful filling of grilled eggplant, peppers and zucchini, an indulgence of soft goat cheese and some heat from the Chipotle hummus! All of the flavours melded beautifully. I would have preferred the naan to be less dense than it was. As a result, I ended up removing the top lid of the sandwich and just eating the base.

The star of the afternoon turned out to be the Tilapia daily special. The fish was delicate and light while the breaded coating was barely there, just enough to keep the fish moist while cooking. Absolutely melt-in-your-mouth. The Frenched-cut green beans were the perfect complement to the fish since their thin slices matched the soft texture of the fish while the rice tasted superb, dressed in a very light olive oil and lemon sauce. Five stars!

Breaded Tilapia with rice and vegetables at The Briars

My dining partner opted for the Chocolate Ice Cream with homemade cookie, $9, for dessert. She said the ice cream was good, but the cookie, made with oatmeal and cranberry, was divine.

Chocolate Ice Cream and homemade cookie at The Briars

After lunch, we decided to take a walk down to The Briars’ private beach on Lake Simcoe. There were many chaisse lounges set up for guests, as well as canoes, kayaks and pedal boats for guests to use.

Private beach at The Briars

As we walked around the grounds back to our car, we saw the gorgeous tower attached to the main building.

Tower at The Briars Resort, Jackson’s Point

It was the most perfect afternoon spent enjoying lunch at The Briars. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a restaurant that isn’t too far from Toronto, but just far enough to forget the city.

The Fountain Court Patio at The Briars