5 ways to enjoy springtime in Canada

Before the plastic-covering is off the screens and the toilet sees its first flush in months, there are still plenty of ways cottagers can get away for the weekend and enjoy the gleam of spring. So, if the warm weather and urge to get out of the city outpaces the timeline for opening up the cottage, here are a few options for celebrating springtime across the country.

Just outside Huntsville, Ont., Cedar Grove Lodge has something for every season and the spring is no different. Any Canadian knows a spring day can offer up a bit of summer or a bit of winter, and sometimes both. At Cedar Grove, you can take advantage of it all. They’ve got canoes and kayaks to take out on freshly thawed Peninsula Lake and there are kilometres of cross-country ski trails if the snow is still holding court.

At the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, on the shores of Nova Scotia, celebrate the Spring Equinox with a M’ikmaq Sunrise Ceremony at Whitepoint Beach Resort in Queen’s County. The resort has been in operation since 1928 and welcomes guests into private rooms and cottages. After welcoming in the spring, try a chilly surfing lesson.

Point Pelee National Park in Ontario has 24 wall-tents available year-round that sleep up to six people. They have electricity, heat and a barbecue, so you aren’t exactly roughing it, but still get that out-of-the-city, in-the-woods feel. And why is spring the best time to visit Point Pelee? Bird-watching, of course. Located on a peninsula, this park is at the crux of two major migration routes for birds as they head back North for the summer.

Across Canada springtime means new growth. Flowers blossom to welcoming eyes, marked by celebrations with scores of food, music and even the odd tractor pull. There are more festivals than we can mention here, but for a taste, there’s the Peony Festival in Oshawa, the Orchid Festival on the Bruce Peninsula, the famed Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival and Ottawa’s commemorative Tulip Festival. Headed east? The Annapolis valley Apple Blossom Festival is in its 87th year.

The owners of the many Drake properties in southern Ontario are at it again. Just down the road from Drake Devonshire, in Prince Edward County, Ont. the Drake Motor Inn will open this summer. The nostalgia-packed space pulls together the pieces of classic highway motels with contemporary designs, but don’t worry, you won’t be confined to your room. There’s a firepit on-site, a seasonal skating rink and, of course, you’re in Ontario’s wine country so there’s a thing or two to do in the neighbourhood. Want something to remember Drake by? Guests get a complementary Polaroid camera to use during their stay. Now that’s a throwback.