10 Best Sights in The Muskokas, Side Trips from Toronto

Stretching across 7,650 square km (2,954 square miles) and containing nearly 2,500 lakes, Algonquin Provincial Park logs 272 bird species, 45 species of mammals, and 50 species of fish. Many visitors are hikers, canoeists, or campers, but don't be put off if you're not the outdoorsy sort; about a third of Algonquin's visitors come for the day to walk one of the 17 well-groomed and well-signed interpretive trails or to enjoy a swim or a picnic. Swimming is especially good at the Lake of Two Rivers, halfway between the west and east gates along Highway 60. Spring, when the moose head north, is the best time to catch a glimpse of North America's largest land mammal. Getting up at the crack of dawn gives you the best chance of seeing the park's wildlife. Park naturalists give talks on area wildflowers, animals, and birds, and you can book a guided hike or canoe trip. Expeditions to hear wolves howling take place in late summer and early autumn. The park's Algonquin Logging Museum (late June–mid-October, daily 9–5) depicts life at an early Canadian logging camp. The east gate is west of the town of Whitney, and the west gate is east of the town of Dwight.

An 1880-vintage frame structure, this National Historic Site honors the heroic efforts of field surgeon and medical educator Henry Norman Bethune (1830–1939), who worked in China during the Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s and trained thousands to become medics. There are rooms that evoke the period and an exhibit tracing the highlights of his life.

Call of the Wild offers guided trips of different lengths—dogsledding and snowmobiling in winter, canoeing and hiking in summer—deep in the park away from the more touristy areas. The tour company's in-park Algonquin Eco Lodge is powered only by waterfall. A popular package is a four-day canoe trip and three days relaxing at the lodge.

The largest First Nations–run gambling emporium in Canada, Casino Rama lures visitors to the Orillia area. A short jaunt from the ski resort areas around Barrie, the 192,000-square-foot complex has 2,500 slot machines, more than 110 gambling tables, eight restaurants, a lounge, and an adjoining 300-room all-suites luxury hotel. Catch acts like Trooper, Russell Peters, and Aqua here.

Learn about steamboat history in this museum with a rotating collection of historic boats that have included a 1924 propeller boat, a 30-foot 1894 steamboat, and gleaming wooden speedboats.

In warm weather, the best way to experience Muskoka Lake is aboard one of these historic vessels. The restored 128-foot-long, 99-passenger RMS Segwun (the initials stand for Royal Mail Ship) is North America's oldest operating steamship, built in 1887, and is the sole survivor of a fleet that provided transportation through the Muskoka Lakes. The 200-passenger Wenonah II is a 1907-inspired vessel with modern technology. Reservations are required.

Northern Edge Algonquin eco-adventure company provides adventurous learning vacations and retreats with activities such as moose tracking (via canoe), forest meditations, stand-up paddleboarding, and women-only weekends. Home-cooked comfort food is local and organic; lodging ranges from new cabins to tents.

Readers of Canada's great humorist Stephen Leacock may recognize Orillia as "Mariposa," the town he described in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Leacock's former summer home is now the Stephen Leacock Museum, a National Historic Site. Among the rotating exhibits are books, manuscripts, and photographs depicting Leacock, his family, and the region that inspired his writings. In the Mariposa Room, characters from the book are matched with the Orillia residents who inspired them.

Voyageur Quest has a variety of adventure wilderness canoe trips year-round in Algonquin Provincial Park and throughout northern Ontario, including a number of family-geared vacations.

Winterdance Dogsled Tours takes you on half-day, full-day, multiday, and moonlight Siberian husky--led dogsledding adventures in and near Algonquin Provincial Park. Canoe tours are available in summer, as are kennel visits with the sled dogs.