Small towns of Ontario - Haliburton

Haliburton is one of my favourite towns in cottage country.  I visit often and am always amazed at the hidden treasures waiting to be explored.
This past weekend I learned about many of the historical and tourist spots in the area.  This photo was taken from the lookout point which offers a wonderful view of the town and Head Lake.  The area is surrounded by gentle rolling hills and a deciduous forest.  I can just imagine how spectacular the view must be in the fall.  This is a spot I will return to in late September or early October to view the fall colours of Ontario.

My next stop was the Haliburton Highlands Museum The exhibit features the first inhabitants; the native people, the settlers and lumbermen. The buildings include a village home, the Reid House, as well as  farmstead log buildings which represent life in a rural setting.  These buildings were found in the local area, moved in and reconstructed.  Most of the original buildings decayed over the years as they were abandoned by the settlers when they fell upon hard times.

The Haliburton forest surrounds the museum and throughout the area there are many hiking trails.  One particular trail I chose to explore is called the Haliburton Sculputre Forest.
This trail offers a unique outdoor collection of sculputres by Canadian and International artists.
I encourage you to visit this fabulous art display located in Glebe Park.  

This is one of my favorite statues. Who would.think you'd find a giant shoe in the middle of the forest.

This sculpture represents our national animal, he Canadian Beaver.  

The sculpture forest also shares the park with Fleming College's Haliburton School of Arts, Haliburton Highlands Nordic Trails and Haliburton Highlands Mountain Bike Trails.

 
This sculpture is also one of my favourites.
The birds look as though they are ready to take flight, a site that is often seen in the forest area.

As you can see, there is lots to do in this area which is located on the Edge of Haliburton Village; culture, hiking, biking, cross country skiing and more.

The Halliburton Forest is home to a wide variety of animals both large and small. I spotted this wonderful creature in town on someones front lawn enjoying a snack of crab apples.  There are many wildlife sightings in town and along the roadways. If you plan a visit be sure to keep a lookout for these lovely animals. You might see racoons and skunks, deer, moose and bear. Don't forget to look to the sky for blue heron, hawk, Canada geese, ducks and a variety of colourful birds.  My favourites are the gold finches, bluejays and hummingbirds.

IA trip to the dump is always exciting for me as there's usually a few bears hanging around waiting for a tasty treat.  On this particular visit there was a Mother bear and her cubs.  I've been told the Scotch Line dump is quite a popular place with the bears. This summer they had a record breaking day with over 40 bears sighted at once.  If visiting, keep in mind these are wild animals so you must be respectful of there territory. They are quite upredictable and dangerous if provoked.

The town of Haliburton has many landmark buildings such as the Molou Movie Theatre which was operational until earlier this summer. It has recently been converted to a store.

 

 McKeck's has been a popular dining establishment since 1986.  Walt McKechnie was the founder of McKecks and he owned and operated this fine establishment from 1986 until 2009.  He opened the restaurant following his retirement from the NHL in 1984.

As you enter into the town you will find some unique items located in Head Lake Park. There's a vintage RCAF plane and a locomotive train.  A great place to take the kids to see these historical items.

Head Lake Park hosts many popular events throughout the summer. One of the most famous is the Haliburton Highland Games.  Visitors come from far away to take part in and enjoy this traditional festival which offers a variety of events including the pipe bands, dance competitions, border collies, vendors, and of course “the big guys throwing stuff” as well as the popular variety of foods and refreshments.

 This is one of the local residents found in the wetlands by the cottage.  I can spend hours sitting on the dock observing the wildlife in the area. This great blue heron visits regularly and it's quite a site watching him fish for his meal of the day or graciously soar in the sky.  Haliburton is a wonderful place to visit.  I encourage you to take time our of your busy lives and explore the many wonderful small towns of Ontario.