Barrie, Ontario is a city on the shores of Lake Simcoe’s Kempenfelt Bay. Barrie is one of the fastest growing cities in North America. The population has increased from just 38,000 in 1981 to 136,000 currently. The metro area has nearly 200,000.
Barrie, Ontario Waterfront
Located directly north of the Greater Toronto Area up highway 400, Barrie has been a city since 1853 and was namded for Sir Robert Barrie. The city, still basically a bedroom community for Toronto, is the gateway to Ontario’s cottage country. Most from the GTA pass through Barrie on their way to Wasaga Beach on Georgian Bay or to Muskoka and beyond.
Yes, that’s a Hooters at the bottom left of the above image. However, if visiting the Barrie waterfront, read below for the restaurant you have to go to. The food is much better and the girls are much more attractive and dressed with a little more class.
On the waterfront in downtown Barrie is a small beach and public area. The spot is home to a constant parade of events during the summer. Several of these events are attended by thousands from out-of-town, at times crowded out Barrie residents from their own recreation areas.
Despite growing into a big city, the Kempenfelt Bay waterfront still has room for nature.
A must visit restaurant, located across Lakeshore Drive from the beach and marina area, is Pie Wood Fired Pizza Joint. Hidden in a strip mall, this restaurant is a real gem. Pie was featured on You Gotta Eat Here, a television show on Food Network Canada hosted by John Catucci.
All pizzas on the menu are $16 and under, except for two specialties. The ‘Furious Canucker Pie’, shown on the tabletop menu above, features three 12 inch pizzas stacked on top of each other, topped with a pound of poutine.
This little classic was found flying low over Kempenfelt Bay. This Bellanca 14-19 Cruisemaster was built in 1950 and is one of only 14 registered in Canada. The plane belongs to Larry Quinton of nearby Collingwood, Ontario.
With pumped up GO Train (Government of Ontario) service directly to the downtown core of Barrie, construction of waterfront condos is booming.
A closer look at the fountain at the beach area. This is also a hot spot for SCUBA training.
Check out the HD Video below of the Barrie, Ontario waterfront. A typical June weekend had a high school rowing regatta, a charity fundraising walk and a world record attempt at pulling a train engine all going on at the same time in a very concentrated area.
Barrie, Ontario Waterfront Video
