I hadn’t seen my friend who lives in Barrie all summer, so she invited me to come up from Toronto to visit her. We decided I would take the GO train to Barrie and we would experience the beautiful city she lives in! I hopped on the train at Union Station at 12:20 pm on Saturday and got in to Barrie at about 2:00 pm at the Allandale Waterfront Station.
To reduce our carbon footprint, we cycled to get from place to place and lucky me, I had my own personal tour guide. I was able to bring my bicycle on the train with me and transport it to Barrie without hassle. My friend is an aspiring photographer so she was able to document our adventure all day long.
We made our way onto the paved waterfront trail that is connected to the GO train station and wraps around Kempenfelt Bay for over 6 km. It boasts amazing views of Kempenfelt Bay, and is also lined with beautiful flowers and trees. Only 5 minutes into my trip and I wanted to stop, grab a book and just enjoy the breeze and view, but there was a lot more I wanted to see while in Barrie, so we’ll save that for another day.
After cycling for about 15 minutes and staring off into that beautiful Bay, I really wanted to jump in! Next time I’ll definitely be bringing my bathing suit and spending some time at the beach. Centennial Beach is Barrie’s most popular beach situated on Lakeshore Drive and the paved trail. This beach is a great pit stop because of its onsite washrooms, burger bar and beautiful water fountain. We were looking for a way to get out on the lake without having to jump in clothed.
...and there I found it ! Happy Paddling operates right on Centennial Beach, offering canoes, kayaks and stand up paddle boards for rental. We decided to rent a Tandem Kayak (kayak for 2) for an hour to get out and enjoy the water. We were able to give our legs a little rest and give our arms a workout instead. Happy Paddling had so many options for us, offering tours of the Bay and lessons for those less experienced with paddling. I really wanted to try stand up paddle boarding and added it to my list of things I’d like to do next time I visit Barrie.
We passed by Kenzington Burger Bar on Centennial Beach once we were finished kayaking. What an awesome location for a restaurant, the only one right on the waterfront. If you’re going to be spending some time at the beach you can stop here for refreshments and not have to worry about getting back on your bike until you’re finished.