(Updated November 2022)
With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time to start choosing the perfect presents for your friends and family. In recent years, we’ve started to hear a new refrain—your hard-earned money is better spent on experiences than things. Do those on your list really need another pair of socks or the latest tech gizmo? Or would a new experience to look forward to when we can all get back to travelling ultimately hold more value? BruceGreySimcoe is home to a wealth of unique experiences. Learn to cook with wild edibles, sky dive over the world’s longest freshwater beach, take a cycling tour through Simcoe County or gift them a subscription to a virtual concert. We’ve put together a great list of experiences—divided by outdoor, cultural, food and bucket-list—that we hope will help you find the perfect experiential gift for the special people on your list.
The Great Outdoors
If those on your list are lovers of the great outdoors, these experiences are for them. From afternoons spent on Georgian Bay to mornings spent hiking along the Niagara Escarpment, there’s an outdoor experience in BruceGreySimcoe that they’ll be happy to see under the tree.
OSM Adventure Travel
Based in Collingwood, Ontario, Kevin at OSM Adventure Travel specializes in small group tours that will keep you safe and help you experience adventures you might not tackle otherwise. Gift the angler on your list a
Guided Ice Fishing Experience or buy them a
Collingwood Adventure Voyage summer fishing experience to look forward to next year.
Eco Adventures on the Bruce Peninsula
With a range of tours available that feature knowledgable guides and the added perks of benefitting the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association, Eco Adventures are a cool gift idea. From snowshoeing to the grotto to skiing the Lion’s Head,
find all their tours here and
check out their gift shop for more ideas.
Golf in Ontario Packages
BruceGreySimcoe is home to some great golf courses and our friends at Golf in Ontario have made it super easy to pre-book golf packages in our region. Instead of more golf balls this season, why not treat the golfer on your list to a round or two?
Book online here.
Give them a Humdinger Cycling tour
Gift the cyclist on your list a Humdinger Cycling tour like Pedal, Pints & Pubs or their Orillia 2-day trip as an excellent option for giving the gift of cycling. Humdinger also does custom tours throughout Bruce-Grey-Simcoe and surrounding regions and you can purchase gift certificates in any amount. For more information, head on over to their trips page right here
Gift them a Bruce Trail Membership
Chances are if you've visited BruceGreySimcoe you've hiked a section of the Bruce Trail. Why not
give the gift of a Bruce Trail membership - help support the trail and give your loved one a way to connect with fellow hikers in a local club like the
Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club,
The Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club, the
Sydenham Bruce Trail Club or the
Peninsula Bruce Trail Club.
Why not Wye Marsh?
For outdoor lovers, a membership to the Wye Marsh is a wonderful gift. This beautiful nature preserve offers trails year-round for snowshoeing and hiking as well as abundant wildlife viewing opportunities.
Purchase a membership online. Wye Marsh's
Snowshoe Eco Tours also make a great gift. Find out more right here.
Gift them an Ascent Aerial Park season's pass
Have a thrill seeker on your list? Then an Ascent Aerial Park season's pass would make a great gift! Pass holders gain unlimited access to 30 high-ropes challenge elements, Canada’s first Zip Coaster, three 30ft vertical rock walls and the JUMP experience from 35ft. Buy online right here.
The Gift of Skiing and Snowboarding
Whether they are looking for downhill skiing and snowboarding or cross country, there are some amazing resorts across the region you can treat your loved ones to. Consider buying them a season’s pass, a gift certificate or even rentals at a local resort. Remember that in 2020, those with season's passes will be given priority at most resorts and it's key to book ahead/call ahead.
Hardwood Ski and Bike offers
adult and youth programs that would make a great gift,
Scenic Caves Nordic Centre and
Highlands Nordic all offer season's passes. For downhill consider
Blue Mountain Resort, Horseshoe Resort,
Mount St. Loius Moonstone or
Snow Valley Resort.
Help them train to win with VO2 Sports
Do you have a budding athlete on your list who would like to take things to the next level? Then hook them up with
personal coaching from VO2 Sports Co in Collingwood, from triathlon training to personal coaching, this is a gift that will pay off for years to come.
Get them on the water with a Diverse Rentals gift card
A gift card from Diverse Rentals is great way to say happy holidays. Located just outside Penetanguishene and right on the water, Diverse Rentals gift cards can be used for any of their captained tours like the Sunset Cruise to Gin Rocks or their Midland Boat Tour or towards rentals like SUP rentals, pontoon boat rentals and even floating water mat rentals. Don't want to wait til summer for adventure? Diverse Rentals also offers snowmobile tours. Find out more about their gift cards here.
Fabulous Food and Drink Experiences
For the foodies on your list, we’ve put together some of the most delicious experiences across the region. From sampling local beer, wine and cider to learning to cook with wild edibles, there’s something for every food lover.
Give a Progressive Aboriginal Cuisine Experience with Zach Keeshig's Nagaan
Chef Zach Keeshig's
Nagaan dining experience has found a new home at the Owen Sound Farmer's Market. With his 9 Course Tasting Menu as the cornerstone experience, Keeshig will also be offering pop-up launches and take out specialties. Want to bring the experience to the comfort of your own home? Keeshig can be booked for an in-home Nagaan experience too.
Pair your Outdoors with some Delicious Aprés with Free Spirit Tours
Free Spirit Tours offers some great tours that combine the outdoors with local beer, wine and cider. Their
Hike and Wine Tours and
Snowshoe and Wine Tours and their lastest
Shoe and Brew tour that combines snowshoeing and a stop at Sidelaunch Brewery - all make fun gifts. For an even more unique option, gift them
The Wild Edibles Experience with Barefoot Brian—a foraging experience that will have teach them a ton about eating off the land. Free Spirit Tours also offers guided
Forest Therapy Walks that would make a soothing stress-relieving gift for friends and family.
Support local restaurants with FeastOn Vouchers
Have a culinary fan on your list? Give them an Ontario Culinary FeastOn Voucher that will allow them to dine at a local FeastOn certified restaurant of their choice. You can
purchase the vouchers here and find a
list of locally certified establishments here including Casero Kitchen Table, Casero Taco Bus, The Flying Chestnut Kitchen, TK Ferri Orchards, The Bruce Wine Bar and The Common Stove, Windlee Farms Maple Syrup.
Give the Gift of a Blue Mountain Adventure Tour
Blue Mountain Adventure Tours offers all-inclusive adventure tours that combine local wines, beer and ciders with local food. Perfect for the foodie on your list. Consider their
Snowshoe, Waterfall and Wine Tour or
Orchard Trek and Tasting. See their full list
here.
Buy them the experience of dining Down Home with Sumac & Salt.
The duo behind the beloved Sumac & Salt have opened an on farm restaurant in the heart of Grey County. Join them for their blind tasting menu which highlights the best of local and sustainable farming within Grey. They also offer an all Ontario beverage list to accompany the meal. Only offering 16 seats on Friday and Saturday they fill up quickly. To book head to their website www.sumacandsalt.com or email hannah@sumacandsalt.com
Cultural Treats
Give the gift of a Cultural Program at Cape Croker Park
A new suite of Anishinaabe cultural programs launched at the Cape Croker Park gives visitors a unique opportunity to learn more about the Anishinaabe culture in the beautiful setting of Cape Croker Park. With new year-round offerings, choose from Neyaashiinigmiing and Stories of the Land, Anishinaabe Arts and Ginebek Miikaans and check the website for upcoming offerings.
For the Artist on Your List
For those who’d like to get creative themselves, give them the gift of an art class.
The Imagination Studio in Clarksburg offers some amazing small group workshops from batik to painting as well as
family painting studio sessions.
The Southampton Arts Centre also offers a wide range of art classes for
kids and
adults to embrace their inner artist.
Buy a Museum Membership that works in all 3 Counties!
BruceGreySimcoe is home to several great musuems but did you know if you buy a membership to either the
Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre,
Grey Roots Museum and Archives or the
Simcoe County Museum, you get acccess to all 3 facilities! The
Orillia Museum of Art and History also offers annual memberships. Museum memberships make a great family gift!
Give the Gift of Local Theatre and Live Music
Why not pick up a pair of tickets for many of the upcoming live theatre and live music shows across our region as a unique holiday gift. From
Meaford Hall to
The Roxy Theatre,
Midland Cultural Centre,
Heartwood Hall and the
Orillia Opera House, there are many great shows on the horizon. For lovers of larger live music events, consider giving tickets to this summer's
Mariposa Folk Festival or
Boots and Hearts at Burl's Creek Event Grounds.
Give the Gift of Film
The Blue Mountain Film Festival takes place June 1 to 4, 2023 at the Blue Mountain Village. Why not give the cinema buff on your list a Holiday 2 pack or a Holiday 6 pack with passes to screenings at next year's festival?
Buy them online quickly and easily
Bucket List Experiences
If you still haven’t found the ultimate experience on our list, we’ve saved some truly bucket list items for last.
Fly the BruceGreySimcoe skies
For the person on your list who’s done it all, consider a sightseeing flight with your bubble at
Owen Sound Flight Services or check out Collingwood's
Big Blue Air helicopter tours.
Take them Skydiving in Wasaga Beach
Last but not least, give them a gift they will never forget: A skydiving experience above the world’s longest freshwater beach with Skydive Wasaga Beach.
Get all the details here.
More BruceGreySimcoe Gift Ideas
Find more fun and inspiring gift ideas: