Picture Perfect

Pretty as a picture?

That’s an apt description when we’re talking about the east coast of Georgian Bay and, in particular, the delightfully welcoming community of Midland, Ontario.

Situated on the southeastern corner of the nav chart, where the endless granite of the Canadian Shield meets the water, Midland marks the gateway to the 30,000 Islands and mile after mile of pure, unspoiled, jaw-dropping beauty. With its first-class marina facilities, excellent shopping and dining options, and stunning vistas that make you wish your eyes were bigger so you could take more of it in, it’s easy to understand why Midland has become a summer favorite for boaters from across the Great Lakes.

This isn’t a new thing either, as the pretty town has a long history of welcoming visiting mariners. This is well documented throughout the community on a series of much larger-than-life murals, most of them painted by the late artist Fred Lenz. The largest of them — painted on the side of the massive A. D. M. Milling grain elevator overlooking the harbor — depicts a 1625 meeting between a Huron warrior and the Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf. That fateful encounter is said to have marked the transition of Midland from a quiet indigenous settlement to what became a bustling transportation hub for fur traders, commercial fishermen and lumber firms, given its position where the overland route from Lake Ontario met the upper lakes.

The small settlement that developed on the site grew exponentially in 1871 when the railway arrived, bringing a steady flow of passengers and goods from Port Hope to fill the fleets of steamships departing for points west. Midland’s outstanding natural harbor provided an ideal transfer point for goods and people headed across the map, giving rise to first-class docks, large hotels, busy taverns and a number of bustling shops. By 1878, Midland incorporated as a proper village and, in 1890, once again as a town.

Today, about 16,000 very lucky people make their home in Midland, where the once-bustling commercial harbor has for the most part largely given way to today’s more tranquil base for pleasure craft. Delightful marinas now dot the shorelines where the lumber mills and fish processing plants once stood, with only the occasional laker stopping by these days to remind boaters of Midland’s roots as a commercial transportation hub.

But Midland’s rapid population growth through the last century pales in comparison to today’s annual surge, as the town’s numbers nearly triple every summer with the arrival of tourists from across the region. That includes the occupants of the nearly 8,000 cottages in the area, most of whom use Midland as a departure point for their remote, boat-access vacation homes. As a result of this activity, marinas here rank among the best anywhere, with top-notch facilities for locals and transient boaters alike.

Getting to Midland is fairly easy, but it’s important to keep an eye on your chartplotter as you approach and stay in the marked channels. Those nearby 30,000 islands have at least another 30,000 friends lurking underwater in the form of granite shoals and outcrops, many of them unmarked.

As you enter Severn Sound from Georgian Bay proper, follow the buoyed entrance channel that runs on a course of 152.5 degrees as you pass Beausoleil Island, and particularly around the green buoy marking Candlemas Shoal as it extends from the island’s southern tip. On a clear sunny day, you can often spot colorful streaks in the water here just outside of the marked channel, each one reflecting a different brand of bottom paint or engine lower unit. While great fun for the younger members of your crew (“So how about it kids, was that last one the remains of a Volvo or a Yamaha”), it’s a collection you don’t want to personally contribute to. Stay in the marked channel that the lakers use and you’ll be just fine.

If the landscape with its stripey granite islands and windblown pines looks hauntingly familiar, it’s likely because you’re recalling classic scenes painted by the Group of Seven. Those rugged Georgian Bay shorelines and adjacent windswept islands with their distinctive wind-worn trees are characteristic features of the Canadian Shield and appear prominently in multiple works by the artists Franklin Carmichael, A.Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, A.J. Casson and Tom Thomson, all of whom painted extensively in the Midland area. Most of those rugged shorelines appear today exactly as they did a century ago, so a certain sense of deja-vu is inevitable. The only Group of Seven artist to not paint in the Midland region was Lawren Harris, who instead worked farther inland, capturing similar scenes in Ontario’s Algonquin Park.

The marinas in and around Midland offer excellent accommodations for visiting boaters, whether you’re exploring the 30,000 Islands, continuing to Lake Ontario through the nearby Trent-Severn Waterway or, like most, simply there to enjoy Midland’s own unique charms.

Yours to discover

As you arrive in Midland, you’re going to quickly develop a chronic case of swivel neck, in that it’s hard to decide exactly where to look first. Marinas in town and on both sides of it provide plenty of mooring space and transient slips, while a large shopping dock right in the center of Midland allows easy and convenient provisioning.

Perhaps the best way to get your bearings and find your way around town is with a walking tour of Midland’s famous murals. There are 41 of them in all, 34 of which are considered historical murals in that they chronicle the region’s past. You can download an outstanding walking tour guide online (downtownmidland.ca/murals), which includes a helpful map along with photos and full descriptions of each work. Apart from presenting some remarkable artwork, the tour provides an excellent orientation to the town itself and is a wonderful way to spend a first day on site.

While wandering about, you’ll discover Midland has a delightful variety of shops selling local and artisan goods, as well as an enchanting range of cafes and restaurants where you can refresh and plan your next adventure. Best of all, most of them sell butter tarts.

Midland bills itself as the butter tart capital of the world, and with good reason. You’ll see the sweet treats absolutely everywhere in town, and you’ll see plenty of folks munching away just about anywhere you look. Butter tarts — a magical combination of butter, sugar and eggs in a delicate pastry shell — are a uniquely Canadian treat and a matter of cultural pride. They’re sort of like a pecan tart but without the waxy tang, and with a more syrupy consistency and sweeter crust. Individual recipes vary, and are celebrated during Midland’s annual Butter Tart Festival held on the second weekend in June each year. The festival — which attracts around 70,000 visitors to a town of just 16,000 — is internationally famous among foodie types, and a real hit for anyone with a sweet tooth. Visitors typically quaff down something approaching a quarter-million butter tarts over the festival weekend, with fierce competition among bakers for the honors of Best Butter Tart in both “traditional” and “wild style” categories. Celebrity judges, buskers, bands and all manner of butter tart souvenirs from more than 200 different vendors make it a fun festival that’s definitely one of a kind, and sure to bring out everyone’s inner little kid. But even if you miss the big festival, rest assured butter tarts will almost certainly be part of your Midland experience no matter what time of year you visit.

For a more balanced perspective of Midland’s dining scene, consider taking a walking food tour. Held on Fridays and Saturdays through the summer, these three-hour walking tours led by local guides sample the best of Midland’s local cuisine, while sharing cultural insights into what you’re eating, and why. Local fare figures prominently, including seasonal treats like wild blueberries and morels.

Befitting its festive spirit, Midland is home to a wide range of events, festivals and things to do through the season. The town of Midland maintains an up-to-date event calendar on its website (midland.ca) where you can keep abreast of all the latest goings on.

Photo Courtesy of Town of Midland