46

Welcome to Barrie, Where the People Are The City.

Ranked by Moneysense as the 15th Best City to Buy Real Estate in all of Canada, almost 150,000 people currently live in the City of Barrie. Rapidly growing and industrializing, condo developers are quickly following suit, building some of the most beautiful condos in the Downtown Barrie area, adding to the 97 condo developments in the area.

It is Downtown Barrie that is home to various yearly celebrations and festivals. View Ice sculptures and lumberjack shows at Winterfest. Bring the whole family out to learn about the environment at Ecofest. Take in as many free concerts as possible at the Jazz and Blues Festival. Learn a new skill or go antiquing at Kempenfest, one of the largest outdoor arts and crafts shows in the world.

Enjoy delicious and diverse cuisine in Downtown Barrie as well. Have a lazy and quaint brunch at Bohemia or Farmhouse, Vietnamese food at Pho Mekong, homemade veggie burgers at Boon Burger and so much more. After dinner, catch a show at Cineplex Cinemas North Barrie. Enjoy some shopping at one of Barrie’s various malls, including Park Place where you can find familiar eateries like Nando’s and Freshii. Or maybe Georgian Mall where you can shop at Aldo, Guess, Hudson’s Bay, Sephora and H&M.

Get outdoors and go fishing and boating on Lake Simcoe or bring a picnic to one of Barrie’s infinite parks, including Centennial Park, Arboretum Sunnidale Park, Springwater Provincial Park, Innisfil Beach Park, Minet’s Point Park or Heritage Park.

In the winter, bring the kids to Snow Valley Ski Resort known for its kiddie hills. Looking for more of a challenge? Visit the slopes at St. Louis Moonstone Resort. Horseshoe Resort is also close by in Oro-Medonte. Here you can ski, snowboard and tube in the winter and trek, Segway, horseback ride and zip line in the summer months. A true getaway, this resort is equipped with 2 award winning golf courses and a full-service spa.

Barrie is also home to the Mariposa School of Skating, where numerous world class skaters have trained, including Brian Orser, Jeffrey Buttle, Meagan Duhamel, Takeshi Honda and Yuna Kim.

About two hours north of Toronto by car, Toronto is easily accessible via the Barrie GO train station. Local Barrie Transit buses also make everything within the city accessible.

There are a lot of great restaurants. If you can't start your day without caffeine fear not, your nearby choices include Lazy Tulip Cafe. Groceries can be found at Sigrid's Cafe & Fine Bakery which is not far and you'll find Comfort Keepers only steps away as well. For those days you just want to be indoors, look no further than G & SF Regimental Museum and Gary Owen Framing & Art Restoration to keep you occupied for hours. If you're in the mood for some entertainment, Theatre By the Bay is not far away. If you're an outdoor lover, you are only a 3 minute walk from John Edwin Coupe Park and Heritage Park.

Getting around the area is made simple. There is Clapperton Street Bus Stop, a short walk, with route Rvh / Yonge nearby.