About Lindsay, Ontario
The town of Lindsay offers a delightful variety of experiences including theater, festivals, historic sites, museums, artisan studios as well as streets lined with locally-owned shops, galleries, and restaurants. Surrounding Lindsay are the towns of Little Britain, Oakwood and Woodville. As you drive through these towns, be sure to pick up baked goods in Little Britain, visit the Woodville sales barn on sale day and search for antiques in Oakwood. As you explore this area, you will find many places to get up close and personal with agriculture and opportunities to buy local from the Kawartha Choice Farm Fresh vendors.
Lindsay
Things to do in Lindsay
Paddle Through Town
Whether you’re interested in a paddle through the Ken Reid Conservation Area, the bustling downtown of Lindsay, or through the provincially significant McLaren’s Wetland, you will find your ideal adventure on one of our Lindsay routes. Complete your itinerary with a hike through the forest trails or head into town to grab a bite to eat from the many delicious restaurants on Kent Street. Make it a complete camping trip with a stay at the nearby Emily Provincial Park, which offers full-service camping for tents and RVs.
Craft Breweries
Visit one of our unique craft breweries for the opportunity to meet the makers, learn about the craft, sample and purchase products. Kawartha Lakes is home to many breweries offering tours and tastings of seasonal creations. Visit the taproom, experience the beautiful historical buildings that house some of our breweries, and taste the freshest combinations of water, malt, hops, and yeast.
Experience the difference our region makes and pick up some merchandise to show off back home.
Explore Local Trails
Over 40 km of trail traverse the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Park including an additional three loop trails. Formerly known as Dalton Digby Wildlands, this park is one of the most diverse and least disturbed natural areas found in Central Ontario.
Containing more than 50 landform vegetation patterns, this site has limited or no recent history of logging. Its low-rolling topography includes organic soils, flat sandy deposits, and bare bedrock uplands with shallow soil patches.
Day use hiking and canoeing are permitted activities. Overnight camping is only allowed on existing campsites on the Ganaraska Hiking Trail. Victoria Falls, Hunter’s Lake and Little Gull Lake are popular day use areas. No camping is actively enforced in these areas.
Scenic Drives
Spend less time planning and more time exploring by choosing one of our favourite Kawartha Lakes scenic drives as a starting point to experiencing this beautiful region. Touring the rural routes in Kawartha Lakes is a great way to get off the highway and see what makes us so special. Be sure to stop into our many country stores, farm stands and cafes – meet the locals and share your stories.
Combined with our Arts & Heritage Trail and the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour the Kawartha Lakes scenic drives create an experience to remember.
Academy Theatre
Built in 1892, the Academy Theatre is a historic landmark in downtown Lindsay. When the theatre opened its doors in 1893, it was billed as the most acoustically perfect theatre in Canada. The FLATO Academy Theatre for Performing Arts, as it is known today, is a busy cultural centre, operated as a non-profit organization. Still presenting incredible concerts, community productions and providing a venue for local schools and organizations, the Academy relies upon rental income and is strongly supported by the generosity of donations from the public. With guidance from a dedicated Board of Directors, the Academy has a Manager and Administrative Staff who welcome up to 20,000 visitors a year to this grand old building.
Ken Reid Conservation Area
Whether you enjoy hiking, cycling, or cross country skiing, Ken Reid Conservation Area is a great place to spend the day. Maintained trails and child-friendly facilities provide a variety of ways for visitors of all ages to experience this natural setting. Kawartha Conservation acquired the 110 hectare (272 acre) property just north of Lindsay in 1980 from farmer Ken Reid.
Lindsay Memorial Park
Located outside of downtown Lindsay this is a great spot to sit in your car and eat your lunch, or walk around. There are two giant trains that despite the signs saying not to, you can gain access to
them easily. There are no chains, and the signs… well they aren’t near anywhere you can climb. All of the trains and cars are locked, however thanks to either vandalism or lazy staff I was able to access one of the cars. They were dirty and dusty, and totally unsafe, so I bounced. There is a small children’s park nearby, there are holes all over, a pole and a walkway six feet off the ground. Needless to say, don’t leave your children unattended there! There are many covered areas for picnics, vast amounts of seating and working latrines! Perfect spot for a family picnic or company party. There are also a footpath that runs through the wooded area.