I’ve spent a lot of time in South Georgian Bay. Enough that I sometimes catch myself taking it for granted—the way the bay stretches along one side, the escarpment rising on the other, and some of the best apple-growing land essentially in my backyard.
By Maddie Johnson
But it wasn’t until I started digging into the cider scene up here that I realized how much I’d been missing.
There are a lot of cideries in this area. More than most people know about, and more than I expected when I started making calls. So I packed up the car and set out to spend a weekend finding out.
There’s a spot on Highway 124 coming into town where you crest the hill, and suddenly all you can see is Georgian Bay stretching out ahead. It’s one of my favourite views in Ontario, and a good sign you’ve arrived.
First stop: Duntroon Cyder House, a small family-run cidery located on 124 just outside Duntroon. Kimberly and Tim Schneider have been making traditional, preservative-free cider here for seven years. After a tough year off, they’re back this spring and couldn’t be happier.
“What I missed most was the connection,” says Kimberly. “The customers, the community, the people who’ve been with us from the beginning. That’s what brought us back.”
Dinner tonight is an easy choice. Justin’s Oven in Kimberley is known for its wood-fired pizza every Friday. Owner Justin Howe has been running the place for over a decade, with a strong focus on farm-to-table ingredients sourced from nearby producers.
From there, it’s a short drive to Brick & Beam, a new boutique hotel downtown Collingwood. Built in the late 1800s on Hurontario Street, the property has been carefully restored, with exposed brick, original timber beams, and four thoughtfully designed suites.
In the morning, head back to Kimberley, where Joel and Jennie Dawson have been running Free Spirit Tours for nearly 30 years. Their paddle-and-cider package is a must. You’re shuttled upstream, then left to drift back down the Beaver River by canoe or kayak at your own pace.
“We started to see the opportunity to partner with the cideries and make it easy for people to enjoy everything this region has to offer,” says Joel.
Then, head into Thornbury for lunch and a flight at Thornbury Craft Cider & Brew House. The building started as apple storage in the 1930s, became a cidery in 2007, and has since grown into one of the most impressive stops on the trail, with 18 ciders on tap, a full kitchen, and a patio that catches the afternoon sun perfectly.
“Between Thornbury, Meaford, and Collingwood, about a quarter of Ontario’s apple crop is grown within a half hour of our building,” says Derek Hammond, retail and hospitality manager. “You can have completely different cider experiences within an easy drive. That’s pretty special.”
So, the afternoon becomes a backroads loop to experience exactly that.
First stop: Windswept Cider, just outside Meaford, where Mark and Courtney Skinner run a small organic farm. Everything here is wild-fermented and bottle-conditioned, with fruit sourced not just from their orchard but from abandoned trees across the region.
“Every season, every bottle is unique,” says Mark. “It’s the land speaking for itself.”
A short drive brings you to Grey & Gold in Clarksburg, where David Baker makes dry, minimal-intervention ciders in a 180-year-old barn. No frills, no fuss, just really good cider. This season, he’s launching a sparkling rosé made from red-fleshed apples. (continued on page 32)
Last stop is Spy Cider House & Distillery, just around the corner but a different experience altogether. Darcy and Ian Hagerman have built Spy into something well beyond a cidery, with live music, markets, and a growing events calendar. This summer, they’re opening The Woodrow,
a new 5,600-square-foot event space for weddings and retreats.
“When people come up here, they appreciate where they are,” says Darcy. “When you’re sitting here having a drink, looking at the orchard, there is something about that sort of respect for where it came from that just happens organically.”
If you have one more stop in you, make the drive out to Forbidden Cider at Coffin Ridge Winery for a crisp, dry pour and some of the best views in the region.
Back in Thornbury, check into Penny’s Motel. The roadside motel has been thoughtfully updated without losing its retro character, and it’s one of the best spots to base yourself for a weekend like this.
Penny’s has a great on-site restaurant, and if you feel like stretching your legs, it’s an easy walk into town. Right on the harbour, The Port Tavern is a solid dinner choice, especially in summer when the patio is open and the menu leans into seafood and cocktails.
Sunday morning comes a little slower. Head into Clarksburg, grab a coffee, and take your time along Marsh Street. reDiscovered on Marsh is an antique and vintage shop owned by Kara and Dan Bowles, former teachers with 30-plus years in the industry and founders of a seven-stop Antique Trail.
“Community is important, and it comes through to your customers,” says Kara. “When you collaborate, you make it easy for people to stay, and they come back because of it.”
For lunch, continue down Grey County Road 2 to Georgian Hills Vineyards, home of Ardiel Cider House. Four generations of the Ardiel family have been farming this land, and their ciders reflect that history—classic, dry, and made from heritage varieties grown along the slopes of the escarpment.
The recently expanded patio is a good place to settle in and grab a late lunch.
No weekend up here is complete without a stop at Scandinave Spa. Tucked into the forest outside Blue Mountain Village, the spa’s thermal journey is exactly what your body needs after a weekend of backroads and cider tasting. The perfect way to wind down before the drive home.
Whether you are planning a relaxed day trip or a weekend escape, the Blue Mountain Trail brings together curated cider experiences, local flavour and memorable scenery. And it does not end here. With trails across the province, there are plenty of places to Get Your Cider On in Ontario.
Photography: Town + County Collective (Ardiel, Brick + Beam, Free Spirit Tours, Scandinave Spa, and Thornbury Cider), Christine Reid (Spy and Port Tavern), Charisse Ang (Duntroon Cyder), Courtney Skinner (Windswept Cider)