Bobcaygeon is a popular tourist spot for cottagers on the Trent Severn Waterway in Kawartha Lakes situated between two of our beautiful lakes – Sturgeon Lake and Pigeon Lake. Bobcaygeon, a popular tourist destination, has so much to offer, but arguably some of the things it is most well known for is being home to Kawartha Dairy ice cream, Bigley’s Shoes and Clothing store, and the song “Bobcaygeon” by the Canadian band, The Tragically Hip.

Our day in Bobcaygeon began at the Kawartha Settlers’ Village, followed by a Story Walk, visit to the splash pad, and we ended the day at Kawartha Dairy for an ice cream. This was our first time visiting the Settlers’ Village, which is right under the water tower- you can’t miss it.

To be honest, we never know how trips like this will go over with our 2-6-year-old crew, but they absolutely LOVED it! I think it helped a lot that when we arrived, they were each given a scavenger hunt with different artifacts to find around the village. The kids especially loved the Honey Shack- watching the hundreds of bees, and trying to find the Queen bee. Did Lauren and I get to fully appreciate all of the history here with 5 littles running around? No. Did the kids have fun and maybe learn a little? Absolutely. So, it’s a win in our books. Before heading to our next stop, we decided to take a break and have some snacks that we packed. There is a large covered area at the back of the Village with picnic tables for a nice break out of the sun. 

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Some things to know if you plan to check it out. Tickets for this season need to be ordered online in advance, but if you don’t have a printer, no worries you can show proof of purchase on your phone upon entry. When we went, adults were $7, children 5-12 years old were $3, and there was no charge for children under 5. You could also purchase a family package for $20 if that works out better for you. The Village was clean and all other visitors we encountered wore masks.

Kawartha Lakes Public Library has set up Story Walks all over the City of Kawartha Lakes (CKL). For a list of all locations, click here. Conveniently, at the back of the parking lot at Settler’s Village, there is a short and well-maintained trail that features a Story Walk on The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. If you have never heard of a Story Walk before, you are not alone- neither had I! Basically, each page of the story is enlarged and posted along the trail. This was a nice 10-15 minute walk that the kids really enjoyed!

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Luckily, the day that we decided to go to Bobcaygeon, it was beautiful and hot! After a few hours out in the heat, we decided that it was time to head just across the street to Tommy Anderson Centennial Park to cool down in the splash pad. There is a small playground and skateboarding park here too. We met a friendly bulldog there named Izzy who loved the splash pad just as much as the kids!

A trip to Bobcaygeon is not complete without a visit to Kawartha Dairy. Though you can find shops that sell @kawartha_dairy ice cream all over the Kawarthas, it was founded in Bobcaygeon over 80 years ago, and this is where the headquarters has remained. It only took us a couple minutes to drive there from the park. This ice cream is SO delicious and a favourite of our entire family. Portion sizes are very generous! Here is a complete list of all the flavours just in case you are like me and get overwhelmed by all the choices! We definitely recommend trying out this fun-filled, inexpensive day out with the special kids in your life!