LifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyle May 8, 2024

Things to Do in Sarnia, Ontario

Whether you are looking for arts and culture, fine dining, farmers markets or a beach vacation, Sarnia is the place you want to be. Located where the natural azure waters of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River meet, Sarnia has one of the finest waterfronts in Canada, if not the world.

 

 

THINGS TO DO/VISIT IN SARNIA:

Pinery Provincial Park:
Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario comes with a beautiful beach, kilometres of rare forests and rolling dunes. It also has one of the highest-ranked sunsets in the world and is a truly breathtaking and unique place.

 

The park is located along Lake Huron near Grand Bend. Although there are countless scenic spots along Lake Huron, the Pinery has to be one of the most beautiful.

 

Canatara Beach:
The sandy beach located within Sarnia’s Canatara Park stretches nearly a kilometer along the shore of Lake Huron near the mouth of the St. Clair River. This urban beach has plenty of kid-friendly activities and is close to any urban comforts you might require.

Just how great is this beach? Canatara Beach is one of only 22 in Canada to have earned official Blue Flag status for its commitment to strict water quality and safety criteria.

 

Rock Glen Conservation Area:
Wind your way through Rock Glen Conservation Area, travelling over wide gravel trails, through Carolinian Forest, over bridges and down long staircases to explore the falls and experience the wonders of this hidden gem!

Imperial Theatre:
Built in 1919, the original Imperial Theatre in Sarnia operated until 1953, when a tornado devastated downtown Sarnia and leveled the theatre’s stage. While the rest of the theatre only suffered minor damage, the damage was too severe to allow the building to remain as a theatre, so the building was converted to office and retail space. The ‘Imperial’ theatre name returned to downtown Sarnia when the Capitol Theatre was renamed the Imperial Oil Centre for the Performing Arts. The Imperial Theatre receives many live concerts every month!

 

Waterfront Dining In Sarnia Bay:
At Sarnia Bay is where exceptional cuisine, stunning views, and warm hospitality come together for an unforgettable dining experience.

 

Lake Huron:
With its stunning natural beauty and abundance of recreational opportunities, Lake Huron in Sarnia, Ontario, is a paradise for boating, fishing, and watersports.


Refined Fool Brewing Company:
From humble beginnings using DIY converted maple syrup drums this successful brewery with 3 locations in Sarnia has an very diverse and tasteful beers menu.

 

Information Referenced From:

https://www.ontariossouthwest.com/on-the-water/beaches/canatara-park/

https://www.blogto.com/travel/2023/07/pinery-provincial-park-ontario/

https://www.abca.ca/conservationareas/rockglen/

https://www.agdockside.ca/

CultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCultureCulture May 1, 2024

Coldwell Banker Around the World: Nelson, BC

This article was reposted from Blue Matter by Sam Shalom, Article Here

 

Picturesque Nelson, BC, is set roughly halfway between Vancouver on Canada’s west coast and Calgary in the Canadian Rockies. Nestled in the Selkirk Mountains and set on the west arm of Kootenay Lake, the city of 11,000 residents is home (and vacation home) to people who love life outdoors in all four seasons. Nelson’s stunning natural architecture is bejewelled by the town itself—its waterfront, some 350 heritage buildings, a restored streetcar, a thriving arts and artisan scene and a rich offering of restaurants and live music.

“It’s a small town, but it’s got a big town feel,” says Kevin Arcuri, co-owner of Coldwell Banker Rosling Real Estate in Nelson. “People are continually amazed with what Nelson, for its size, offers.”

We caught up to Kevin after a showing and got him to talk a little more about Nelson, British Columbia, and what makes it so attractive to the anglers, hikers, single-track bike riders, photographers, skiers, snowshoers, paddle boarders, kayakers, beachcombers, gardeners, wildlife lovers, mountain climbers, artists, artisans, foodies and mountain types who either call it home, or who are counting the days until they can get back.

What’s the feel of the place?

There is a definite lifestyle here. Everybody has to work and has to make a living, but there’s something here called Kootenay Time. If we get 15 centimetres [half a foot, or so] of snow, you’ll experience Kootenay Time. Some businesses will put a sign in their window saying Back at Noon, and they’re away to enjoy the skiing while it’s there to be enjoyed. Everyone understands it. It’s a little quieter here in Nelson. It’s a little more challenging to get to because we’re not on the Trans-Canada Highway, but that’s also what keeps it quaint and feeling the way it does.

What’s a perfect weekend day for you?

Well, of course, I am a realtor, so…. but a perfect day these days would be getting up early and going cross country skiing with my wife or taking a drive along the lake. In the summer, I love to fish, as well. There’s a popular trail out of Nelson called Pulpit Rock that is good in spring, summer, winter and fall. There’s a good growing season here, too, so a perfect day would include some time in my garden. I start my garden in early April and we’re still getting food out of it in October. The garlic will be up in the spring. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, potatoes, carrots, artichokes. You name it, we can pretty much grow it here.

 

So, sitting at home and watching TV, not so big in Nelson?

Not ideally, not unless there’s a reason for that!

What are the main industries?

Originally, Nelson was a mining town. It has evolved. It has had to re-invent itself from being just an industrial-type town. What they ended up doing was undertaking a heritage revitalization program. They stripped the facades from the original buildings and now Nelson is full of original heritage buildings. We’re not designated as a resort community, but tourism has become a main draw. I hear it from clients from out of town all the time. They’re just amazed at how a small town can have so many high-quality restaurants. I was with some people from California, and they could not say enough about the restaurants and the quality of the food. They were blown away.

What are the major modes of transportation?

Car, definitely. We have great city transit. We have a streetcar that runs along the waterfront. But it’s an active town, too. E-bikes have become huge in Nelson.

What’s a little known but cool fact about Nelson?

I’m not sure if you remember it but there was a movie back in the 1980s called Roxanne, starring Steve Martin and…

Daryl Hannah, yes!

…it was a re-creation of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, and it was filmed in Nelson around the time of the whole heritage building transition. It’s great to be able to pick out the sites from the movie here at home.

Is Nelson affordable?

When I started in the business 16 years ago, the average sale price was, probably, you could find a house for $250,000 (CAD). That’s your average three- or four-bedroom, 2,000 to 3,000-square foot house on a 6,000 square-foot lot. Now, we’re taking $600,000-plus. So, things have changed. But we still are more affordable than many of the mountain towns that Nelson gets compared to, including Fernie, Revelstoke, Squamish or Whistler. Nelson has very little vacancy as far as rentals go. We’re always below one percent there and it’s been that way for years.

What do you want people to know about Nelson?

It is worth checking out, for sure. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from real estate clients that there is just something about this place. Everybody is friendly. The food is great. It’s got a low-pressure vibe. I’ll go back to what I’ve said before: it’s the lifestyle.


Territory summary

Nelson is in the Selkirk Mountains on the west arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Along with Castlegar and Trail, Nelson forms the population and commercial core of the West Kootenay region.

Key Facts

  • Population (2016): 10,664 (area 25,000)
  • Population change 2011-2016: + 3.1%
  • Total private dwellings: 5,106
  • Age cohort percentage: 0-14 (15.1%), 25-54 (41.2%), 65+ (18.7%)
  • Major language spoken: English
  • Currency: CAD

Industry Facts

  • Median list price of homes in Nelson, January 2024 ($604,308). Source: Houseful

Follow Coldwell Banker Rosling Real Estate on social media! 

https://www.facebook.com/ColdwellBankerNelsonBC/