Travel Recap: Kenora

Earlier this month my husband and I took a road trip to Kenora, ON which is around 5 hours from Thunder Bay. It’s a beautiful area that I had only ever driven through but never really stopped to enjoy. We had been meaning to do a camping trip there for awhile so it was nice to finally do it. I really enjoy doing these travel recaps so I thought I’d share one in case you are curious about what the lovely town of Kenora, Ontario has to offer!

Where We Stayed

Anicinabe Park

We camped at the Anicinabe Park which is a wonderful campground that is on Lake of the Woods and also very close to town. We were able to walk to the downtown area in about 30 minutes which was perfect since we spent a lot of time at Lake of the Woods Brewing Company. The campground was very clean and where we camped we were quite close to the washrooms and showers. Would definitely camp there again. I really enjoyed having a beer by the fire while reading until the sun went down. There was also a great beach area for swimming which we also enjoyed!

What We Did

Tunnel Island Hiking Trails

We definitely wanted to get some hiking in while we were there so we did the two hiking trails (A & B) at the Tunnel Island Hiking Trails. It was a pretty decent length hike about 7.2 km to do both loops. We didn’t find it overly challenging but it was a nice hike to start the day off! A very well maintained trail for sure.

MS Kenora

The other activity we partook in was a cruise around Lake of the Woods on the MS Kenora. The whole trip is about 2 hours and was very informative. We saw lots of interesting sights including various land marks and even eagle nests! I would definitely recommend it if you’re in the area. We decided to have dinner on the ship as well to save time. Honestly, the buffet was not great, however, it was nice to sit inside the cabin and enjoy dinner with a view!

Where We Ate

Ye Old Chip Truck

The first place we ate was at the Ye Old Chip Truck which was recommended to me by a colleague. The fries really were as amazing as she said they would be! I can’t really describe them but if you are in Kenora and see this local staple (it has THREE locations) you gotta stop and try the fries!

Lake of the Woods Brewing Company

The place I was most excited to visit was Lake of the Woods Brewing Company. I have loved their beer for a bit now and couldn’t wait to go to the actually brewery to try more of their selection and have some food! We had dinner there the first night and it was quite tasty!

We shared the calamari and I had the mac & cheese with added brisket. Soo good! Nothing compares to the beer though. If you see the Lake of the Woods Brewing Company Forgotten Lake Blueberry Ale at your local beer store or liquor store I highly recommend it!

Plaza

We had lunch on day 2 at Plaza, a Greek restaurant that was also recommended by the same colleague who had recommended the chip truck. Once again it did not disappoint. The calamari was absolutely incredible, we split that for an app. We weren’t going to get an app with lunch but we can never pass up calamari. I had the spanakopita which was mouthwateringly delicious, especially with the tzatziki sauce. My husband had a chicken slouvaki pita. Their greek salad was great too! This may have been my favourite meal while there!

Our last meal before leaving was at the Boat House. This was another recommendation and it had a great location right on the lake. We split the Three Cheese Lobster Artichoke Dip for an app (soooo good! Think Kelsey’s spinach dip, but better, and with lobster!) and I had the Lobster Mac & Cheese for my meal. Do you see a theme here? Everything was very tasty!

Would I Go Back?

You bet! This small town really found a special place in my heart. It was VERY, VERY busy for a small town as it gets a LOT of tourism in the summer, however, while the traffic was crazy, nothing ever felt packed. I loved that we could camp while still have quick access to all the amenities of town. The food was fantastic (we didn’t have a single bad meal) and you really can’t beat seeing the beautiful Lake of the Woods the whole time. The highlight and the place we spent the most money at was definitely the brewery. I definitely want to plan a trip to go back with friends next summer! The drive is a bit dull as there is not much to see in-between but it was still well worth the drive!

Have you gone on any road trips this summer? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Robyn