Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Thornbury is a small town on the scenic Georgian Bay coast in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located between Meaford, site of a Canadian Forces base, and Collingwood, a ski town. Thornbury sits at the point where the Beaver River flows into the bay, and has convenient road access to beaches nearby in summer, and to the ski resort at Blue Mountain in Winter.
The Beaver is located on King Street, which is also Highway 26, the main coastal road. It is a small, older motel that has rooms with fridges and cable television, and a restaurant that serves breakfast until 2 p.m. The in-house restaurant is useful if you are without a car, since downtown Thornbury is about a 20-minute walk down busy King Street. A short walk west on King takes you to Elgin Street, which leads directly to the beach. This is about a 10- to 15-minute walk.
Just down the road from the Beaver Motel is Penny's. The hotel has Internet access and offers rooms with cable television, microwave ovens, and a mini fridge. They have free parking and offer a 5 percent student discount. They also serve as the Greyhound ticketing agent for Thornbury. Penny's is also about a 20-minute walk from downtown Thornbury, and if you have a car and want to drive into town to eat or shop, parking in town is plentiful.
Bridge's is located on the side of the Mill Pond in Thornbury. The building itself is featured on the town's suggested walking tour of heritage structures, and local legend has that it is haunted. Not a traditional strip motel, Bridge's is a good option for those who like decorated rooms in a heritage building with a nice view, and Bridge's also offers online booking. Guests have food close at hand in the tavern downstairs, or are within a few minutes' walk of the several restaurants around the center of the town.
Due to its location in tourist and resort country, Thornbury is well-provided with dining options for a town its size. Bridge's Tavern and the nearby Mill Cafe are both options with nice views of the mill pond, while Sisi on Main offers upscale continental cuisine. Piper's tavern offers pub grub and is the closest dining spot to the two motels. There is Chinese food at Wong's and gourmet coffee at Ashanti. There are also several pizza places and other fast-food options scattered around the downtown.
The big draw for many visitors is the ski hill at Blue Mountain, but there are many other interesting places to visit in and around the town. Within Thornbury there are a number of beautiful old homes on quiet streets. Also on these streets, next to the town hall, is the Thornbury fishway, a "fish ladder" that gives spawning lake fish a route out of the lake. Little River beach sits on the bay coast right in the center of town, and there are more than 60 shops to browse in the town itself. The Georgian trail along the bay coast and the long Bruce Trail both pass through town, giving hikers easy access.