Magnificent Mindemoya

Lake Mindemoya Public Beach and Treasure Island

The town of Mindemoya boasts a population of 1,750 and is known as the hub of Manitoulin.  It is centrally located at the cross section of two of Manitoulin Island's highways, and has more amenities than its neighbouring towns.  Lake Mindemoya is the third largest interior lake on the island with an island in the middle called Treasure Island.  The water is warm and clear with lots of boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and swimmers.

Splashtown on Lake Mindemoya

This is the first year that Splashtown has run an inflatable water park on the lake.  We spent three gorgeous afternoons playing on the floaties in the water and soaking up the sunshine.  All of us were brown as berries by week's end.  The lake around the water park bustles with activity.  The lake bottom is sandy and about 30 feet deep in most spots, although it boasts a shallow sandy entry along with a deeper cold water fishing hole where anglers wrestle whitefish into submission.

On Canada Day weekend, there was a delicious ribfest from Thursday through Sunday.  The ribs and chicken were so mouth wateringly good that we attended two days running.  The mac and cheese, fresh lemonade, funnel cakes and deep fried Mars bars also rate a mention.  The place had country music playing all day long and a local craft fair on Saturday with artisans from near and far.  One of them, We Have The Wood, was offering custom made cutting boards with various Ontario lakes featured.  I ordered one as a gift for my business partner and his wife.  The weekend weather was perfect with nary a cloud in the sky, and Saturday the place was hopping with lots of locals and tourists alike.

Mum's Bakery

We had breakfast at Mum's Bakery one morning, enjoyed poutine at the GrillNChill, and grabbed delicious fresh sub sandwiches at Wilson's Corner Store a few afternoons.  Wilson's is where we also filled up for gas, did our laundry, and bought tasty breakfast sausages.  I visited the local library and City Hall and conducted a business meeting in the comfortable council chambers thanks to the kindness of the town staff.  Mum's Bakery is not good for your waistline but is good for your taste buds, offering fresh pies, cookies and bars at the counter when you settle your bill.  The local Foodland offers anything you need for groceries right at the four corners.  I also had need of a tire change while on the island and Daniel Meneray from Meneray Towing and his colleagues Jayden and Barrie could not have been more helpful.

The hub of Manitoulin Island was good to us, leaving us with memories of playing in the sun and surf, eating exceedingly well, and enjoying the friendly charm of the island.  It was worth the trip.