Things to do in surrounding area

Sylvan Alpaca Farm

24 km from Grand Bend

Located just 20 min from Grand Bend, Sylvan Alpaca Farms is a fun place to take the kids or even visit as an adult!. It offers Agritourism. They invite visitors to their farm for an interactive experience with their alpacas. They love to teach people about these gentle, curious and calm creatures. First, you will go meet the whole herd, then you will start to learn some of the interesting facts about these animals. Next, they will put the Alpacas in halters and take them for a walk down a quiet dirt road. This experience takes 1 hour. Finally, they will show you some of the products they produce from alpaca fiber.

Port Franks

21 km from Grand Bend

Port Franks and its beaches are located to the southwest of the Pinery Provincial Park, between Kettle Point and Grand Bend. Two different natural ecosystems are preserved on either side of Port Franks. To the northeast, the community is less than a 10 minute drive away from the Pinery Provincial Park - an exemplary specimen of a special Oak Savanna Forest filled with rare species of flora and fauna. Hikers can enjoy the trails during the spring, summer, and fall while snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are popular winter pastimes. The Forested Dunes Nature Reserve lies to the southwest of Port Franks. This protected land is part of the overall Port Franks Dunes & Wetlands Complex and offers more trail options for hikers.

Make sure you visit the sand dune hill

Kettle Point & Ipperwash

27.8 km from Grand Bend

Kettle Point is named for its unusual spherical rock formations that erode from the underlying shale beds along the shore of Lake Huron. These rock formations known as “kettles” are unique to only three locations within the entire world. Ipperwash beach is a beautiful sandy beach

Bayfield

29 km from Grand Bend

One of Bayfield’s greatest strengths is the community’s beauty. The village offers a public park, shopping, fine dining and fast food restaurants. Enjoy strolling along the streets of this 'turn-of-the-century village'. After spending a day visiting boutiques, art galleries, and antique shops, make your last stop at The Spa in Bayfield and soothe your senses with music and aromas while relaxing in a friendly atmosphere.These attractions bring tourists from far and wide to see the historic charm of the village or to relax on Lake Huron beaches. For residents, these are just more things to love about their home! Bayfield’s four beaches, Main Beach, South Beach, Houston Heights Beach, and St. Joseph’s Beach are all popular with families. Main Beach is the closest beach to the village’s restaurants and amenities while Houston Heights boasts a pavilion and play area for kids. Further inland, Windmill Lake Wake & Eco Park is a different way to experience the water.

35 km from Grand Bend

Rock Glen Conservation Area

Located on the outskirts of Arkona, Rock Glen Conservation Area is a unique island of nature within the Ausable Bayfield watershed jurisdiction. Whether taking a hike along the Ausable Gorge or within Rock Glen's important Carolinian forest, you'll see many trees, plants and wildlife that are provincially distinct to this area.

The park is home to the Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre which houses an impressive collection of Devonian Era fossils and aboriginal artifacts found in the local area. There are stairs, boardwalks and bridge allowing visitors to safely explore the steep sides of the glen and the 10.7-metre high waterfall just upstream of the Ausable River. Visitors and amateur archaelogists from all parts of North America have found many fossils in the exposed beds dating back 350 million years.

Accessible trails allow all visitors to see the park highlights including the scenic lookouts, museum and picnic areas.