Photo: ©istockphoto.com/benedek
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Going outside to play is never a problem in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is the quintessential playground for outdoor enthusiasts. In this neck of the woods in northwestern Ontario, the great outdoors is also a master classroom for students to explore ecology, history, humanitarian studies and just plain fun.
Settled by fur traders in the late 17th century, Thunder Bay’s development followed the expansion and development of water traffic. From fur to grain from western Canada, it is the stopping off point to traverse the Great Lakes to the Saint Lawrence Seaway and beyond.
(800) 667-8386
www.visitthunderbay.com/grouptravel
Thunder Bay Art Gallery
“Twelve months of the year the Thunder Bay Art Gallery welcomes students to take part in unique learning experiences, including exhibition tours, workshops and art classes,” said Vivian Alexander, educator at the museum. It is the largest public gallery between Sault Ste. Marie and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
“Portions of our Permanent Collection, in which there are 1,500-plus works, are always on display depicting the Aboriginal culture in a variety of art forms. This is a special way we are able to share that rich and vibrant culture with our community’s youth,” she said.
Art classes and student tours are available; by calling in advance customized tours can be arranged with the education coordinator.
Motorcoach parking is available.
(807) 577-6427
www.theag.ca
Sleeping Giant Provencial Park
A day trip to Sleeping Giant Provencial Park provides an educational opportunity to explore the fabled peninsula on an escorted hike. Nearly 50 miles or 80 km of park trails wend past lakes, bogs and along a rocky walkway that leads to an outcropping that resembles a sea lion. While there are no sea lions at the park, there is a possibility of a moose, deer or smaller mammal sighting. Sleeping Giant enforces Leave No Trace practices.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is part of the Natural Heritage Education program. Primary interpretive themes include the Sleeping Giant formation; the geology of the park and surrounding areas; the legend about the Sleeping Giant; the transitional forest; botanical rarities; the history of Silver Islet; Paleo-Indian occupation of the area and subsequent pre-historic cultures. The program is administered from the visitors centre at the Marie Louise Lake campground.
Motorcoach parking is available.
(807) 977-2526
www.ontarioparks.com/park/sleepinggiant
Photo: ©istockphoto.com/creighton359
Kakabeka Falls
Kakabeka Falls
There’s legend and history as well as beauty at Kakabeka Falls, located in Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, about 18 miles west of city center in Thunder Bay. The falls were an important portage area for the fur trade through the late 19th century. Students hear the history of the area and learn about the legend of Princess Green Mantle, who led an opposing Sioux tribe over the 132-foot or 40-meter falls to save the lives of her Ojibwe people. A boardwalk wraps around the top of the falls for viewing and group photo opportunities.
At the bottom of the cascade, cuts in the rocky expanse of Kaministiquia River expose 1.6 million-year-old fossils.
The Natural Heritage Education Program is based at the visitor centre, as are park naturalists who lead a variety of programs for students including the history, wildlife, flora and geology at the park.
(807) 473-9231
www.ontarioparks.com/park/kakabekafalls
Terry Fox Monument
A 9-foot bronze statue, set on a 45-ton granite base with a foundation of local amethyst, commands a breath-taking view of Lake Superior. The statue was created to honor the memory of Terry Fox, the courageous one-legged runner who embarked on a cross-country run for cancer research, the Marathon of Hope. The monument, which sits on Terry Fox Lookout, is one of the most visited sites in the city of Thunder Bay.
The monument is not far from the place where the 22-year-old Canadian ended his 3,339-mile (5,342 km) run, stricken with the disease that ended his life on June 28, 1981.
He was the youngest person ever named a Companion of the Order of Canada. Fox won the 1980 Lou Marsh Award as the nation’s top sportsman and was named Canada’s Newsmaker of the Year in both 1980 and 1981. Considered a national hero, many buildings, roads and parks are named in his honor across the country.
The Visitor Information Centre is wheelchair accessible with washrooms, vending machines and a picnic area.
(800) 667-8386
www.visitthunderbay.com
Say ‘cheese,’ please
Like his parents before him, Walter Schep may be the only Dutch Gouda cheesemaker in all of Canada.
The second-generation dairy farm and cheese business is called Thunder Oak Cheese Farm and it includes a herd of Holstein cows for milk, a full dairy farm and a farm store. The store provides samples to groups large and small.
Glass windows invite viewing of the cheesemaking process, often narrated by a family member. It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese. The petite lecture takes about 30 minutes. Cheese is made in the morning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The tour is free. Large groups are asked to call ahead. Schep says the farm produces traditional Dutch Gouda plus 12 different flavors.
The farm store carries a wide variety of imported Dutch products and includes a small cafe.
Schep said the parking lot is big enough for milk tanker trucks so it is big enough for a motorcoach.
(807) 628-0175
www.cheesefarm.ca
Learning adventures
Students step into the past and get connected to people, ideas, artifacts and unforgettable hands-on experiences of fur-trading life at Fort William Historical Park. Be greeted by costumed interpreters from the early 18th century — maybe a voyageur. There’s even a history lesson on the menu for student groups that sign up for a hands-on culinary workshop about the diets of early settlers and Native Peoples.
The fort consists of 42 re-constructed buildings on a sprawling 25-acre site, making Fort William one of the largest living history attractions in North America. It features a working farm, an active artisan’s area, Native encampment and wharf where the long boats of the voyageurs are docked. Special overnight programs and facilities are available for student groups. Motorcoach parking is available.
(807) 473-2344
www.fwhp.ca
