The Great Ontario Communities Series (Brockville)

 During the past few years Judi and I have visited almost 150 Ontario community festivals and events. The majority have been planned and managed by dedicated community volunteers. As a salute to these wonderful communities and their hard-working residents, I will be writing a series of blogs entitled “Great Ontario Communities”. These blogs describe the communities we have visited and will tell you about some of the interesting things we have experienced and the people we have met. The third article will be about Brockville, located in the along the banks of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

BROCKVILLE – Whenever Judi and I drive to eastern Ontario, we try to include the City of Brockville in our itinerary. We love exploring Brockville’s unique picturesque waterfront downtown and its rich historic architecture. Brockville is known as the “City of the 1000 Islands” and is located along the banks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The city, named after the British General Sir Isaac Brock, is one of the oldest cities in Ontario. This “loyalist” area was first settled in 1785 by hundreds of American refugees. They later became known as “United Empire Loyalists”.  To find out more about this historic city, I would recommend that you visit the Wikipedia website/Brockville (Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brockville)

Brockville has a wonderful main street full of interesting and attractive shops to investigate. Judi and I love to have dinner at the “New York Restaurant”. This is an established “Chinese cuisine” restaurant with great food and attentive service. To get to Brockville from Cobourg, Judi and I normally travel the 401 Highway to Gananoque and then take the 1000 Island Parkway to Brockville. This scenic route runs parallel to the St. Lawrence and overlooks the many fabulous island homes and cottages. On clear summer days the river is teaming with pleasure boats! Once you leave the Parkway, the road that leads to the historic downtown is lined with gracious century homes. There is plenty to do in Brockville with its great parks, interesting attractions and wonderful special events. Their parks include the St. Lawrence Park, Centeen Park and Hardy Park; attractions include 1000 Island and Seaway Cruises, the Brockville Museum and Canada’s Oldest Railway Tunnel. Brockville festivals and events include the 1000 Island Jazz Festival (held in May/June), the Brockville Riverfest (held in July), the Brockville Ribfest (held in August) and the Thousand Island Writers Festival (held in October). To find out more about Brockville, visit the city’s website.