Explore Beautiful Bala Ontario in the Fall!

2024 marks our 12 year wedding anniversary, and we wanted to really celebrate in style this year. So with the help of the Bala Bay Inn and some friends and family who babysat our kids, we spent the evening in Bala and it was unforgettable.

Bala Bay Inn Discover Muskoka Website

If you know me, you know I LOVE "done for you" vacays. If I can actually vacation and not have to do the planning part, that's my definition of an actual vacation. And apart from finding babysitters for our four kids, this trip was headache free thanks to the Muskoka Cranberry Route!

The Bala Bay Inn

Our getaway began at the Historic Bala Bay Inn. Built in the early 1900s it has had a long history of hosting overnight guests and day visitors to Muskoka with lively and entertaining events. You don't get to be this old without having some stories to tell, and The Bala Bay Inn definitely has some beautiful character and a rich history.

The Bala Bay Inn Front Lobby

As soon as we walked in I knew we were going to love it. The textured wall paper, deep burgundy vibes and huge wooden staircase were a dead giveaway that we weren't about to have your standard sterile hotel experience. It honestly felt like you were walking into someone's home, and the rooms were no different.

The King Rooms at the Bala Bay Inn

We got a room with a King Sized bed and adjoining bathroom that had such a homey feel. They even had my favourite salt & vinegar chips waiting for us! There was no fridge in the room, but we brought out little cooler and they gave us ice downstairs at the bar and we were good-to-go.

We were able to eat on site at the Ghost Kitchen and the food was so delicious. My husband got the Toronto Street Meat and I got the Smoke Trout Fillet and we loved them. We're already talking about when we can go back again! Check out the full menu here.

The Muskoka Beer Spa

Another perk of visiting The Bala Bay Inn is that they are a partner of the Muskoka Beer Spa. So we were able to take advantage of the free shuttle service from the Inn to the spa and back so we didn't have to worry about driving.

The Muskoka Beer Spa in Torrance Ontario

Your quintessential Canadian spa, Muskoka BeerSpa is your place to detox, retox and relax.

We loved the woodsy vibe, and definitely want to come back with friends. It was so nice just to lounge in the hot tubs in the great outdoors, and you can grab a drink and hangout by the campfire as well.

Hot tubs, pool, saunas, steam room, cabanas, loungers, hammocks, fountains, dump buckets, swings, beer garden and more are all included with your BeerSpa stay. This year they are open daily 9am-sundown until November 3rd 2024, so make sure to plan your visit soon!

The Wink and Wave Spa

Another perk of staying at The Bala Bay Inn in the fall is that you will receive a FREE Cranberry Foot Soak and Foot Massage (a $60 value) at the Wink and Wave Spa with fresh cranberries and scrubs straight from Johnston's Cranberry Marsh. This is the cranberry capital of Ontario after all!

I went back with my social media coordinator Sam to do this foot scrub as a fun girls trip too and it was a blast! The smells of fall and cranberries were all over that place. And the decor is pretty in pink which you know is my fave!

The Muskoka Cranberry Route

The annual Muskoka Cranberry Route is a collection of over 30 stops across Muskoka and gives you the opportunity to explore all that Muskoka and Bala Ontario have to offer while optimizing your visit. This is how we were able to have such a seamless getaway without all of the tedious planning.

Tour the cranberry marsh, sip cranberry craft beer and cider, indulge in cranberry baked goods, taste cranberry inspired cuisine, and so much more! Your cranberry adventure will take you down some of Muskoka’s most historic main streets, scenic back roads and along iconic lake side views.

The Bala Cranberry Festival

All of these wonderful experiences were leading us up to the Bala Cranberry Festival. Taking place October 18th - 20th 2024 this is one of the largest cranberry celebrations for the last 30+ years!

This cranberry capital is also home to the oldest cranberry farm in Ontario, and the only cranberry farm in the world with its own on-site winery! A grabbed a bottle of their white cranberry wine for Thanksgiving this year and it was delicious.

The cranberry love doesn’t stop in Bala; in fact Muskoka has long been crazy for cranberries! Across the region talented chefs, bakers, creators and brewers have been incorporating local cranberries into their craft for years. The Muskoka Cranberry Route pulls this collection together to showcase local food, talent and culinary creativity, and to make sure that you get the most out of your visit.

Thanks for coming along on our 12th Anniversary Trip with us! Checkout my video recap of our getaway on my Instagram below, and make sure you plan your trip to Bala too! We know you're going to love it.

Enjoy!

xoxo Chelsea