It’s been a few weeks since I shared our first day trip from our “Get Out of Town” series from the Elora Quarry. It’s been such a busy summer and I finally had a few minutes this morning to edit the video and put together this post which is our second instalment of “Get Out Of Town!” Perfect timing for the long weekend and if any of you are looking to do something TOMORROW just outside of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
Today we are talking about Cobourg Beach! This is beautiful, sandy beach on the shores of Lake Ontario, in the town of Cobourg. This small town is located about an hour east of downtown Toronto…a perfect place to take your family for a day trip!
We have friends who have a cottage nearby and invite us yearly to come spend the day with them, at the beach and back to the cottage for dinner and late night hangouts.
When I first discovered this beach over two years ago, I was shocked at how big and beautiful it was. We have a beachfront in our city, but it is NOTHING like Cobourg Beach. Where we live, the beach is smaller and while there is sand at the beach, the water entry is all rocks. If you don’t have water shoes, it can be quite painful entering the water.
But not so at Cobourg Beach! It’s all sand…for miles! Not only is it a huge sandy beach, the sandy entry to the lake is very gradual and even has a sand bar not too far off shore. This was perfect as the kids could walk out to the sand bar and thought it was the coolest thing that the ground came back UP, further out in the lake.
Cobourg Beach is famous for their massive sand castle festival that takes place each year in August. They bring in renowned sand sculptures from all over Ontario to compete in an impressive day-long competition.
This beach has a real sense of community with all of its amenities right on hand. There is a boardwalk that goes along the entire waterfront (which is perfect for when the sand is just too hot to walk on). They have two splash pads and playground areas for the kids, as well as a large covered picnic area where you can eat and relax. Speaking of eating, they have a full canteen area where you can buy all kinds of yummy beach grub from french fries to hot dogs and ice cream cones. Beach equipment rentals are also a great opportunity to explore more of the area, whether on land or on water. From bike rentals to stand up paddle boards and kayaks, the options are endless for activities on the beach!
Now, I do need to warn you…if you’ve never swam in Lake Ontario before, you might get the shock of your life, especially if you enjoy warm water. Because Lake Ontario is COLD! Although this lake is the smallest of the great lakes (in surface size), it is still almost 19,000 square feet and plunges to depths of over 800 feet! So, it’s no wonder that it’s a cold, cold place to swim.
However, that being said, it didn’t stop any of us from enjoying a dip! It was SO hot the day we went to Cobourg Beach that it didn’t matter how cold it was because we were just dripping from the heat.
We had an absolute blast spending the day at Cobourg Beach. It is such an awesome beach front community and while it was busy the day we went, we set up camp on the far east end of the beach which was very quiet. Even the town of Cobourg is a great little community to visit at the end of the day for some home baked goods or delicious local foods!
If you are looking for something to do this long weekend or for a day trip anytime of the week, Cobourg Beach is the perfect place to visit!
Love & Blessings,