There’s nothing like it, sitting by the lake and listening and observing all the life it contains. On a calm sunny fall day, you can hear the lake snap, crackle and pop like a bowl of my childhood cereal. The mute swans are providing flight training for their signets and the chirping of the crickets is constant. Songbirds are in the trees and this generation of monarch butterflies are feasting on the fading wildflowers and milkweed. It’s just another day at Rideau Acres Camping Resort in Ontario.
Rideau Acres Camping Resort.
A heron near Rideau Camping Resort
It’s September, the daytime temperatures are still in the 70s with cool nights. The turtles are warming up on logs of driftwood. The usual hum of children is absent as they are now back in school. It’s all about peace and tranquility this time of year at Rideau Acres. The hiking paths are ripe with blackberries and the Caspian terns are busy fishing just offshore. The stillness of the water is interrupted by the occasional fish jumping. The great blue heron hunting is a common sight along the shoreline and the odd bittern or night heron might make an appearance.
A canoe or kayak trip is another way to see all this nature up close. Take your fishing rod and catch your supper or bring your camera and catch some great nature photos,. Bring your boat and enjoy our part of the scenic Rideau Canal, a UNESCO world heritage site. Don’t have a boat of your own? You can rent one on-site. If you prefer to be more active, the 9 holes of frisbee golf will get you moving, or perhaps a trek up the rock that will give you a wonderful view of the lake while hiking on part of the Canadian Shield.
Nearby Kingston offers a vibrant downtown with so many restaurants and patios to choose from. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, you can shop at the outdoor farmer’s market, where you can get fresh produce for your own meals back at the campground. As Canada’s first capital city, Kingston is steeped in history. You can tour Old Forty Henry, which was built during the war of 1812 or the first Canadian penitentiary, built in 1835. Now decommissioned, it offers tours inside its great limestone walls.
Rideau Acres is the camping destination of choice in eastern Ontario and we would love to see you in September. For more information, please check out our website, www.rideauacres.com.
