There’s more to Haliburton than art school

There’s more to Haliburton than art school.

1. If you’re looking for women, it’s the ideal place to meet interesting, attractive, middle-aged women. Seriously, the Haliburton demographic, from what I saw, is predominantly women around the age of 50. They tend to be fit and creative with interests like yoga, kayaking, art, music and gardening. Haliburton offers a veritable gold mine of women.

2. If you’re not into women, Haliburton also offers a veritable gold mine of lakes. If you like fishing, swimming, canoeing, boating, or just hanging out near water, there are gorgeous, clean lakes everywhere in and around Haliburton.

3. Coffee. Well, you have to dig a little deeply for a decent cup of coffee in Haliburton, but I’ve done the field research for you. You can get a good cup of coffee at the Internet cafe on York Street, or at Heritage House 1863 (if you go there, get the french press for two, and ask them to make it strong – you’ll get about six good cups of coffee for $3.) They have good wraps and salads too.

4. Free concerts. There’s a free concert at the Fleming Campus every Thursday night. It’s usually a musician who is teaching at the college that week. I saw Rick Fines one Thursday and Eve Goldberg the next Thursday. The Haliburton Folk Music Society also has free concerts in the park periodically. I went to one of those too and saw Guy and Laurel, and Zoe Chilco.

5. Wildlife. I saw deer and coyote and lots of jackrabbits and chipmunks. Someone showed me a photo of a bear that had been dining at their bird feeder a few days earlier.

6. Thrift shop. The world’s cheapest thrift shop is in Haliburton. I got these two pictures for fifty cents. Shirts were a buck.

7. Artists Trading Cards. Every Thursday night you can go to the Rails End Gallery and make ATCs. They supply all the materials, and it’s “pay what you can.”

8. Artist Studios. There are dozens and dozens of studios to visit in and around Haliburton. I visited the glassblower’s studio. This is his mud pond. At first I thought yuck but then it started to grow on me.

9. Jay Lake Campground. Technically this is more in Minden (Em’s, from Knitting is My Boyfriend, hometown) than in Haliburton, but close enough. Jay Lake Campground is no ordinary campground – it’s a kingdom. King Don – a veritable mountain of a man – is a bit of a campground Nazi, but if you can get past that he’s a pretty nice guy. (Some people we know parked in visitor parking so they could pop by and invite us for dinner, and King Don told them if they weren’t off his property in ten minutes he’d be charging them $7.)

10. JanKnits Knitting Studio. For such a small town, Haliburton’s got an awfully exotic knitting store which carries Paula Lishman Fur Yarn , Mission Falls, Fleece Artist and Hand Maiden, Philosopher’s Wool, Berroco and Rowan yarns. Not only that, but they let you sit down and knit with these fibers for free. Great if you need a quick fix. There’s also a combo Health Food and Knitting Store just up the road from JanKnits. It’s a bit weird seeing yarn tucked in with the bee pollen and protein powder, but I liked it.

Bonus: Minden’s biggest attraction seems to be the Tim Horton’s on the main drag. Open 24 hours a day, it’s the only Timmy’s for miles around and it features the freshest Boston Cream donuts in all of Ontario, as well as a never-ending lineup snaking out the front door.