HIMH (Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada)

Hang In My Hood
A weekly series, introducing you to new adventures around someone elses' neighborhood!
{dana - wonder forest}




Hello lovelies!
I am so excited to share my world with all of you {just.lovely.things} readers!
 My name is Dana and you can find me over at the Wonder Forest,
 spewing out thoughts, crafty ventures, and my collection of plush critters!
  I live in this little town in Ontario, Canada called Wasaga Beach with my fiance and our pets.
If you are from Ontario, you may have heard of Wasaga Beach
because it is a huge tourist spot in the summertime!


I really do mean that too.
Our population goes from 16,000 to 200,000
 when the warm weather hits, and at times it's quite the scene!
  Long weekends here are like a segment right out of Jersey Shore,
and it's quite hilarious to see this little Sweet Home Alabama type town turn into its polar opposite!

Before I get into my hometown tour,
 I must explain that Wasaga Beach has a series of beaches, all in a row.
They are numbered from one to five.
  Beaches 1 and 2 are the main tourist destinations...
the ones that cause traffic jams for what seems like hours.
Beach 5 is on the other end of town, and that's my resident beach.
 It is usually quiet, but it's missing everything the main beaches have...
shops, food, and entertainment. Got it? Good!


I drove down to the main beaches today just for you guys!
Thankfully it wasn't the weekend so it wasn't swarming with people.
The first thing you notice when heading towards the main beaches are all of the places to stay.
Motels and cottages everywhere... some nicer than others.
When I was in high school, before I moved here, Wasaga was THE place to go for a summer getaway
 and the shady motels were always a huge part of the adventure!


Ok so I'm not even sure what the turquoise house is... I just loved the colour of it so I had to include it! When you enter the boardwalk, you're hit with all of the touristy type things, like shops that sell sunglasses and those hideous Crocs, mini golf, bars, and of course blow-up water toys!


No beach would be complete without all of the bad-for-you-but-terribly-delicious places to eat.
  I have to admit, I have never eaten at a restaurant here.
 I do however like to frequent the candy shoppes...


Yum yum!!!

The main beaches used to have a larger amount of shops and attractions
(like this super scary 'Nightmare' fright house where
 I nearly peed my pants once after being chased in the pitch black by a dude with a chainsaw),
 but sadly in 2007 a huge fire completely damaged the main pedestrian strip.
This was a super sad day, because tons of businesses were shut down and ever since then,
 it just hasn't been the same.
They had planned to rebuild it but opted to put up this ginormous, hideous caged dome thing:


It's supposed to be a "live entertainment venue",
and it used to have a cover on it before a huge wind storm took it off.
So now it just kind of sits there.
Not the smartest idea, Wasaga Beach. Moving on...
what kind of tour guide would I be if I didn't show you my resident beach? Welcome to Beach 5...

Ah yes, trees, peace and quiet. Much more my style.
This beach is located just down the road from our house and is nestled behind quiet streets and forests. The river from the lake runs right through my backyard!

Well I think that about wraps it up.. I hope you enjoyed the little photo tour of my town!

  I absolutely love living here!
Just don't get me started on the insane winters or I'll have to bust out my photos of 6-foot high snow.


I hope to see you all around my neck of the woods.
  Thanks so much Heather for having me!
You are AMAZING!!!

(thanks dana!!)

21 comments:

  1. Looks so pretty - great post Dana!

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  2. Yay thanks Heather! This was so fun to do :):)
    xo dana
    thewonderforest.com

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  3. O.M.G!!! not only are you a fellow caadian but... you're right down the street from me!!!
    great post!

    = )
    Jello

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  4. how pretty! crazy that it goes from 16,000 to 200,00!!

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  5. This inspires me to take some pictures of my hometown! It looks like so much more fun there though. haha.

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  6. Loved the pictures of her hood! Looks like fun!

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  7. Yay Canada! I love reading about fellow Canadian bloggers :) Great post! xo

    Meag

    www.maycontainnutz.blogspot.com

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  8. Great guest post! :) My hometown is also a beach town - our population skyrockets during the summer months! And we also get too much snow in the winter ^^ Thanks for taking us through your town!

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  9. Lovely pictures, great guest post :)! Feels like summerholiday when I see all this :)!

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  10. My husband's grandparents live in Wasaga Beach! :)

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  11. There is something about beaches that are just key to having a relaxing vacation {my humble opinion}. That is CRAZY about the "population" growth the city experiences during the tourist season ... it is so cool that you embrace the "visitors" with such warmth :)

    ♥ Cat brideblu

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  12. you live in such a cute little beach town. i hate that mine is all new and modern. i wish we still had that rustic surf city charm.

    love, little.

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  13. Dana Thank you for showing us around.It leaves me with a warm fuzzy feelin knowin yall are in Happy Beautiful Place! It looks Wonderful. Can't wait to visit!

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  14. Great guest post! Such a sweet town, envious of the beaches!

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  15. What a great series! I love it! And the pictures are fabulous. I would to be a part of this series if at all possible, it's a great idea! I live in St Etienne, France. Keep me in mind if you need someone!! Thanks!

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  16. Dana, great to see you featured on Heather's space!!! i loved the tour of your town and can't believe what i see - i lived in Ontario for 6-ish years also but never got to Wasaga Beach. now i'm really regretting it b/c man is that place ever a bunch of fun and color. looks more like somewhere in Cali than Canada! incredible snaps and terrific shares. you def got it good lades!!!! ♥

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  17. SUCH BEAUTIFUL photos - can't wait to check out your shop! New follower !!!

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  18. i love this post dana it makes me want to go to the beaches!!

    and you're sooooo prettt! x

    sydsense

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  19. i love Canada...and I have actually been to that very beach..summer 2007 !!

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  20. Love this post! I really want to go to the beach now! If only I didn't live in the middle of the US with the closest beach more than 14 hours away! I will have to plan a vacation!... I have always wanted to go to Canada!

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  21. I just adore Dana. Her blog is AMAZING!! :)

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