Ontario Motorcycle Events
Let's Ride!
By Mike Jacobs
KIMbits & KATtales—Where the Wild Things Are
You could probably find one of every kind of animal in the world right here in Ontario. Here we list every zoo, wildlife park, petting farm, sanctuary and aquarium matched with the best motorcycle route to get there. Go wild!
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem.” A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
When it comes to riding, I often just point Ruby in a direction and twist the throttle. Unless I have a place I have to be or something I have to do, I tend to wander. Not aimlessly, but pretty darned close to it: Along country roads I have come to know like the back of my hand, up highways and down numbered roads, through small towns and around big cities.
It usually doesn’t really matter where I am going; it’s often more about the ride. About the "getting there." And, more often than not, I ride alone. It’s my time to escape, to think, to dream.
Then there are the times that I yearn for a little bit more of an "adventure." I’m not talking about grand undertakings or long road trips to places unknown on roads full of switchbacks and long curves. Oh, those kinds of adventures are on my "BikeIt List," but with my work schedule and the medical challenges I face right now, those kinds of endeavors are simply a little bit further down on that list we’re talking about.
I’m referring to the kinds of days when you have a full morning or afternoon in front of you and it’s a perfect day to ride, but you are looking for ‘something to do’ once you get out there. There’s something to be said for destinations, even though a wise biker friend once told me, “It’s not about getting from Point A to Point B – it’s about everything in between.” I tend to agree, for the most part. But when you ride alone, or when you travel with just one or two close friends, it’s nice to have the chance to stop somewhere and take some time; time to rest, time to refresh, time to enjoy having "arrived."
Why We Ride
When it comes to travelling with Ruby, there’s never a time when I don’t have a camera in one of my saddlebags. Visit the What A Ride Facebook page and website or any other motorcycling travel blog or even fellow riders’ Facebook pages, and you’ll see countless pictures of different bikes in front of, beside, or near various points-of-interest. Bikes parked on shoulders of roads next to rivers, and motorcycles in groups outside small-town cafés, and rides in front of statues and monuments. We like to document our travels and relive our adventures just as much as those who travel by car or by boat or by plane. But, there’s something wonderfully and uniquely different about travelling by motorcycle, and there are adventures to be had that just can’t be achieved any other way.
Warm and Fuzzy
I saw a news report a while back about a petting farm that was looking for volunteers to come and cuddle their baby goats. They needed volunteers to cuddle and feed and play with the babies to help get them used to being around people. “How cool would that volunteering job be!” I remember thinking at the time.
As the weather got warmer and I was spending more and more time out on the road with Ruby, my mind wandered to the Farm Crawl I did on the bike last spring (check it out here). I started wondering about all of the little family farms and petting zoos and attractions related to spending time with animals that I have heard about but never taken the time to visit. That’s when I made the decision to contact a local family-owned and operated zoo that I took my kids to when they were little, but hadn’t been to in over 15 years.
Fit for the Zoo
Brantford Twin Valley Zoo started back in 1991. A labour of love for Tony and Henny Stallman, their goal was to provide a place for families to enjoy the outdoors in a quiet and clean environment. Built on 25 beautiful acres in Brant County, Brantford Twin Valley Zoo is a great place to observe a collection of native and exotic animals maintained in natural surroundings. In addition to enjoying the sights, Twin Valley Zoo also places a strong emphasis on educating all their guests. While seeing wild animals up close is amazing in and of itself, the zoo strives to provide excellent opportunities to learn about creatures from around the world. If you’ve ever wondered why zebras have stripes, or why some animals have fur instead of feathers, the educational presentations are perfect for you and your family.
While the picnic area, walking trails, and education centre are all reasons enough to visit, the real draw to the Twin Valley Zoo is the animals. You can see North American animals including black bears, moose, deer, ducks, wolves, turkeys, turtles, foxes, and swans. Visitors can also see and learn about camels, flamingos, monkeys, kangaroos, tigers, lions, zebras, and more.
Henny is still very much "hands on" at the facility (husband Tony has since passed away), and son Tom now manages the Zoo, assisted by Rhonda DeAthe, a Veterinary Technician with advanced specialization in Emergency and Critical Care, as well as working with zoo animal medicine. All three, along with their team of staff and volunteers, are working hard to improve and update enclosures/care and focus on enhancing the educational part of the experience for their guests. They are especially proud of several Shining Star Tourism awards for Brant County, and their 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.
Henny, Tom and Rhonda were very welcoming, and took me on a private tour of the Zoo, giving extra-special permission for Ruby to come along. We spent the entire morning visiting different animals, and they allowed Ruby to get up-close-and-personal with many of the Zoo residents.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Brantford’s Twin Valley Zoo, and plan on revisiting often. I had a leisurely ride there, appreciated the more intimate surroundings of a smaller attraction, discovered a great place away from the hustle and bustle of the more typical "tourist destinations," and explored the countryside on the way home. It was the perfect way to spend a half-day of adventuring and still allowed me the option to continue riding beyond my planned excursion.
It’s great to have unplanned plans and celebrate the surprises in our travels, but there’s also something to be said for what’s three hours away from home and the little delights that can be found in discovering those smaller or lesser-known places and destinations that can help to make for a fuller and richer experience overall.
If you have several hours or part of day in front of you and nothing in particular to do, why not consider taking a ride to one of the many Ontario attractions of the "wild kind?" There are plenty to choose from, and you just might learn something new, discover your next favourite place, and even grab a picture or two that’s not your everyday "on-the-bank-of-a-river" shot. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even get to do some… monkeying around!
Check out these Ontario "animal" attractions:
ONTARIO'S NORTHWEST
Wildlife Park 888-711-5094
2465 City Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7C 4Z2
Recommended Route: Highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay
Egli's Sheep Farm and Animal Park
20232 Hwy 17W, Minnitaki, Ontario, P0V 2E0
Algoma Country
2016 Third Line W, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
Recommended Route: The Grand Algoma Tour
Northeastern Ontario
Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat & Heritage Village
1 Drury Park Rd, Cochrane, Ontario, P0L1C0
Recommended Route: The Great Legends Tour
OTTAWA REGION
399-323 North Rd , Montebello , Quebec , JOV 1LO
150 County Road 19, Wendover, Ontario, K0A 3K0
Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 5A3
Recommended Route: Ride the Ottawa Valley
877-544-8440
5305 Bank St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1X 1H2
Recommended Route: Ride the Ottawa Valley
613-591-1126
4750 Fallowfield Rd, Nepean, Ontario
York, Durham and Headwaters
Jungle Cat World Zoological Park and Bed & Breakfast
3667 Concession Road 6, Orono (Clarington), Ontario, L0B 1M0
3441 Grandview St. N., Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 8L7
905-761-6223
2501 Rutherford Rd, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 2N6
Recommended Route: Forks of the Credit Day Trip
Kawarthas Northumberland
262 Orchard Drive, Hwy 401 Exit 497, Colborne, Ontario, K0K 1S0
Recommended Route: Escape the 400s - Peterborough & The Kawarthas
705-786-2023
363 Salem Road RR 1, Manilla, Ontario
Recommended Route: The L & A Big Ride
705-639-1443
Hwy 7 East, Indian River, Ontario, K0L 2B0
Recommended Route: City Escapes—Toronto to Peterborough & The Kawarthas
905-352-2772
RR #4, 1296 Bomanton Rd, Roseneath, Ontario, K0K 2X0
Recommended Route: City Escapes—Toronto to Peterborough & The Kawarthas
705-748-9300
1230 Water St, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 6Z5
Recommended Route: City Escapes—Toronto to Peterborough & The Kawarthas
Southeastern Ontario
640 Hamilton Road, Belleville, Ontario, K8N 4Z5
1058 County Rd #44, RR # 1 Oxford Station, Ontario, K0G 1T0
Recommended Route: Ottawa Valley Tour
Ontario's Highlands
613-628-5409
78 Marquardt Lane, Eganville, Ontario, K0J 1T0
Recommended Route: The Highlands Loop
Land O' Lakes Rescue Petting Farm
613-336-0330
1200 Regional 506 Road, Cloyne, Ontario, K0H 1K0
Parrot Partner Rainforest Aviary
613-284-4114
Smith Falls, Ontario
Recommended Route: The Rideau Ridge
Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary
613-537-2024
5591 County Rd 2, Ingleside, Ontario, K0C 1X0
Recommended Route: Hwy 2—The Ride of Choice for Ottawa and Montreal Riders
Bruce Grey Simcoe
14191 County Road 27 (Highway 27), Elmvale, Ontario, L0L 1P0
Recommended Route: The Georgian Bay Coastal Route
82 Line 15 S, RR#1, Orillia, L3V 6H1
Recommended Route: The Georgian Bay Coastal Route
705-322-6293
1922 County Rd 92, Elmvale, Ontario, L0L 1P0
Recommended Route: The Georgian Bay Coastal Route
Bear Creek Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary
705-721-4730
8633 10th Line, Barrie, Ontario, L4M 4S4
Recommended Route: The Georgian Bay Coastal Route
705-487-2000
Hwy. #11, between Orillia & Barrie, Oro Medonte, Ontario
Recommended Route: The Georgian Bay Coastal Route
Whinny Acres Trail Rides & Horse Vacations
519-924-1478
305042 South Line A RR#3, Priceville, Ontario, N0C 1K0
Recommended Route: Grey-Bruce Waterfall Tour
519-986-3758
734762 West Back Line, Markdale, Ontario
Recommended Route: Grey-Bruce Waterfall Tour
Algonquin Park, Almaguin Highlands, Muskoka and Parry Sound
Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
705-732-6368
1116 Crawford Street, Rosseau, Ontario, P0C 1J0
Recommended Route: Rosseau to Port Sandfield
NIAGARA
5651 River Road, Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2E 7M7
Recommended Route: Niagara Cherry Blossom Ride
905-688-5601 ext. 1927.
650 Read Rd, St Catharines, Ontario, L2S 2E7
Recommended Route: Niagara Cherry Blossom Ride
905-356-9565
7657 Portage Road , Niagara Falls , Ontario
Recommended Route: Niagara Cherry Blossom Ride
Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory
905-358-0025
2405 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Recommended Route: Niagara Cherry Blossom Ride
905-382-9669
2821 Stevensville Road, Stevensville, Ontario, L0S 1S0
Recommended Route: Niagara Cherry Blossom Ride
Hamilton, Halton and Brant
1386 Cooper Road, Hamilton, Ontario, N1R 5S2
84 Langford Church Rd, Brantford, Ontario, N3T 5L4
Be a Falconer for a Day! (Hawkeye Bird Control)
1-877-808-4804
5048 Erin First Line, Acton, Ontario, L7J 2L9
Mountsberg Conservation Area & Wildlife Centre
905-854-2276
2259 Milburough Lane, Campbellville, Ontario
Ontario's Southwest
Norflok County Fair and Horse Show
October 4-10, 2016
Norfolk County Fairgrounds, 172 South Dr, Simcoe , Ontario
237 Unity Rd E, Caledonia, Ontario, N3W 2H7
Leaping Deer Adventure Farm and Market
544212 Clarke Road, Ingersoll, Ontario, N5C 3J8
Recommended Route: Cruise the Coast
519-428-2637
R.R. 1, Vittoria, Ontario
Recommended Route: Cruise the Coast
519-337-4387
1000 Lake Chipican Dr, Sarnia, Ontario
Recommended Route: Escape the 400s—Ontario's Southwest
905-774-1373
843 Concession Rd. 1, Canfield, Ontario, N0A 1C0
Greenview Aviaries Park and Zoo
519-674-3025
12734 Talbat Trail, Morpeth, Ontario
Recommended Route: Escape the 400s—Ontario's Southwest
519-733-4034
360 Rd 3 W, Kingsville, Ontario
Recommended Route: Escape the 400s—Ontario's Southwest
Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
2500 Kossuth Road, Cambridge, Ontario, N3H 4R7
6981 Puslinch Concession 4, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 6J3
8548 Wellington Rd. 7, Moorefield, Ontario, N0G 2K0
519-625-1064
3979 Road 108, Stratford, Ontario, N5A 6S5
Recommended Route: Ride the Counties
519-855-6277
8722 15th Sideroad RR4, Rockwood, Ontario, N0B 2K0
519-856-2629
13085 Fourth Line, Rockwood, Ontario, N0B 2K0
GREATER TORONTO AREA
288 Bremner Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3L9
2000 Meadowvale Road, Scarborough, Ontario, M1B 5K7
City of Toronto Parks & Rec 416-392-8192
9 Queens Quay W, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2H3
416-392-1748
440 Parkside Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M6R 2Z3
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you happen to be out riding this season and snap a photo of you and your ride at any of the above-noted sites or along any of the routes, send it to me (KAT) at kataales@rogers.com OR post it to the What A Ride facebook site; just look for the KAT’S PHOTO CONTEST photo album and post away! There are some terrific prizes to be won throughout the year…
KAT (aka KimberleeAnna Taplay) is a member of the ‘What A Ride!’ correspondent team, and is looking forward to sharing the next edition of KIMbits and KATtales with you. To reach KAT, send your questions and/or comments to kattales@rogers.com.
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