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Stimulate the Five Senses in the Kawarthas
- Posted by: Tim Johnson on October 30, 2012
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![PKT-Image-Template-Partner-and-Blog-700x330[1]5senses](http://thekawarthas.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/PKT-Image-Template-Partner-and-Blog-700x33015senses.jpg "PKT-Image-Template-Partner-and-Blog-700x330[1]5senses")
The Kawarthas are truly a stimulating place. Both city and country, it’s a region that comes at you from all directions, enveloping you. It’s a place experienced with all five senses, a region that, once visited, is never forgotten. Beckoning you to encounter beautiful sights, wonderful smells, delicious tastes, amazing sounds and an array of unique and fascinatingly touchable things, the Kawarthas inundate visitors in all the best ways.
Take, for example, the Peterborough Farmer’s Market. In a region rich with agricultural bounty, this is the place to take in many sensory experiences at once. Held every Saturday, all year long, this gathering has been a local tradition since way back in 1825. A stroll around the many vendors brings forth colour—vibrant, red strawberries from a nearby berry farm, green Swiss chard from just around the corner, and much more—all of it pulled from the ground just hours before they arrived on the tables here at the market, laid out and available for shoppers to touch and handle, picking the best of the bunch for a fresh, tasty Saturday night dinner. There are also appetizing smells such as perogies and cabbage rolls from the food stands, served up hot and ready to eat, as well as the pleasing sounds of musicians, playing people through their morning shopping.
Winter brings forth a whole different set of sensory experiences. There are few places in Canada that give such great motivation to get outside and embrace the season, with an astonishing variety of activities available for those willing to bundle up and brave the cold. A tradition as venerable as the farmer’s market is skating or playing the nation’s favourite sport on the frozen surface of the Trent Canal, just below Peterborough’s famous Lift Lock—the cracking sound of pucks on sticks, the feel of the smooth ice below your skates, the sight of hundreds of people enjoying a day outside. Or, for those looking for solitude, many kilometres of trails run though the region, groomed and ready for those on Nordic skis, snowshoes, or even snowmobiles—passing by lakes like Stony, Pigeon, Chemong and many, many others, the sound of crunching snow, the feel of a crisp wind on your cheeks, it’s all an indelible experience.
And for those who prefer to spend their time inside amongst refined things, the Kawarthas provide much sensory stimulation in all four seasons. Visit the Gallery on the Lake, near Buckhorn, or the Art Gallery of Peterborough, a visually captivating place that also offers opportunities to get paint and clay on your hands through a regular schedule of classes. Taste the hops and barley at the Publican House or the Olde Stone Brewery, both of which serve up hand-crafted micro-brews. Immerse yourself completely in our nation’s indigenous cultures at the Whetung Ojibwa Arts and Crafts Gallery. Or get carried away to the rich, melodic sounds of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra and the many other artists who fill the schedule at Showplace Peterborough.
It’s all here—and ready to be taken in by all five senses.
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