A popular winter activity has officially opened for the season in the Barrie area.
The outdoor skate trail at the Simcoe County Museum — located about 15 minutes north of Barrie in Springwater Township — opened to the public on Saturday, Forrest Patenaude, the museum's education supervisor, told BarrieToday.
The trail, which is just over one-kilometre long, makes its way through the museum grounds and past several heritage buildings, he added.
“It’s a really pretty skate,” Patenaude said, noting staff saw approximately 70 skaters lace up and hit the ice on the first day it was open.
Sunday boasted even more, he said, adding staff were estimating approximately 100 skaters had hit the trail by 2 p.m.
The most skaters the museum has ever seen on a single day, Patenaude said, would likely have been last Family Day, where they welcomed more than 1,200 people to the trail.
Nicole Press brought her two kids — six-year-old Ruby and nine-year-old Russell — from Midland on Sunday afternoon to check out the skating trail at the museum for the first time. She says this was their first time ever on an outdoor skating trail.
It was a great way for the kids to practise their skating skills, she added.
“A circle (indoor rink) kind of gets redundant and there are always lots of other skaters," Press said. "Here, we didn’t really have to worry about other people and were able to keep our distance because we are just learning… and Russell was able to skate a bit faster than us."
She said they really enjoyed skating among the trees and taken advantage of the fresh air.
Alliston’s Caleb and Bailey Roberts-Dodd also enjoyed the brisk winter air during their visit.
Caleb, who worked at the museum last year, returned Sunday as a visitor, telling BarrieToday he saw on Facebook that the trail was open for the season.
“I remembered how much of a good time it was from last year, so we decided to come out," he said. "It was a nice day today, too. It’s not too cold and the sun was shining for a little bit.
“The forest is really nice and, despite how close we are to Barrie, it’s actually really quiet out here. It's a very nice trail to go there and it’s not too long, either," Caleb added. "You’re not just stuck in an arena going around and around … and you can go at your own pace.”
Shaughna Crew, events programmer at the Simcoe County Museum, said she’s heard “wonderful things” from people coming off the trail at the end of their skate.
“We have a lot of people who are returning customers who have come back and said how happy they are it’s finally open, but also a lot of new people who have come for the first time, which has been very nice," she said.
"They’ve been very happy and appreciate having such a nice skating trail so close to home,” Crew added. “The grounds are beautiful and we have lantern-lit skates at night. We are far enough away from Barrie that we aren’t really affected by the light pollution, but close enough that it makes it a nice, easy journey to just pop over for a quick skate.”
The trail also has several benches along the loop, a fire where skaters can sit and take a break or warm up, as well as inside the sugar shack.
“The trail … is in great shape this weekend," Crew said. "We hope the weather co-operates for us for the rest of the winter … but I highly recommend people check our website or social media before they head out for trail conditions."
Admission to the trail is $10 for adults and seniors, and $8 for kids. It's free for anyone under the age of four. Skaters also receive access to the rest of the museum grounds, said Crew. Museum members receive a $2 discount, meanwhile.
The trail is open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, said Patenaude, adding that — weather permitting — the plan will be to also be open on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights where the trail will be lit by lanterns.
For more information, including how to obtain tickets, click here.
