Take the Bog to Bottle Tour

A tour so special, it has been designated a Canadian Signature Experience

Canadian Signature Experiences are “a collection of once in a lifetime, uniquely Canadian travel experiences…”

That pretty much sums up the Bog to Bottle Tour at Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery.

Start with Cranberries

The Bog to Bottle Tour starts off with a guided tour of the cranberry bog, explaining how Muskoka’s staple fruit is cultivated and how Bala became known as the Cranberry Capital of Ontario. This berry is as fascinating as it is tart, and you will love all the little tidbits and interesting facts you will learn throughout the tour.

Did we mention there is wine tasting?

After learning all of the cranberry’s secrets, it is time to taste the harvest with a tutored wine tasting. Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery is most famous for their Cranberry Wine, the first vintage the winery ever produced. Many wine aficionados (and just regular people who happen to enjoy drinking wine) are big fans of their Georgian Bay Rose, a blend of Georgian Bay apples and local cranberries. There are seven different wines that you will sample, and a handy scoring card that will help you select your favourite.

When to visit

Bog to Bottle Tours are available 3 times a day (11am, 1pm and 3pm), 363 days a year – they close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. You can make your reservations on-line, and drop-ins are always welcome.

Spring: take their tour during the spring when the cranberry farm fuses two iconic Muskoka crops. Their very own cranberries, and their very own maple syrup. The Bog to Bottle Tour incorporates the farm’s maple harvest, a special add-on exclusive to the maple harvest season. As the snow melts, it is also a great time to get out on the hiking trails (make sure to wear proper boots).
Summer: the summer tour has an exclusive add-on / detour up Blueberry Hill where visitors discover facts about the cranberry’s close cousin, taste blueberries, blueberry products and, of course, blueberry wine! Hike the on-site trails and end your day with an extended visit to their wine & cheese patio. The Farm & Winery features a Feast ON certified cheese plate that includes seasonal, local cheeses, Mrs J’s preserves, artisanal crackers and other cranberry goodies.
Fall: the annual harvest usually takes place during the latter half of September through until October 31. The harvest is often the most popular time of year and for many the annual visit to the farm has been a tradition dating back decades. Not only can visitors pick up freshly harvested cranberries and take the award-winning Bog to Bottle Tour. There are so many other activities going on including tractor rides, helicopter rides, and the super popular Cranberry Plunge (photo opp in the berries). You should visit the harvest at least once in your lifetime, who knows, it might just become a new family tradition.
Winter: the fun is literally year-round and winter has become one of the most popular times of year to visit, especially since they introduced their Cranberry Ice Trail. This famous 1.2km ice skating trail loops around 12 acres of frozen cranberry beds and is the only ice skating trail in the world with an on-site winery. A post-skate, fireside cup of hot mulled wine on their outdoor patio is a wonderful touch to a wonderful day! If you want to have a skating experience that is pure magic, come for their Light the Night and skate the trail to the light of 400+ tiki torches and the starry Muskoka sky. Not to mention, their 8km of snowshoe trails and snowshoe rentals on-site, it is easy to see why they are such a popular winter destination.