January in Pictures

January started off with a beautiful sky.

We had so coooold days, cold enough to frost my hair!

Deep powder and regular new snowfalls make for great snowshoeing. 

That little blip of snow in front of the tree is a park bench!

Our favourite snow gauge says "it's deep!".

A spruce grouse came to visit.

She's puffed up here to keep herself warm.

Long shadows over an untouched snowfield.

Explore the Edge Winter Promo

Coupons can be used like cash at participating shops, restaurants and attractions.

No minimum purchase. No excluded items.

Book your winter getaway at Fern Glen Inn.

Check out our Winter Getaway Packages for snowshoeing, skating and romantic getaways.

Register for Explore the Edge coupons here.

Winter Events in Muskoka & Almaguin

There are plenty of activities and events in Muskoka and the Almaguin Highlands this winter. From outdoor festivals and activities, to live performances and inspiring films, to laidback getaways with wide open schedules, there's something for everyone.

We've started compiling a list of events. Check back for updates.

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Burk's Falls Winterfest
Burk's Falls
Skating, toboggan hill, indoor and outdoor games, prizes, vendors and live entertainment. At the Burk's Falls fair grounds. Visit the Burk's Falls Winterfest page for details.
Jan 18 & 19

Banff Mountain Film Festival
Huntsville
Be inspired and exhilarated by a selection of films that take you around the world, to the tops of mountains and down raging rivers. From adrenaline-fueled action sports, to an exploration of wild landscapes and remote mountain cultures, the films in this year's Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will ignite your passion for adventure.
Algonquin Outfitters is the host for the Huntsville stop on the tour; and the Algonquin Theatre is the venue. Two evenings screening different shows. Discount at the Algonquin Outfitters store for people attending both shows.
Festival Special: Stay two nights at Fern Glen Inn and attend at least one night of the festival and get $32 off your stay. That's the cost of two tickets! (Not to be combined with other discounts or packages.)
For descriptions of the films, visit the Algonquin Outfitters blog. Purchase tickets online from Algonquin Theatre.
Jan 21 & 22

Muskoka Loppet
Arrowhead Park
A classic ski tradition at Arrowhead Park just north of Huntsville, hosted by the Arrowhead Nordic Ski Club. 15 km and 30 km classic events; 3 km and 9 km individual and relay snowshoe events; 5 km classic for social skiers. Visit the Arrowhead Nordic Club website for details.
Jan 26

Winter Comedy Carnival

Huntsville

Brent Butt and Jim Belushi bring two evenings of comedy to Huntsville for a weekend of laughs and adventure. When you're not getting your funny on, take in some winter sports and demos, great sales and a street party downtown. Visit the Winter Comedy Carnival website for details and ticket information.

Jan 31 - Feb 2

Algonquin Outfitters Winter Fun Day

Oxtongue Lake

An activity-packed day sampling the best of a Muskoka winter. Activities and events include rides, winter games, snowshoe hikes, races, Nordic ski lessons, winter camping demos, outdoor BBQ and campfire, plus in-store sales and prizes.

Visit Algonquin Outfitters events calendar for details.

Feb 9

Valentine's Getaway
Fern Glen Inn
The best gift you can give your sweety is some time away with you! We think any getaway here at Fern Glen Inn is special, but if you want to add some extra treats, order our Country Winter Getaway package, including 2 nights accommodations, breakfast both mornings, homemade biscotti and gourmet hot chocolates, plus Country Dinner on your second evening. Every winter stay includes complimentary use of snowshoes to enjoy on our 10km of private trails. Book online or email us for details.

Who says you have to celebrate on one specific day? We'll include a piccolo of bubbly with every romantic getaway package in the month of February.
Month of February

February Long Weekend
Fern Glen Inn
Make the most of your mid-winter break by getting out of the city and coming out to play in the snow! Go snowshoeing and tobogganing (complimentary on site); enjoy all the winter activities in Arrowhead Park; hand-feed the chickadees or unwind by a real wood fire. This weekend always fills up so reserve your room soon. Visit Fern Glen Inn or book online.
Feb 14 - 17

Winter in the Wild

Algonquin Park
Join Ontario Parks and The Friends of Algonquin Park in celebrating winter in Algonquin Park through indoor and outdoor events at various locations throughout the Highway 60 Corridor of the park. Events and activities include guided snowshoeing and birding, touring the visitor's centre collections, landscape and wildlife photography tips, winter camping demos, and bonfire and wolf howl. Visit the Friends of Algonquin Park for details.
Feb 15

Late Winter Getaways
Fern Glen Inn
You can still enjoy a great winter getaway up north after most of the city snow in the south is reduced to sooty, mushy slush. Winter holds its grip here usually until the end of March and sometimes well into April. Book your March winter getaway and get a snow guarantee! If we don't have enough snow to go snowshoeing, you'll get an early Spring Discount. Visit Fern Glen Inn or book online.
Month of March

Holiday Wishes

2013 Holiday Season Getaways

Meadow and toboggan hill in front of the Coop guest lounge.

What can be more magical than spending the holidays in a winter wonderland? Imagine fresh snow sparkling like diamond dust in the moonlight, a mug of hot chocolate in front of a toasty fire, the crunch of snowshoes on a forest trail, a cheeky little chickadee pecking a seed from the palm of your hand, a glimpse of a deer in a snow-clad meadow.

Fern Glen Inn is open throughout the Christmas / New Year's holiday season. Guests are welcome to arrive on any day, even Christmas, and stay for short getaway or the whole week.

'Winter in the Country' is the theme of a getaway here. If you're not into a commercial Christmas or big parties, this is the right place for you. While we do put out a few winter-themed decorations, we let mother nature deck the landscape outside and keep things low-key inside.

The Coach House with four guest suites.

Do as much or as little as you like. You can stay on the property, enjoying our snowshoes and trails, toboggans and hill, or just unwinding in the Coop guest lounge or in your room. Snowshoes and toboggans are FREE for guests to use on our 120 acre property!

For more excitement, venture out to Arrowhead Park or Algonquin Park and enjoy their trails by boot, snowshoe or cross-country ski. Arrowhead Park's iceskating trail and tubing hill are popular ways to enjoy a winter day outside. Don't worry about the weather, you can warm up at the warming hut!

Holiday Rates at Fern Glen Inn

• B&B holiday getaway: $128/night/couple
• Country Winter Getaway Package: $325/couple
• Add a third night with breakfast for $118/couple

Every stay at Fern Glen Inn during the winter includes:

• Delicious, full served breakfast each morning
• Free use of snowshoes on our 120 acre property
• Use of rustic cabin guest lounge with wood-burning stove
• Directions and suggestions for enjoying the region
• Every room has a queen bed and private ensuite bathroom

Private snowshoe trails at Fern Glen Inn.

Learn more about winter getaway packages here.
Learn more about Fern Glen Inn here.

Book online here.

Fern Glen Inn Holiday Dinner Schedule

Breakfast is included with every stay and dinners are available at the inn with advance notice. While meals are "cook's choice" and not selected from a menu, there are a few options for types of meals: Country Dinner (homemade bread, main course, dessert, tea/coffee); Chili Dinner (cornbread, chili and all the fixings, dessert, tea/coffee); Soup in the Coop (packed for self-serving homemade soup, bread, simple dessert).

• December 24: Chili Dinner, $24/person
• December 25: Country Dinner, $28/person
• December 31: Country Dinner, $28/person
• All other dates: open

Add 13% sales tax to all rates.

Visit the Fern Glen Inn website for more information.

Check available dates or book online here.

Snowshoe angels in front of the Coop guest lounge.

Deer Tracks

Lunch interrupted!

 One thing I love about snow is the way it records—though briefly—the comings and goings of furred and feathered friends around the property. This means I can tell when our local deer have been here, even if I don't get to see them directly.

Some mornings, their tracks snake all around and across the lawns, weaving around flower beds and garden benches. When the snow is a bit wet and the visit quite recent, their hoof prints are most clearly defined.

A double set of hoof prints.

Tracks aren't the only traces left in the snow. We knew the deer had been grazing in the middle lawn between the Coach House and the Coop because there were numerous little clearings where the deer had scraped the snow away to get to the tasty grass and clover underneath.

Deer clearings: the northern version of crop circles?

We always love watching the deer when they happen to come around during daylight hours while we happen to be outside or looking out the right window. Sometimes we'll see them every day for a week! Then we'll go days or even weeks without catching a glimpse and we're glad to at least see the signs of their activity and know they still share a home with us.

Iron Skillet Restaurant

Pig tails, fries and slaw

Fresh food, made from scratch with local ingredients, nicely presented in a warm atmosphere with genuine care. That's how we roll around here so I was delighted to discover a new (to me) restaurant in the nearby town of Kearney that utterly embraces the same principles.

The Iron Skillet Restaurant and Custom Catering has been around for a couple of years now, but it's just recently settled into a new location and word of their new digs and incredible menu has been spreading.

They source their meat from the same local abattoir we love to buy from (Sprucedale Meats). They often braise some of that meat in locally-crafted ale (Highland Brewery) and brew coffee from beans roasted in Muskoka (Diesel House Roasters). The food is prepared fresh; it's flavourful and generous, and the price is lower than you'd expect.

The first time I was there was just to meet a friend for coffee, not for a meal. I should have brought my appetite! While I sipped my coffee I watched beautifully laden plates en route from kitchen to hungry diners and I felt a deep pang of food envy. I told Jim about it and a couple of days later he took me there for my birthday lunch.

Jim had the pig tails. Before you you wrinkle your nose at the thought of this particular part of the animal, let me say this: if you love pork ribs, you owe--yes owe--it to yourself to try the pig tails. They are that good. I had the highlander chicken sandwich made with pulled chicken braised in Highlander ale and served with the house-made slaw and smoked mozzarella. YUM! We both had the fries (a treat for my birthday) but soup or salad were options as well. The fries were worth the splurge--more like bistro style 'frites'-- but I have to try the made-from-scratch soups next time, they smelled so good!

Highlander chicken sandwich

For now the restaurant is open from breakfast until 4pm. They plan to be open for dinner over the winter and will likely have a liquor license by then, too. If you want to follow along with the Martin and Justin, the fine fellas behind the skillet, find their facebook page here. Just be prepared to wipe the drool off your screen from time to time as they post some mightily enticing photos of their craft.

The Iron Skillet
1734 Highway 518 East
Kearney, ON