Bala, a popular tourist attraction since the late 1800s, was named after the Welsh town Bala. The two towns have since become twin towns.
One of Bala’s attractions is Bala Falls,
and there are several bridges, falls, and vantage points to view the falls, all within a short walking distance from the parking lot.
The Bala areas has two cranberry bogs. Each fall on the weekend after Canadian Thanksgiving in October it hosts the Cranberry Festival. The festival was cancelled for this year, but hopefully they’ll be able to run it in 2021.
There is a small heritage park by the falls where one can explore the local history.
Or, you can stroll through the historic district down the road.
Bala is another Ontario town that sported the swastika symbol when it was still just a good luck symbol. When built, the Bala Bay Inn was called the Swastika Hotel. Ironically, their luck changed after they changed the name.
You can read more about the hotel here.
Eerily, you can still see remnants of the swastika just under the roof line above the balcony.
Better still, stop and enjoy a tranquil spot and watch the slothful action on the serene Bala Bay.
We always have food on our mind…
So there is Don’s bakery. People come from afar for the pastries.
But we were reminded of a fine burger we had there a few years ago; the cranberry salsa topping was absolutely scrumptious, but unfortunately, I don’t think that they serve burgers any more.
Don’s Bakery, if you are reading this, please bring the burger back!
In the meantime, I will try and make this Cranberry Salsa recipe.
Beautiful Bala is destination on its own, but for us it was just a brief stop on our way to Lake Superior. In the next few weeks we’ll share the rest of our trip north.
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looks like a nice place to stop on your journey north. I am a big fan of falls, so I appreciate the photos. I’ve got a weak spot for pastry shops, so I would definitely stop at Don’s. 🙂
Yes, for both waterfalls and pastries!
Such a lovely community. I do believe that Don’s Bakery is also on the Butter Tart Tour. I’ll have to double check that. But the Cranberry Festival is great!
Oh, they might be! But you just gave me an idea for a future trip following the butter tart trail! We love butter tarts soooo much 🙂
Bala Bay and the nearby falls look beautiful. It seems you’re closer to civilization than normal.
You are correct. We are still only a couple of hours from home. Next post will be more northern 🙂
Nice stop. It is interesting to know that there is a cramberry festival here. Thanks for sharing.
It’s a nice tradition. I hope they bring it back in 2021!
I was more used to seeing it in Quebec than in Ontario.
Cool! I looked it up and found Saint-Louis-de-Blandford! Another place to check out 🙂
Another great place with a good variety of interesting things to do and beautiful scenery!
A very good way to describe Bala! Thanks for reading!
Looks like a beautiful area. I just plugged it into google maps and it’s not too far from Toronto. Looks like I’ll need to visit. Too bad the Cranberry Festival is cancelled this year though.
It’s very close and there’s lots more to see in the area, so it’s definitely worth a visit! HOpefully the festival will be back and running for next year!