Meaford Hall

Located in historic downtown Meaford, the Hall is a beautifully restored and renovated century old landmark. Meaford Hall is a four season destination where you can check out live theatre, music, films, and an art gallery. The 336 seat Opera House has hosted performers such as Jann Arden, Tom Cochrane, Brent Butt, Burton Cummings, the Strumbellas and more in just the last few years. Meaford Hall is also the location of the Visitor Centre where you can discover even more to do in the area.

Meaford Waterfront

The Meaford waterfront is one of the area’s most stunning and active. It’s not just where our marina is located, but it’s also home to newly renovated public washrooms, a splash pad, seasonal farmers market, various beaches, volleyball courts, the Meaford Museum, playgrounds and where many local events take place. It’s also the starting point for two multi use trails, the Georgian Trail which follows the former rail line all the way to Collingwood, while the Tom Thomson trail travels from Fred Raper Park to the City of Owen Sound.

Meaford Memorial Park

Memorial Park is a picturesque park and campground boasting 468 metres of beautiful shoreline on Georgian Bay. It features many amenities including full service campground facilities, public washrooms, two pavilion shelters, playground areas, beachfront, mini-golf course, woodland walking trails and ample free parking.

The campground is open from the first weekend in May until the week after Thanksgiving. A pet-friendly environment, a portion of the beach is dedicated for dog use and during the off-season our furry friends have full run of the park.

Meaford Big Red Chair Tour

Meaford’s Big Red Chair tour is the best way in which to see the whole Municipality. These oversized muskoka chairs were made in partnership with the students at the Georgian Bay Community School. There are ten locations to visit, each with its own local history story to tell and a great photo opportunity. The tour takes you from urban Meaford, to Coffin Ridge, Fox Harley Davidson, Bognor Marsh, Irish Mountain Lookout and more.

Meaford Icons

The history of Meaford and North America has been shaped by three historic figures who once called the Municipality of Meaford home. The village of Leith was where renowned Canadian Artist and friend of the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson spent his childhood as a young artist inspired by the beauty of Georgian Bay. Tom is buried at the Leith Church and his boyhood home is only a short distance away.

Beautiful Joe was a real dog from the Town of Meaford who had been cruelly abused by his former master. While living with his new family, he met author Margaret Marshall Saunders who was so taken aback by Joe’s story that she wrote a book about it that went on to sell over a million copies more than 125 years ago. Joe’s struggles helped to change society’s attitudes towards animal abuse and Joe now has a whole park dedicated to him and other animal friends to ensure his legacy lives on.

American John Muir is the final Icon who once lived in the Municipality of Meaford. Moving to Meaford during the American Civil war, John Muir was a naturalist, author and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness. John returned to the United States where he helped form the Sierra Club and is known as the father of the United States National Park system.

Pet Friendly Meaford

Meaford is not only home to Canada’s most famous dog, Beautiful Joe, but it’s quickly gaining the reputation as the best place to take your dog on vacation. Meaford is blessed with a love of dogs, and that’s seen through our various pet friendly businesses and numerous events and activities. Meaford has dedicated specific swimming areas for dogs at Memorial Park, pet friendly trails, an off-leash park and a whole park dedicated to Beautiful Joe. The 8.5 acre park includes a bronze statue of Joe, monuments to the 9/11 rescue dogs, services dogs and K9 police dogs. The private home in which Joe was rescued to still stands today beside the park along the Big Head River.

www.bettercitiesforpets.com/resource/certified-cities