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North Bay

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North Bay is a city of approximately 53,000 [1] people located in Ontario. The region was first populated by native Canadian tribes, and was explored and charted by Samuel de Champlain.

Downtown North Bay in the morning
Downtown North Bay in the morning

[edit] Get in

[edit] By Bus

North Bay is serviced by three inter-city bus carriers. All accessible at the same bus terminal located at 100 Station Road in North Bay.

Autobus Maheux[2] - local bus service to:

  • Ville-Marie, QC
  • Rouyn-Noranda, QC

Greyhound Lines of Canada[3] - local bus service to:

  • Eastern Canada
  • Ottawa
  • Pembroke
  • Sudbury
  • Elliot Lake
  • Sault Ste Marie
  • Western Canada

Ontario Northland[4] - local bus service to:

  • Toronto & Southern Ontario
  • Barrie
  • Orillia
  • Washago
  • Huntsville
  • Temiskaming Shores
  • Timmins
  • Hearst & Western Canada

[edit] By Car

From Toronto, take Highway 400 north to Barrie and then take the Highway 11 cutoff just north of the city. From Sudbury (and the west), take Highway 17 east. From Ottawa simply follow Highway 17 west. From Temiscaming, QC & Rouyn-Noranda, take Highway 63 south.

[edit] By Train

North Bay has a reliable passenger train service known as the Northlander. There is also a seasonal train between North Bay & Temagami known as the Dreamcatcher Express. Unlike other passenger rail service in Northern Ontario, the Northlander operates six of seven days in the week.

Ontario Northland [5] - passenger rail service to:

  • Toronto (connections to Via Rail)
  • Washago (connections to Via Rail)
  • Huntsville
  • Temiskaming Shores
  • Cochrane (connections to the ONR's Polar Bear Express)

[edit] By Plane

North Bay (YYB) is serviced by a wonderfully efficient small airport with scheduled flights named after Jack Garland, a long-serving local member of parliament. The airport is currently populated by Air Canada Jazz, Bearskin Airlines, and Voyageur Airlines. It is located approximately 4 miles north of North Bay. [6]

[edit] Get around

North Bay City Transit and ParaBus is an efficient public transit system servicing the city and ski-hills (in the winter months). [7]

[edit][add listing] See

North Bay is a wonderfully simple town to enjoy. You can spend hours browsing the small shops that are on the main street of the downtown. In the same area are many restaurants, and other activities to keep you busy for hours.

The Dionne Museum On Highway 11
The Dionne Museum On Highway 11
  • The Dionne Museum, at the intersection of Highway 11 and the Trans Canada Highway. The museum chronicles the 'Dionne Quints' born in the area during the 1930's. The birth of the quints and the resulting tourism may have very well saved a dry economy. [8]
  • The North Bay Waterfront, on the shores of Lake Nippissing. [9].

[edit][add listing] Do

  • The Dreamcatcher Express, only available in the fall when the leaves change colour, is a 200 km train ride in to the wilderness to see some of the majestic beauty in the region. Available through Ontario Northland [10]
  • Discovery North Bay, features a wide range of exhibits on local history as well as special exhibitions from the Royal Ontario Museum and other national and provincial museums. [11]
  • Nipissing Lakers Hockey, North Bay's newest hockey team. The Lakers will compete in the Ontario University Athletics Mens Hockey circuit and compete against other Ontario & Québec based university clubs. [12]
  • The North Bay Triathlon, usually offered the first weekend in July. Notable among the world's triathlons in that triathletes are allowed to wear wet suits for the swimming part of the competition, because of the cold waters. [13]

[edit][add listing] Buy

  • The Northgate Mall [14] is a great place to get whatever you need. Many restaurants and specialty shops are also scattered throughout the immediate area.
  • Downtown North Bay [15] has many shops with fine, handcrafted goods.

[edit] Learn

  • Nipissing University was once a campus of Sudbury's Laurentian University but became an entity unto itself in the early 1990's. It has a full undergraduate program.[16]
  • Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology. Shares a campus with Nipissing University.[17]

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

  • Highwayman Restaurant, 3001 Highway 11 North, (705) 495-4101.

[edit] Mid-Range

  • Casey's, 20 Maplewood Avenue, (705) 476-3373.
  • Don Cherry's Sports Grill, 1501 Seymour Street, (705) 497-1611.
  • Kelsey's, 1899 Algonquin Avenue, (705) 476-8880.
  • The Moose, 134 Main Street East, (705) 472-8834.
  • Twiggs Coffee Company, 473 Fraser Street, (705) 474-9463. Serving freshly roasted fair-trade organic coffee, Montreal-style bagels, and soups in a lively café atmosphere. Also includes an outside patio.

[edit] Splurge

  • Jack Tennant's Steakhouse, 786 Lakeshore Drive, (705) 495-4114.
  • Valenti's Pasta Pasta, 299 Main Street West, (705) 472-8020.
  • Boat, The - Dockside Bar & Grill, Memorial Drive (North Bay Waterfront), (705) 472-1978.
  • Bull & Quench Pub & Restaurant, 603 McIntyre Street East, (705) 840-2855.

[edit][add listing] Drink

  • Cecils Eatery and Beer Society - 300 Wyld St. Box 1017, (705) 472-7510
  • Fraser Tavern - 680 Fraser Street, (705) 472-2232
  • Evolution Niteclub - 151 Main Street East, (705) 475-9703
  • Library Lounge - 366 McIntyre Street East, (705) 840-2830
  • Winnie's Pub - 631 Lakeshore Drive, (705) 476-7777
  • Zoo Nite Club, The - 300 Wyld St., Box 1017, (705) 472-7510

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

There are many parks in the region that are great for camping. Visit http://www.parkscanada.ca for more information on camping in the region.

  • The Lincoln Motel 594 Lakeshore Drive - 705-472-3231

[edit] Mid-Range

  • The Comfort Inn 1200 O'Brien Street - 1-800-260-8261. Clean, comfortable rooms. Free breakfast.
  • The Canadian Ecology Centre - Beautiful cabins in a wooded environment. Located at the Canadian Ecology Centre at the Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park [18]. Book ahead as many conferences take place here, and space can be limited. Medium-sized function facilities also available.

[edit] Splurge

  • Best Western North Bay Reservations at 1-800-461-6199.
  • Inn on the Bay 340 Main Street West - 1-877-937-8483.
  • Northern Suites Plus 710 Lakeshore Drive - 1-888-474-3011
  • Terrace Suites 2363 Highway 11B (Callendar) - 1-866-525-5525

[edit] Get out

North Bay is surprisingly central despite its perceived location. Sudbury and Muskoka are only an hour away by car, west along Highway 17. Ottawa and Toronto are both within a few hours' driving distance as well. A drive along Highway 17 to Mattawa is also very pretty in the fall months when the leaves are changing colours. Timmins is about 350 kilometers to the north.

Routes through North Bay
Thunder Bay ← New Liskeard ←  N noframe S  → Huntsville → Barrie
Sudbury ← Sturgeon Falls ←  W noframe E  → Petawawa → Ottawa


This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!

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