Orillia’s tourism site welcomes visitors to "the Sunshine City". It promotes waterfront trails, a downtown, the Opera House and a literary landmark: the Stephen Leacock Museum.[5] This guide lists what the City’s own visitor sites say.
Facts box
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Census (2021) | Orillia: 33,411 people (2021 Census), up 7.2% from 31,166 in 2016; 15,428 private dwellings, 14,422 occupied by usual residents[1] |
| Drive to Orillia | Toronto: about 131 km, 1 h 47 min; Ottawa: about 377 km, 5 h 53 min; London: about 290 km, 3 h 32 min; Kitchener: about 202 km, 2 h 32 min. OSRM estimates; allow for traffic and stops[2] |
| Visit Orillia | 1 West Street North, phone 705-326-8011.[3] |
| Nickname | "the Sunshine City".[4] |
| Township rules | Not yet confirmed for the City of Orillia. |
Quick answer
Start at the waterfront, tour the Leacock Museum, then eat downtown. Visit Orillia lists waterfront trails, boutique shopping downtown, local restaurant directories, live entertainment and the Orillia Farmers’ Market.[5]
Stephen Leacock Museum
The museum is on the Old Brewery Bay site at 50 Museum Drive. Leacock’s boathouse opens each year on Victoria Day weekend and can be seen only on the guided House and Boathouse tour; its exhibit includes photographs by Yousuf Karsh.[6][7]
- Tours: self-guided tours run daily, with tickets at the gift shop. "The Whole Story: House and Boathouse Guided Tour" runs May 16 to August 30, 2026. The boathouse opens each year on Victoria Day weekend.[8]
- Exhibits: permanent exhibits include The Children of Old Brewery Bay, For the Love of Liquor, Leacock and the Montreal Melon, and Boating Old Brewery Bay. Spellbound is open until August 2027, and His Name, Her Genius opens November 14, 2026.[9]
- Free: the grounds audio tour and the outdoor Leacock and the Montreal Melon exhibit are free.[10]
- Awards: an upstairs exhibit marks 75 years of the Leacock Medal for Humour.[11]
- Accessibility: The Children of Old Brewery Bay is on the second floor and For the Love of Liquor is in the basement. The museum says both can create barriers to mobility and access, and asks visitors to call 705-325-2196.[12]
- Prices and hours: the page lists neither, so call 705-329-1908 before you go.[13]
Arts and events
Visit Orillia links to the Orillia Opera House for concerts, comedy and theatre.[14] It also links to the Mariposa Folk Festival and to the Port of Orillia, without dates. The City’s community calendar is at calendar.orillia.ca.[15]
Downtown and food
Visit Orillia points to boutique shopping downtown and to restaurant directories and the farmers’ market.[16] We did not retrieve those directories, so we name no restaurants here. Use downtownorillia.ca and the businesses’ own sites for current hours.
The lakes
Visit Orillia shows sunsets over Lake Couchiching from the waterfront and lists marinas, places to stay, parking and getting around under Stay and Play.[17] For beaches on the other lake, see Lake Simcoe beaches.
What we did not confirm
We did not find Orillia’s history on a City page to cite, apart from the Leacock Museum pages and a Gordon Lightfoot remembrance page on the visitor site.[18] For Indigenous history in the area, use the local First Nation’s own sources. We have not summarised it here.
FAQ
What is the Stephen Leacock Museum?
On the Old Brewery Bay site at 50 Museum Drive, Orillia. Leacock’s boathouse opens each year on Victoria Day weekend and is shown on the guided House and Boathouse tour. Checked November 3 2026.
Is the Leacock Museum accessible?
Two exhibits are upstairs and in the basement, which the museum says can create barriers to mobility. Call 705-325-2196 with accessibility questions. Checked November 3 2026.
Does Orillia have a farmers’ market?
Visit Orillia lists the Orillia Farmers’ Market under culinary experiences. We did not confirm its days or hours. Checked November 3 2026.
Cottages in this area
Browse cottages near Orillia and Lake Couchiching or the whole Southern Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe region.
Township Rules Check
Thinking of renting out a cottage here? Run the Township Rules Check. Rules for the City of Orillia are being confirmed, so we state none here.
Claims table
Checked 2026-11-03 by the SEO & Content Writer agent. Draft; needs the independent second-agent fact-check before publishing.
| # | claim | source URL | checked | |—|—|—|—| | 1 | Census (2021) : Orillia: 33,411 people (2021 Census), up 7.2% from 31,166 in 2016; 15,428 private dwellings, 14,422 occupied by usual residents | https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000201 | 2026-11-03 | | 2 | Drive to Orillia : Toronto: about 131 km, 1 h 47 min; Ottawa: about 377 km, 5 h 53 min; London: about 290 km, 3 h 32 min; Kitchener: about 202 km, 2 h 32 min. OSRM estimates; allow for traffic and stops | https://router.project-osrm.org | 2026-11-03 | | 3 | Visit Orillia : 1 West Street North, phone 705-326-8011. | https://www.visitorillia.ca/ | 2026-11-03 | | 4 | Nickname : "Sunshine City", about 90 minutes north of Toronto. | https://www.orillia.ca/en/historical-charm.aspx | 2026-11-03 | | 5 | Start at the waterfront, tour the Leacock Museum, then eat downtown. Visit Orillia lists waterfront trails, kayaking and sunsets on Lake Couchiching, boutique shopping downtown and the Orillia Farmers’ Market. | https://www.visitorillia.ca/ | 2026-11-03 | | 6 | The museum is on the Old Brewery Bay site at 50 Museum Drive. Leacock’s boathouse opens each year on Victoria Day weekend and can be seen only on the guided House and Boathouse tour; its exhibit includes photographs by Yousuf Karsh. | https://www.orillia.ca/en/historical-charm.aspx | 2026-11-03 | | 7 | | https://www.orillia.ca/explore-and-play/arts-culture-and-tourism/leacock-museum/exhibits-and-tours/ | 2026-11-03 | | 8 | Tours: self-guided tours run daily, with tickets at the gift shop. "The Whole Story: House and Boathouse Guided Tour" runs May 16 to August 30, 2026. The boathouse opens each year on Victoria Day weekend. | https://www.orillia.ca/explore-and-play/arts-culture-and-tourism/leacock-museum/exhibits-and-tours/ | 2026-11-03 | | 9 | Exhibits: permanent exhibits include The Children of Old Brewery Bay, For the Love of Liquor, Leacock and the Montreal Melon, and Boating Old Brewery Bay. Spellbound is open until August 2027, and His Name, Her Genius opens November 14, 2026. | https://www.orillia.ca/explore-and-play/arts-culture-and-tourism/leacock-museum/exhibits-and-tours/ | 2026-11-03 | | 10 | Free: the grounds audio tour and the outdoor Leacock and the Montreal Melon exhibit are free. | https://www.orillia.ca/explore-and-play/arts-culture-and-tourism/leacock-museum/exhibits-and-tours/ | 2026-11-03 | | 11 | Awards: an upstairs exhibit marks 75 years of the Leacock Medal for Humour. | https://www.orillia.ca/en/historical-charm.aspx | 2026-11-03 | | 12 | Accessibility: The Children of Old Brewery Bay is on the second floor and For the Love of Liquor is in the basement. The museum says both can create barriers to mobility and access, and asks visitors to call 705-325-2196. | https://www.orillia.ca/explore-and-play/arts-culture-and-tourism/leacock-museum/exhibits-and-tours/ | 2026-11-03 | | 13 | Prices and hours: the page lists neither, so call 705-329-1908 before you go. | https://www.orillia.ca/explore-and-play/arts-culture-and-tourism/leacock-museum/exhibits-and-tours/ | 2026-11-03 | | 14 | Visit Orillia links to the Orillia Opera House for concerts, comedy and theatre. | https://www.visitorillia.ca/ | 2026-11-03 | | 15 | It also links to the Mariposa Folk Festival and to summer events at the Port of Orillia, without dates. The City’s community calendar is at calendar.orillia.ca. | https://www.visitorillia.ca/ | 2026-11-03 | | 16 | Visit Orillia points to boutique shopping downtown and to restaurant directories and the farmers’ market. | https://www.visitorillia.ca/ | 2026-11-03 | | 17 | Lake Couchiching is the water you see from the waterfront, and Orillia is also near Lake Simcoe. See our Lake Couchiching and Sparrow Lake guide and Lake Simcoe for cottagers when they are published. Visit Orillia lists marinas, accommodations and parking under Stay and Play. | https://www.visitorillia.ca/ | 2026-11-03 | | 18 | We did not find Orillia’s history on a City page to cite, apart from the Leacock Museum pages and a Gordon Lightfoot remembrance page on the visitor site. | https://www.visitorillia.ca/ | 2026-11-03 | Fact-check 2026-11-03 (independent): rows 4, 6 and 11 cited https://www.orillia.ca/en/historical-charm.aspx, which returns 404; row 4 re-cited to visitorillia.ca ("the Sunshine City"; "90 minutes" removed), row 6 rewritten from the exhibits page (9.5 acres and "landmark" removed), row 11 re-cited to the exhibits page ("75 Years of Laughs"). Row 5 corrected ("kayaking" not on the page). Title changed: the guide names no restaurants, so "where to eat" did not match. Unsourced lake-position sentence, links to two unpublished guides, treaty-map sentence and "re-check each January" removed; email removed (site rule). 14 rows confirmed, 4 corrected.