Midland, Ontario

MIDLAND, just east along the bay from Penetanguishene, lost its engineering plants in the 1930s, its shipyards in 1957 and much of its flour-mill capacity in 1967. Yet it has bounced back, shrugging off these setbacks with the help of provincial and federal grants, and nowadays the town has a sprightly air, its main drag – King Street – an amenable parade of shops and cafés with the occasional mural to brighten up the sturdy brick buildings. Efforts to cash in on the tourist industry have included the construction of a marina and the redevelopment of the harbourfront, where sightseeing cruises of the Thirty Thousand Islands that necklace Georgian Bay leave from mid-May to mid-October (1–3 daily; $22; 2–3hr; reservations on Tel:705/549-3388 or 1-888/833-2628, Web: www.midlandtours.com ).