'''Thunder Bay''' [http://www.thunderbay.ca/] lies at the far northwestern point of the Great Lakes of North America, and is a transportation bridge between the rich agricultural Prairies of Canada and the Atlantic Ocean and the rest of the world. The population of Thunder Bay is 122,907 (2006 census).

Get in

Thunder Bay is located on '''Trans-Canada Highway 11 and 17'''. From the east, it is a 7-8 hour (700 km) drive from Sault Ste Marie and from the west, it is a 7-8 hour (720 km) drive from Winnipeg.

Thunder Bay has not been served by passenger rail since 1989 due to a politically motivated right-of-way dispute between Via Rail and Canadian Pacific Railways.

Thunder Bay has an commercial airport that lies approximately 15 minutes west of the downtown center. There is one Transit bus that passes by every 30-40 minutes during the week and weekends. Hotel shuttles are also available for the Airlane Travelodge hotel and the Valhalla Inn hotel.

Get around

Thunder Bay isn't known for being a walkable city. This is largely due its Twin-Cities heritage. Until 1970, the city was actually two separate large communities (Fort William and Port Arthur) separated by a swap that has since been built up. City council seems to finally, in recent years, be developing the north end (Port Arthur) into an entertainment district with the Marina Park as its centrepiece, and the south end (Fort William) into a business district.

As a result of this, your best way to get between these two zones is by bus. Up-to-date schedules are available on [http://www.thunderbay.ca/transit Thunder Bay Transit's] official website.

Alternatively, there are multiple taxi services.

The city is increasingly focused on expanding its network of bicycle paths as well. Transport by inline skates can work well on these paths, but sidewalks are often too mottled to afford any speed or efficiency on skates.

See

Do

  • '''Raven Ecoventures''', 807-933-5241, [http://www.ravenecoventures.com/]. Take a guided wilderness canoe trip or ecotour in this land of lakes, trees and moose.
  • The area has a large Finnish population, so '''saunas''' are common and popular.
  • '''Fort William Historical Park''', [http://www.fwhp.ca/homepage.html].
  • Enjoy a day at this large-scale reconstruction of an 1815 fur-trading post. Take a tour, visit the farm, observe historic tradesmen (blacksmiths, tinsmiths, canoemakers and more) at work, walk along the Kaministiquia River.

  • '''Sleeping Giant Provincial Park''', [http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/slee.html].
  • Enjoy a hike along one of the beautiful trails at Sleeping Giant. Take Top of the Giant, a challenging 25km return (I think) trail to a spectacular lookout over Tee Harbour, Lake Superior, and a rugged cliff's edge. In March, Sleeping Giant hosts the Sibley Ski Tour[http://www.sibleyskitour.ca/], a Thunder Bay tradition.

  • '''Silver Islet''', [http://www.silverisletstore.com/firstpage.htm].
  • '''Kakabeka Falls''', [http://www.ontarioparks.com/English/kaka.html].
  • Take a walk around the harbour.
  • Visit the amethyst or agate mines.
  • Visit Ouimet Canyon and/or Eagle Canyon.
  • Walk across the suspension bridge at Eagle Canyon for beautiful views.
  • Drive west of Thunder Bay to Quetico Provincial Park[http://www.ontarioparks.com/ENGLISH/quet.html] - some of the best canoeing in the world awaits!
  • You can also canoe on White Otter Lake, near Quetico and Atikokan. Visit White Otter Castle[http://www.atikokaninfo.com/highlights/whiteOtterCastle], a 3-storey wooden cabin single-handedly built by Jimmy McQuat on the shores of the lake. Legend is that Jimmy built it for his sweetheart and then got jilted. There is a walking trail from the castle area that leads to an abandoned WWII POW camp, but this has not been restored for tourists. Be careful of rusted metal and sharp edges in the camp.
  • Buy

    Eat

    South End

  • Norma Jean's Restaurant. 23 May Street South. Block from City Hall. 1 (807) 623-1343. Do you like Burgers, fries and milkshakes? It's all here, along with a few other dishes. Nothing will blow you away, but sometimes when traveling that's a good thing. A nice way to eat locally. ~$13
  • Cronos Cafe. 33 Syndicate Avenue South. wo blocks south of Arthur St. 1 (807) 622-9700. 1am-3pm. $12. This is a greek restaurant that has strayed from a core-greek menu to include decent burger-and-fry combos. If you really want delish, get the Chicken Souvlaki with Fries or Greek Salad. They're light on the fries though, so you might want to ask them to double up. You should specify think for the milkshakes.

    Popular with highschool students and business people alike at lunch due to it's proximity to both a public and catholic high school as well as city hall and the civic centre.</eat>

  • '''Up In Smoke BBQ and Grill''' is a fabulous little Cajun gem. Take home a family pack, as it is both delicious and plentiful.
  • North End

  • The Hoito. 14 Bay Street. orthwest corner of Bay and Algoma. ttp://www.hoito.ca. $11. For a unique dining experience, visit Thunder Bay's famed Finnish restaurant, The Hoito. On weekend mornings, it is packed with locals of all ages, families and friends eating together, delicious Finnish pancakes. The Hoito is a beloved Thunder Bay institution!
  • Calico Coffee House. 16 Bay Street. ext door to The Hoito. 1 (807) 766-9087. $7. Calico is a charming independent coffee shop next door to the Hoito, with fair-trade coffee and locally baked treats.

  • The Thai Kitchen. 6 Cumberland Street S. earby the Casino. 1 (807) 345-1707. ttp://www.thaikitchen.ca/. $14. The Thai Kitchen is easily Thunder Bay's best choice for Thai food. Originally only providing catering and special events food, the actual restaurant opened for the first time in 2007 and it is getting busier. If you want very reasonably priced food and you like Thai, this is the place. The husband and wife owners are friendly, both speak Thai (one is an immigrant from Northern Thailand) and it's hard to spend more than $20 per person and not feel like to over-ate!

    Showing up before the dinner rush (5-5:30 pm) is a good idea on Friday and Saturday nights. You'll get more prompt service and the cooks will have more time to spend on your food. Most main dishes are $9 and come with rice or noodles. Try the Kaeng Penang (#33)! </eat>

  • Armando. 8 Cumberland Street North. cross from the Prince Arthur Hotel. 1 (807) 344-5833. $45. Armando (the man) is an Italian-Canadian who hails from Naples. His family's italian eatery serves classics and does them well, and he'll even sing to you at your table. The prices have been increasing in recent years, but the quality is superb. Expect to pay about $45 plus drinks per person. There are several excellent dishes that are not on the menu. Of particular quality are any of their meats in the signature Sambuca sauce. Ask for veal or bison if available. The closest you'll get to Donatello in Bologna without leaving Thunder Bay.

  • '''Bistro One''' offers excellent fine dining.
  • '''Prospector''', in downtown Port Arthur, is a good steakhouse.
  • Thunder Bay has a couple of sushi places: '''Wasabi''' and '''Sushi Bowl'''. They are tasty, but visitors from larger cosmopolitan centres or the coast will likely be disappointed as sushi is much more expensive than they may be accustomed to. Sushi is approximately twice the price here as in Toronto for example.
  • Thunder Bay is also famous for a unique pastry called a '''Persian'''. A Persian is similar to a danish with a mysterious pink icing. Some say the icing is strawberry, others say it is cherry, but it certainly is pink. Most people eat their persians just as they are, but for a special treat, have yours cut, buttered and grilled/toasted.
  • Drink

  • International house of tea. 99 fort william rd. 26-0130. Inviting Tea House, loose leaf tea fine friends supurb tea and a good book all signs of an abundent life!</drink>
  • Steepers. 22 May Street N. wo blocks northeast of Victoriaville. 1 (807) 476-0698. ttp://www.steeperstea.com/. A tea house.

    Sleep

  • Try a remote, rustic '''wilderness cabin''' [http://www.ravenecoventures.com/cabingetaways.php?lang=eng] powered by the sun on its own private lake and trail network to get a sense of the wild beauty of Northern Ontario.
  • '''Thunder Bay International Hostel''', Longhouse Village, RR 13, 1594 Lakeshore Drive, ''+1 807'' 983-2042, fax ''+1 807'' 983-2914, [http://www.thunderbayhostel.com]. Located 18 km east of the city. If travelling by Greyhound, tell the driver ahead of time to drop you off at the hostel; call Greyhound ahead of time to be picked up. Beds are $20 per night. Camping is $12 for one person or $19 for two people.
  • '''Sleeping Giant Guesthouse''', 139 Machar Avenue, ''+1 807'' 683-3995, toll free ''+1 866'' 424-5687. Located on the north side of downtown Thunder Bay. Beds start at $21 per night.
  • '''Eldorado Beach on Lake Superior Bed and Breakfast''', [http://www.bbcanada.com/eldoradobeach] located just east of the city, for those driving along highways 11/17. Full breakfast, family friendly, starting at $65 per night inclusive. toll free 866-205-0855.
  • Get out

    Isle Royale, a wilderness park, lies within sight in Lake Superior. Commercial ferries from Grand Portage, Minnesota provide the nearest official access to the island, but it's accessible from Thunder Bay by private boat.