Get Your Canada 150 Thrill!
Opening Day Highlights:
July 15, 2017 is the Grand Opening of Blueberry Hill here at Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery. We’ve been working on this project for three years and are excited to share it with visitors.
- 1 pm: Mayor Don Furniss will cut the ribbon to officially open this new Muskoka experience
- 2 pm & 4 pm: Discover our new Blueberry Hill Tales & Taste Tour (drop in only)
- All Day: enjoy blueberry flavours and activities designed to celebrate this Canadian gem
All Summer Long – More Thrills!
Discover what’s special about Canada’s native blueberries and how they taste – from berry to bottle.
- 12 pm & 2 pm (July 16-Sept 10): Discover our new Blueberry Hill Tales & Taste Tour (drop in or book ahead)
- All Day: sample our blueberry wines, shop for blueberry goodies
- Get your thrill – relax in a Muskoka chair at the top of Blueberry Hill and enjoy the view!
What’s the difference between wild, cultivated, high bush and low bush blueberries? Do blueberry growers really set their plants on fire? Who’s the newest kid on the farming scene? These questions and more will be answered on a guided journey of Blueberry Hill. Visitors will also taste blueberries in new ways, including exclusive Blueberry wines only available to taste on the tour.
Blueberries, especially wild varieties, have a strong connection to Canada’s history. They’re native only to North America and are Canada’s biggest fruit crop by value. Blueberry Hill is a test garden. With little information available on blueberry farming – especially in Muskoka – Blueberry Hill is where we experiment with blueberry varieties, management and cultivation – all while entertaining visitors. Blueberry Hill is also a beautiful scenic overlook of the farm.
Muskoka Lakes Winery was founded on the idea of “terroir” – or taste of place. Putting Muskoka in a glass meant starting with fruit native to this region, and that meant cranberries and blueberries. Blueberries grow wild all over our 350 acre farm, but some of those places are hard to get to and production is often claimed by the bears. Given how popular our blueberry wines have become, it was time to tame this wild fruit. Visit us this summer and check it out!
