A Tour of Our Hamlets

Georgina is comprised of four larger communities, Keswick, Sutton, Jackson’s Point and Pefferlaw. However, there are many smaller hamlets that make up these three areas and make Georgina whole. Come along with me as I tour our hamlets, here you’ll find where to eat, shop, stroll and sightsee. While you are exploring, these hamlets offer an excellent opportunity to Discover Georgina.

My name is Hailey Allen and I've been working this summer as a tourism ambassador with the Georgina Chamber of Commerce. I grew up living in Keswick and moved around Georgina from Sutton to Pefferlaw where I live now. Since being a resident in 3 of Georgina’s major hamlets I would say that I am well emersed in our towns history and its future. From new developments to  historic architecture, there is so much to know about where we live and so much to do in the town I grew up in. Georgina is home to a variety of services and establishments that make it worth visiting. This is what makes our town a vacation destination and a great place to settle down. I believe that everyone should take advantage of what we have here as a way to support local as well as invest our dollar into a place we care about. 

Every dollar you spend in Georgina, stays here in our community. Local business owners are your neighbours and friends and when you support them, they support the community too - by hiring more, purchasing more from local businesses and giving more to local charities and teams. Shopping local means less travel, less crowds and a more personalized shopping experience. By shopping in Georgina, you are investing in our community, reducing your carbon footprint and creating a flourishing community. 

Egypt is home to Egypt Hall, this community is located on the stretch of Park Rd and Smith Blvd, which is also the part of Pefferlaw I live in. Egypt was also once home to the famous author Stephen Leacock, after whom a theatre in Georgina has been named. Egypt is a welcoming and friendly community housing farmers and ranchers alike. Smith Blvd is known for its busy foot traffic, many of the residents feel confident walking their dogs and riding bikes here because of the wide road and little vehicle traffic. If you happen to drive by and see someone walking, waving is encouraged! 

This hamlet offers many walking experiences and is a popular housing area of Georgina due to its close proximity to the lake and amazing views. Visitors from all over come and stay in Island Grove because of its ‘Cottage Country’ appeal. It's also home to the marina where visitors can catch the ferry to Fox or Snake Island. In the warm weather parks like Shepard's Park are great for picnics, relaxing and kids entertainment.

Small but mighty, this hamlet offers great views of Lake Simcoe as well as local places to rest and eat. With Highway 48 running through the community, it is easily accessible and a great place for residents and visitors to stop and shop. Here you can also find the Island View Business Centre where the retail space hosts Tobacco Trails, Virginia Beach Marina, The Boondocks Restaurant, Daawegamig, as well as First Nation government, and Law Firm offices. You might even see the ferry travelling to Georgina Island! Owned entirely by The Chippewas of Georgina Island and is located on their mainland reserve approximately 100 km north of the Greater Toronto Area. The Chippewas of Georgina Island developed the Island View Business Centre in 2016, to offer retail, tourism, and recreational services to visitors and our surrounding communities. 

At one time, Jackson's Point hosted hundreds of people every summer, as it was the last stop on the Metropolitan Radial Railway, it brought noise from the city through the quite fields and waters of Lake Simcoe thus earning its name as Canada's first "cottage country". Historically Jackson’s Point is home to one of the oldest buildings still standing in Georgina, The Briars Resort and Golf Course. Originally built in 1840 the resort still houses residents and visitors since being transformed in 1977 as a post WWI vacation haven. Another historic building worth mentioning in our tour is the historic St. George's Church where famous Canadian authors Stephen Leacock and Mazo de La Roche are buried. 

Today you can find camping, beaches, shopping and golfing in the heart of Jacksons Point. Catered to visitors, Jacksons Point is a tourism hot spot of Georgina! Sibbald Point Provincial Park is one of southern Ontario’s most popular parks, drawing thousands of travelers each year for summer camping, picnicing, swimming and boating. De La Salle, the most popular beach in Georgina, is always booming with people enjoying the sun and taking advantage of the well kept sandy public water front. Tourism in Georgina is an important aspect of the towns revenue, Jackson’s Point’s up town shopping area and development is one of the ways we stay busy. With the parkette, several restaurants and entertainment it makes for a great shopping experience.   

Split between Durham and Georgina, this hamlet offers natural terrain and beauty, with many trails to explore. Udora offers both water and forested areas, here you can take the time to explore both the Uxbridge Brook and the Pefferlaw River. When exploring this hamlet, you may notice some fascinating street names. This is due to the thriving Estonian community that calls this hamlet home. This charming, little community known as Jõekääru, which in the language it originates from means “bend in the river”. My favourite tour stop in Udora is the general store, as someone who lives in Pefferlaw this is just a few minutes of driving before entering the store and being immersed in the sweet smell of Indian spices. Here you can buy some of the best Indian food on the east side of Georgina! Paired with the aroma Udora has some of the quietest streets and the friendliest people. On my walk from one end to the other I found that the community has a high senior population despite having kids amenities like the community centre including a parkette, play ground, ball field and hall.  

This hamlet on Highway 48 offers a lot to explore including a 26-hectare forested site on the banks of the Black River, which functions as a fresh water reserve for Lake Simcoe. Here you can see wildlife or go fishing. You can play a round at Lyndhurst Park Golf Course or do some browsing at Antiques on 48. This hamlet is also home to Baldwin airport, home of the Parachute School of Toronto. On your drive you might even see parachutes floating in the sky.

Just off the shore of Lake Simcoe, this hamlet was named after famous author Mazo de la Roche. Exploring this hamlet is easy, as it is part of the water front area it is a no brainer, take the dog for a walk or visit the Roaches Point Pier just off Raines Rd. This is a great way to spend your afternoon. The pier is located in one the coves of Lake Simcoe, because of this the water is calm and shallow. Speaking from experience, in the winter time this can be a great spots to go snowmobiling with friends and family. This hamlet has beautiful views of the lake and you can also spot some enchanted forests along the way.  

Keswick is the largest of Georgina’s urban communities with extensive growth over the past 25 years. New residential development has led to a significant amount of commercial growth that provides shopping and service opportunities for residents and visitors. I used to be a resident of Keswick prior to moving to Pefferlaw and one of my favourite parts of living here was the accessibility and vast options for entertainment, food and recreational activities. Keswick is home to over 70 restaurants or food stops 5 of which are food trucks, as Georgina has been unofficially named the food truck capital, it is not hard to believe that each one has a wide variety of delicious dishes to curve your craving. My favourite stop would be the Outdoor Corral at the 5 Corners General Store. In addition to food, Keswick is home to the Recreation Outdoor Campus (the ROC) which provides baseball diamonds, bike trails, soccer pitches and my personal favourite - the labyrinth. When I was little my grandparent would visit and bring me to the ROC for outdoor fun and lunch in the park. Visiting here again brings back the memories and reminds me of all of the other kid friendly activities to do in Keswick. Crockadoodle, Imagine Cinemas, Stephen Leacock Theatre, and many other facilities in Keswick can be visited for recreation on any occasion. However, Keswick offers Splash pads, Beaches, Playgrounds, Skate Parks and Libraries for cost efficient options. All of which are welcomed by the public and encouraged to be visited. Lastly, being on the shore of lake Simcoe and the heart of cottage country, Keswick houses over 13 marinas and boat launches for your convenience. Take advantage of the lake! Visit or contact one of the 7 watercraft rentals in Georgina listed on the town of Georgina website; https://www.georgina.ca/   

Belhaven has a variety of agriculture. You can visit Homestead Orchards for fresh produce and delicious baked goods. This community has a hall and recreation area (including a baseball diamond) where members of the community can host a variety of functions. 

Sutton runs into Jacksons Point to the north and the hamlet of Virgina to the east. As a close neighbour, Sutton is an aid in Jacksons Point’s shopping population. The two hamlets are connected by Dalton Rd. Here the two meet at the Jacksons Point Parkette and the Sutton BIA. In conjunction with Dalton Rd Sutton is home to High Street, both provide a range of commercial and service to the needs of of the traveling public and residents. Shops such as Giant Tiger, Solo Serenity, Little Bee Mart, Georgina Music, Sweet Pea, Gemini Moon, Sutton General Store and Village Traditions give Sutton the appeal visitors are looking for. With Cafe’s and Restaurants like Black River Coffee, Top Spot, Mansion House and the Messhall, Sutton becomes at hot spot in the summer for visitors traveling through to ‘cottage country’ or Jacksons Point since its located right off Highway 48. The community of Sutton has grown over the past few years and with it so has the annual Sutton fair and Horse Show. This is one of the oldest fairs in Ontario and will celebrate 167 years in the summer of 2024. The fair offers a tractor pull, demo derby, live music, carnival food, and rides. Sutton is blessed with a large fair ground, a curling club, the Sutton arena, an indoor swimming pool, and outdoor nature, not to mention the June-October Farmers Market at the Link. Summer or winter, there will always be plenty to do!  

The village of Pefferlaw is concentrated to the south of Hwy 48 along the Pefferlaw River and extends from Virgina to Udora. Pefferlaw gets its name from the river flowing throught it. The River is lined with several marinas with access to Lake Simcoe, which offer a variety of services for boaters and snowmobilers. The Pefferlaw River was also once the site of Captian Wm Johnson’s mill and circa in 1830. Now the old mill is a riverside park enjoyed by all. Like most historic buildings in Georgina, the mill has become a landmark of success after the many failures Johnson experienced when trying to use similar tactics to build a mill in Baldwin. Additionally Pefferlaw is home to the Town owned beachfront, Holmes Point, which provides shallow sandy relaxation and open waters. Pefferlaw has grown in size since then and now includes a downtown community. The business district offers grocery, refreshements, restaurants, automotive repair, postal services, and my personal favourite the Pefferlaw Library. The library is a beautifullfy peaceful place with lots of space to sit, read and enjoy the quiet. The space is great for trying to get some work done or reading for enjoyment! Cared for by the town’s people of Georgina, the Library is well maintained and landscaped. Of the three Libraries in Georgina, Pefferlaw’s is the smallest. With a library card you become elegalble for all of their services including; audio book/ebook, movie/tv, and book rental, free music streaming services, free access to homework help, health and wellness, and genealogy sites. As well as busness services, Pefferlaw has a number of recreational activities for family and solo fun! The Pines of Georgina Golf Course on Hwy 48 includes a 18-hole set, complete with club facilities, a lounge and restaurant. The village also adopted a new rec centre off Petes Lane and Pefferlaw Rd which includes a outdoor basketball court, two pickleball courts and one multi-purpose court for pickleball or short-court tennis. The centre also houses the PIP (Pefferlaw Ice Pad) which can be used for skating and hockey in the winter time. When it comes to hidden activities in Pefferlaw, my favourite is Georgina Paintball located on Weir's Sideroad. Here you can experience 9 incredible paint fields. For over 13 years Georgina Paintball has provided safe, fun and affordable outdoor adventure. With extensive infrastructure investment they now offer an extensive Pro Shop, Snack Bar, Washroom and Change room facilities and 25 acres of heart thumping paintball adventure. 

As someone who has lived in Georgina their whole life I feel that our town is special. Here in Georgina there is so much community, love and pride. I am proud to say this is where I’m from and I hope that since touring the hamlets with me you feel the same! There are hidden gems at every corner and although our town is small, we have so much to offer. Historically Georgina has been through some major life changes but as we grow so does our love of where we come from. I encourage everyone to get out and take part in celebrating Georgina by doing something new! Take a hike, ride a bike, paint a mug, shop till you drop, or maybe even take your friends paintballing! I love it here and I know you will too.