the best summer camps in Ontario for a wedding — Updated 2024
waking up surrounded by trees, morning yoga class on the dock, warm coffee, followed by a paddle out into the lake… that honestly sounds the ideal way to wake up on your wedding day.
dave grew up going to summer camp & we’ve loved photographing quite a few camp weddings over the years. we love the option of having everyone stay for the weekend at the facility, and being able to enjoy a fun relaxed weekend with your guests instead of the rushed half-day of most weddings. and outside of the wedding festivities, there are tons of activities for everyone to enjoy — canoeing, hiking, swimming, or simply finding a sunny spot by the lake with a book — truly there's something for everyone.
it's a great getaway from the city for all your guests to enjoy, and so many of these spots are easy to get to from toronto & its neighbouring cities. just keep in mind, for functioning summer camps they will only be available outside of the months of july & august.
here's our list of great summer camps (and venues that feel like summer camp!) that we've found across southern ontario that we think would be wonderful spots for a wedding — some we have been to, but many we have not. if you're outdoorsy & a bit untraditional like us, we'd highly recommend thinking about a summer camp weekend wedding.
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CAMP TIMBERLANE near haliburton / see our photos here
we’ve been lucky enough to photograph weddings here a few times, and it never disappoints. tell harley we sent you :)
CAMP TAMAKWA in algonquin provincial park / see our photos here
when we photographed a wedding at camp tamakwa back in 2012, everyone was boated in from a parking lot just off of hwy 60, which was really fun. it’s also featured in the movie indian summer with alan arkin!
CAMP SMITTY in the ottawa valley near eganville | see our photos here.
another stunner of a spot right on the lake, and easier to get to if you’re coming from the ottawa or peterborough areas.
more summer camps —
tapawingo ywca camp near parry sound
camp kawartha in the kawarthas northeast of peterborough
camp walden near bancroft
camp white pine near haliburton
camp muskoka near bracebridge
camp tamarack near bracebridge
camp arowhon in algonquin provincial park
camp kintail on lake huron near goderich
camp ahmek / camp wapomeo in algonquin provincial park
camp new moon in baysville, between bracebridge and huntsville in muskoka
camp eden woods at the southern edge of algonquin provincial park
camp menesetung on lake huron near goderich
mansfield outdoor centre south of collingwood
camp bellaleo in fergus
camp wahanowin near orillia on lake couchiching
camp winnebagoe in muskoka
camp seedrioru near kitchener/guelph
THE SHERWOOD INN in muskoka
if you’re looking for something with a summer camp/muskoka feel, maybe without quite the “roughing it” experience as a summer camp, there are plenty of lodges in the muskoka area that might be up your alley — like the sherwood inn, which has a beautiful lakefront access and great sunsets.
DELMONTE IN THE PINES near gravenhurst in muskoka | see our photos here.
another great spot in muskoka if you’re looking for an alternative to a summer camp while keeping a bit of that authentic and rustic feel.
PORT CUNNINGTON LODGE in muskoka | see our photos here.
another beautiful location by the lake, great sunrises and lovely rooms with huge windows.
arowhon pines in algonquin provinicial park | see our photos here.
hands down… this has got to be one of our favourite spots in algonquin park… and the food was out of this world good.
THE PORTAGE INN just south of algonquin provincial park | see our photos here.
this is a great little rustic spot for a more intimate wedding (maybe 40-50 people or so).
more lodges/resorts —
the lodge at pine cove on the french river near sudbury
grand tappattoo resort near parry sound
laurentian lodge near elliott lake
clevelands house in muskoka
servern lodge in muskoka
windermere house in muskoka
lumina resort in muskoka
bartlett lodge in algonquin provincial park
trillium resort in muskoka
westwind inn north of peterborough
fernleigh lodge north-east of peterborough
bark lake leadership center near haliburton
we hope to continue adding to this list as we discover more camps and outdoor wedding spaces around southern ontario -- please let us know if we've missed any of your favourite spots!
need to stay closer to the city? take a look at our list of wedding spaces in toronto & nearby.
cheers & happy planning! x