Enchanted Summers: The Grand Hotels of Muskoka

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

From approximately 1870 to 1930 wealthy Canadians and Americans by the
thousands were drawn to the Central Ontario wilderness for a vacation
experience that paired outdoor recreation with luxury accommodation.
Muskoka, then a paradise of pristine lakes and magnificent scenery, was
accessible to tourists by train and lake steamer. Many came for the
entire summer.

While they came to relax in harmony with nature, breathe the
pine-scented air, and enjoy the pure water, roughing it in the bush was
not in the plans. The area was home to at least a dozen luxury hotels
and many visitors brought along servants to supplement the pampering
provided by hotel staff. Formal dress codes, lace and fine linens,
engraved silver, delicate bone china, and haute cuisine were the order
of the day. The grandest of these opulent resorts featured live chamber
music, dramatic entertainments, poetry readings, church services,
excursions around the lakes, and plenty of time for tea served on the
veranda. At the end of the era, dances, regattas, fishing, and other
less elegant pastimes had made an appearance.

Enchanted Summers is a photo album. Hundreds of historic photos and
quotes from participants (hotel owners, guests, and staff) are united by
a thin ribbon of text. The book is structured around the evolution of
the hotels, from humble backwoods cottages to prestige resorts. Along
the way the steam launches, architecture, fashions, and customs of the
era are documented. (A companion videotape is available.) The book will
appeal to everyone with an interest in social history in Ontario.