Show Me the City!

Thunder Bay Tours Gives the Inside Scoop on The City

I have dubbed the summer of 2021 “The Incredible Journey.” It will kick off with some sightseeing, a little bit of exercise, and getting more acquainted with one of my favourite places.

One of the best ways to learn more about your community is to explore the streets, and the new Thunder Bay Tours app offers a medley of specialty walking and driving tours, turning your phone into a personal tour guide. Whether your interest is history, architecture, city heritage, art, or maybe the local food scene, the interactive tours provide the inside scoop you won’t get anywhere else. The app covers some serious ground, with over 194 sites to see and 138 kilometres to travel (with even more tours to still be added).

To me, one of the most awesome qualities about Thunder Bay, is once you think you know everything about the city, you always find out there’s more. I bet you have driven past that building, park, statue, or house a thousand times, but do you know the story behind it? Through the app you can take a trip back in time (DeLorean not required), and visit one of the many neighbourhoods that make up the city. Stories are told through the houses that line the streets, each whispering secrets of Fort William and Port Arthur’s past, and all of the locals that once lived there. As you walk, the app talks, sharing fun facts about the area and must-see sights, all the while keeping you on the right path using your phone’s GPS.

Hungry? Jump into your vehicle and rediscover the joy of knowing your food’s origins on the Food Producers Tour. Hit the back roads and take in some farm-to-table culture in the area, on a journey highlighting artisan food production and fresh, locally sourced, seasonal goodies. You can stock up on all of your favourites along the way, with stops at a famous fish shop, dairy farm, flour mill, and even a couple breweries.

By the way, in 1963 the Paramount Theatre co-hosted the world premiere of Walt Disney’s The Incredible Journey! It’s actually an adaptation of Port Arthur resident Sheila Burnford’s classic novel— a cool detail I learned for the first time on the Thunder Bay Waterfront and North Core Tour.