Huntsville is the centre for a varied and historic retail area, including 120 shops and services in its downtown section, a perfect blend of small-town appeal and urban variety. The Huntsville Place Mall boasts an additional 30 businesses and the community provides a wide variety of recreational and wilderness outfitters for canoeing or camping in such nearby parks as Arrowhead and Algonquin Provincial Parks. The autumn colors in Muskoka are reputed to be among the best in the world and activities in the Huntsville area reflect this fact. Artisans and artists hold an Autumn Studio Tour each year, the streets are lined with scarecrows during the Annual Fall Fair and Shades of Autumn highlights the tradition of homemade preserves and baking. Nature's splendour is breathtaking from Lions' Lookout where Fairy Lake and surrounding area provide a distinctly unique panorama.
Winter too can be spectacular.
Downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, dog sledding and Huntsville's Winterfest celebrations are just some of the major activities enjoyed during the winter months. Visitors enter through a museum to a 90-acre outdoor site including a pond, nature trails and an historic recreation of dwellings from the late 1800s, including a sawmill, church, blacksmith shop, general store, inn, gardens and farm animals. Also on the site is the Village Station, home of the rail, steam and marine museum. The Portage Flyer, a 1928 steam train, transports riders back in time as they travel along the idyllic Muskoka River to the purser's cabin and beach at Fairy Lake. The Lake of Bays area too boasts scenic grandeur, sparkling waterways and the warmth of village life, including the three communities of Dorset, Dwight and Baysville.