Location & Directions

Parry Sound is the port for Georgian Bay, where the 30,000 Islands create the world's largest fresh water archipelago, and have been designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. There are 6 area provincial parks, hiking trails, lakes,
rivers and wildlife.

The Town of Parry Sound was named after the famous artic explorer, Sir William Edward Parry. Around 1857, the area was surveyed and in 1863, the Beatty family began logging and built a sawmill almost directly across the road from our bed and breakfast. 40 Bay Street was built in 1873 as a 2-storey, 3-bedroom, board and batten house. It was built to provide accommodation for the Captain of the Beatty Company's ship. (The ship would travel full of new lumber to the Collingwood shipyards, and return full of supplies for the village and lumber camps.) The first indoor bathroom and kitchen were added in 1895, and the brick was added to the outside of the house at this time. By 1929, the house was owned by the Johnson family. They added the space now used for the Garden Room to accommodate their expanding family.

In early days, travel to the area was either by ship from Collingwood, or via rail to Bracebridge,
followed by taking a ship across Lake Rosseau, then a gruelling oxen-drawn cart ride into town.

Today, The Town of Parry Sound is centrally located in the southern portion of Ontario, within driving distance of the key tourist destinations of:

Toronto 230 kms.
Niagara Falls 340 kms.
Ottawa 425 kms.

Parry Sound is accessible by air (45 minutes from Pearson Airport), a major 4-lane highway (2.5 hours from Toronto), bus (Ontario Northland Bus Services), VIA Rail (3 days per week), and water (Big Sound Marina offers transient berths for boats up to 60 feet in length).

The latitude for 40 Bay Street Bed & Breakfast is: 45.340712; longitude is -80.034715.


If you are driving to Parry Sound, exit Hwy. 400 at Bowes Street and follow the signs for the town's waterfront. For detailed driving directions from your location via Google, please click here. For phone instructions call toll-free at 1-866-371-2638.

Once you are at the B&B, almost everything is within walking distance. Cab/taxis are available for a flat rate of $9.00 per trip (in town) and a local bus runs two days a week.