One of the practical advantages of living in Clearview Township is the number of distinct towns within a short drive. Stayner sits in a part of Simcoe County where you can reach Georgian Bay, the Niagara Escarpment, ski country, and the agricultural heartland of Dufferin County without spending more than an hour on the road. Each nearby town has a different character and different reasons to visit.
This is not a tourism brochure. It is a practical guide to what each town actually offers, how far the drive is, and when it makes sense to go.
Collingwood: 15 Minutes Northwest
Collingwood is the regional centre that Stayner residents visit most often. Take Highway 26 northwest and you are there in about 15 minutes, traffic depending. For many Clearview families, Collingwood fills the gaps that a smaller town cannot: a full hospital, big-box retail, a wider restaurant scene, and the Blue Mountain resort area for skiing and year-round recreation.
The Collingwood waterfront has seen significant development in recent years, with a grain terminal conversion, walking trails, and a growing downtown core anchored by Hurontario Street. The shops along the main strip lean more upscale than Stayner's practical storefronts, with galleries, boutiques, and restaurants that draw weekend visitors from Toronto.
For practical errands, Collingwood has Canadian Tire, Walmart, Home Depot, and most of the chain retailers missing from Stayner. The hospital, Collingwood General and Marine, is the closest emergency department for Clearview residents. Specialty medical appointments, dentists, and physiotherapy clinics that are full in Stayner often have openings in Collingwood.
Blue Mountain Village, about ten minutes past downtown Collingwood, operates year-round with skiing in winter, mountain biking and a scenic gondola in summer, and a pedestrian village with shops and restaurants. If you have kids, the attractions at the base (roller coasters, mini golf, climbing walls) make it a reliable half-day outing.
The drive is easy and familiar. Most Stayner residents make it at least once a week.
Wasaga Beach: 15 Minutes Northeast
Wasaga Beach is the closest large town to Stayner and the one you will end up at most often in the summer. The draw is obvious: 14 kilometres of sandy beach on Nottawasaga Bay, making it the longest freshwater beach in the world. On a hot July day, Beach Areas 1 and 2 get crowded, but the further beaches (Areas 4 through 6) stay quieter and are where locals tend to go.
Beyond the beach, Wasaga Beach has developed a year-round residential base with its own commercial strip along Mosley Street. There is a Walmart, grocery stores, restaurants, and the kind of retail services that supplement what Stayner offers. Some Clearview residents use Wasaga Beach as their backup for errands when they do not feel like driving to Collingwood.
The town has invested in trails and parks over the past decade. The Nottawasaga River trail system connects to broader networks, and Wasaga Beach Provincial Park covers a significant stretch of the waterfront. In winter, the beach is empty and the town slows down, but the trails remain usable for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
The 15-minute drive from Stayner to the beach is one of the things that surprises newcomers. You are genuinely close to a major recreational waterfront without paying waterfront prices.
Barrie: 35 Minutes East
Barrie is the largest city within practical reach of Stayner, with a population over 150,000. It is where you go for anything that smaller towns cannot provide: major medical specialists at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, government offices, big-box shopping, and a wider range of professional services.
The drive east on County Road 42 or Highway 26 to connect with Highway 400 takes about 35 minutes in normal conditions. Friday afternoon and Sunday evening traffic during ski season can push that closer to an hour. Georgian College's main campus is in Barrie, which matters for families with post-secondary students.
The Barrie waterfront on Kempenfelt Bay has improved significantly and makes for a pleasant day trip on its own. The Saturday farmers market downtown is one of the larger ones in the region.
Most Clearview residents treat Barrie as the "city trip" destination. It is far enough that you plan your errands, but close enough that it does not feel like a major expedition.
Owen Sound: 1 Hour Northwest
Owen Sound is a different kind of day trip. Where Collingwood and Wasaga Beach feel like extensions of your regular orbit, Owen Sound requires intention. The drive north on Highway 26 and then Highway 10 takes about an hour, passing through Thornbury and Meaford along the way.
The reward is a harbour town on Georgian Bay with a character distinct from the resort-oriented communities further south. Owen Sound is known for its waterfalls. Inglis Falls and Jones Falls are both within the town limits, and they are genuinely impressive, not the kind of thing you need to hype. Harrison Park, beside Inglis Falls, is one of the best municipal parks in the region for families, with trails, a bird sanctuary, and picnic areas.
The Tom Thomson Art Gallery anchors the cultural scene, and the Roxy Theatre hosts live performances year-round. The Summerfolk Music Festival, held every August on the harbour, draws folk and roots musicians from across the country. It is one of the better small festivals in Ontario, worth the drive if you are even mildly interested in live music.
Owen Sound's downtown has a working-class, straightforward feel. The restaurants are not trying to be trendy, but several are genuinely good. The harbour walk is pleasant in summer, and the Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings is substantial.
As a day trip from Stayner, Owen Sound works best as a full-day commitment: leave in the morning, explore the waterfalls and town, have lunch, and drive back in the afternoon. The route through Thornbury and Meaford is scenic, especially in fall.
Shelburne: 45 Minutes South
Shelburne sits at the northern edge of Dufferin County, roughly 45 minutes south of Stayner on County Road 124. It is a small town, population around 9,000, and it serves as the gateway between Simcoe County's rural landscape and the rolling hills of Dufferin and Headwaters country to the south.
The main reason Clearview residents know Shelburne is the Canadian Championship Old Time Fiddlers' Contest, held every August. It has been running since 1951, and it remains one of the longest-standing fiddle competitions in the country. The contest weekend fills the town with musicians, families, and visitors who appreciate traditional Canadian music. If you have any interest in folk or traditional music, it is worth the drive at least once.
Beyond the fiddle contest, Shelburne has a growing downtown with independent shops and restaurants. The town has experienced steady growth as people from the GTA move further out, similar to the pattern that brought newcomers to Stayner. The Dufferin County Museum and Archives, just outside town, is worth a visit for anyone interested in the agricultural and settlement history of this part of Ontario.
The drive south from Stayner passes through Mulmur and the Dufferin Highlands, which is some of the best driving scenery in southern Ontario, particularly during fall colour season. If you combine a trip to Shelburne with a detour through the Hockley Valley or Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, you have a full day of exploring Ontario's rural heartland.
Thornbury and Meaford: 30 to 40 Minutes North
These two towns along the southern shore of Georgian Bay are worth mentioning together. Thornbury (30 minutes from Stayner) has become a food and wine destination, with the Thornbury Village Cidery and apple orchards drawing visitors in fall. The harbour is small but picturesque. Meaford (40 minutes) is quieter and more agricultural, with a growing arts scene and a beautiful harbour of its own.
Both towns are on the route to Owen Sound, so you can combine stops. The Georgian Trail, a paved cycling and walking path, connects Collingwood to Meaford along the waterfront and is one of the best recreational trails in the region.
Penetanguishene and Midland: 45 Minutes East
Penetanguishene is one of the more interesting day trips from Stayner, and one that locals sometimes overlook. The drive takes about 45 minutes east through Elmvale or via Highway 93 past Midland. What you find is a genuine harbour town on Georgian Bay with a deep history that predates most of southern Ontario's European settlement.
Discovery Harbour is the main draw: a reconstructed 19th-century British naval and military base on the waterfront, with tall ships, period buildings, and costumed interpreters during the summer season. It is one of the better-done heritage sites in the province, particularly for families with kids old enough to appreciate the history. The Huronia Museum nearby adds Indigenous and regional settlement history.
Penetanguishene has a strong Francophone community, the oldest in Ontario outside of the Ottawa Valley, and that influence shows up in local culture, signage, and a few of the restaurants along the waterfront. The main street has an unhurried, lived-in quality that feels different from the more polished tourist towns on the other side of Georgian Bay.
Midland, its slightly larger neighbour, adds the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre and the Martyrs' Shrine. Together the two towns make for a full day trip that combines history, nature, and a waterfront lunch. The 30,000 Islands boat cruises depart from both harbours in summer and are worth doing at least once.
Orillia: 45 Minutes East
Orillia, at the narrows between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, is another option for a day out. The Mariposa Folk Festival in July, the Casino Rama entertainment complex, and the Stephen Leacock Museum give it a distinct identity. The drive from Stayner is about 45 minutes through Barrie or via Highway 11. It is not a regular errand destination for Clearview residents, but it makes for a pleasant summer outing.
Making the Most of the Region
Living in Stayner puts you at the centre of a surprisingly varied region. Georgian Bay waterfront, Escarpment hiking, craft breweries, fall colour routes, ski hills, summer beaches, and small-town main streets are all within an hour. The seasonal guide covers the best times for each activity, and the communities page explains how Clearview's own villages fit together.
The practical advice: keep a mental list of errands for each town so you can batch your trips. A run to Collingwood covers the hospital appointment and the Home Depot stop. A summer afternoon at Wasaga Beach combines with a grocery run on the way back. Owen Sound works best as a dedicated day trip rather than a quick errand. That kind of trip planning becomes second nature after a few months in the area.