If you are hitting the road and driving past Colborne on the Highway 401, then The Big Apple Canada is a perfect spot for you and your furry friend to stop and stretch the legs. The Big Apple has a dog park area for your dog to be leash free in a fenced in area but the rest of the destinations is not very dog friendly. If you have kids, or just want to pop in for an apple treat, then having a second person to stay with the dog while the others enjoy the many other attractions.
DOG PARK
To find the the dog run park, when entering The Big Apple, drive to the north end of the parking lot. The off leash area is in the north west corner of the property. There is plenty of free parking adjacent to the fully fenced dog run. The approximately 20m x 45m dog area has a double gate corral style entrance. There is a water tap and water bowl in the entrance with trash bins all around the property.
The grass off leash area has a few benches and trees and there are washrooms located nearby in the building.
The Big Apple Attractions – Inside
As mentioned, there are many other attractions at the Big Apple and is a popular stop for anyone traveling on the 401. You will often see several tour buses behind the store. Of course, the main attraction is the store that sells everything one can make with apples. From pies, to cider, to candy, I am sure you will find more than one variation of that product. You an also have the joy of watching the bakers work away at producing delicious goodies for you to purchase.
The main store also has lots of merchandise for purchase with either Canada on it or the Big Apple. If you are looking for any souvenirs this would be a perfect stop. Also within the main store is a dedicated candy store, you will find everything from cookies and any type of candy you can imagine. Also in this area is there cider section. This store has different hours than the main store so if this is a must see, then check the hours beforehand.
Big Apple Attractions – Outside
Outside is almost like a town of its own. There are different food vendors and a sitting area. We didn’t want to stay and eat there with the dogs as there was nothing to say dogs were welcome – and we didn’t want to offend anyone, so we ate in the grassy area by the pond.
And as you can see from the picture above, they also have a Country Market on the weekends. Lastly, there is also mini putt to pay as well. We didn’t grab any pictures of these places as we would have to had walked through the eating areas with the dogs and we weren’t comfortable doing that.
There is also a petting zoo for the kids. Again, not a spot we were too keen on getting close to with two dogs in tow but it seemed popular with the children.
I thought the best part was the pond. We always seek out the water areas and you could easily walk down and visit. There is a path to walk down to the edge of it and it was so peaceful. The Big Apple was BUSY that day and down by the pond was NO ONE and super quiet. We just enjoyed the peace for a while before we left.
Events
Oddly enough, for really not being that dog friendly outside of the dog park, the Big Apple has hosted some great pet events at their Dog Run Park. Click here to check out the blog on our visit from last October. Nala participated in their Howl-O-Ween event co-hosted by Nutram Pet Products and Dogloversdays Lure course. It was an amazing time, Nala was bouncing with excitement to chase their lure around the course.
All in all, this is a great pit stop on the way somewhere if you have a furry friend. Maybe it would be a better stop if you only had your kids and a couple of hour to kill.
Be sure to check out our blog on our road trips to Prince Edward County, (click here or here)
