Barrie.

Big In Barrie is the new go-to for the city on the bay - the one where summer means a cannonball off Centennial Beach and a slow lap of the marina, and winter means an ice hut on Lake Simcoe and first chair at Horseshoe before lunch. We're mapping the good stuff along Kempenfelt Bay and everywhere the 400 can carry you.

We'll walk you down Dunlop Street when Open Air takes over the pavement, line up the best patio pint at Flying Monkeys, and tell you which Kempenfest booth is actually worth the wander. From the Spirit Catcher at sunrise to a late set downtown, from Allandale's old rail bones to the Bayfield strip, we follow Barrie from one end of the bay to the other.

Come fall we chase the colour up the 400 toward cottage country; come the first squall we trade the beach for the ski hills, the ice huts, and a thermos that won't quit. Four seasons, fully committed - that's the whole point of living an hour from everything and right on the water.

Grab a seat on the dock. We're almost ready to push off.