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Groups bring activities to countryMaking a hobby of B&BsSome Ontario bed and breakfasts are starting to specialize. They especially welcome groups who come to comfortable country surroundings for a weekend or a few days of working together on certain activities or hobbies. HARVEY CURRELL |
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 [ 2007-03-14 ] |
© 2007 JupiterImages Corporation
Up in the hills of Oro-Medonte, for example, Terry Oram's spacious new B&B seems to attract a lot of quilters.
Often on a Friday evening, six or eight women will descend on the place loaded with sewing machines, quilt frames and bales of fabric. They'll enjoy one of Terry's gourmet dinners, and set up their equipment in her big workroom for a weekend of quilting, hot-tubbing, talk and DVDs.
Many come with what they call UFOs. In quilter jargon, that stands for Unfinished Objects -- quilts that hobbyists have started but have just never been able to complete. They turn the group loose on their problems and some beautiful handmade quilts usually emerge from a few hours of collective work.
Quilting is just one of the group activities that go on at Seasons Change. That's the name Terry Oram picked for her spectacular house after a name-selection contest among friends and family.
On 40 scenic, hilly hectares criss-crossed by walking trails, the house has four deluxe guest rooms, each named and decorated for a season. Groups and families, as well as individuals and couples, come here for spa weekends, cooking, scrapbooking, book clubs, painting and a wide variety of other activities.
For spa sessions, Oram arranges for professional operators. Guests pay them for services such as facials and massages. For activities requiring expert instruction, groups often bring their own teachers.
Born and educated in Sudbury, Oram moved to the Barrie area where she became an expert in computer-support services. While trouble-shooting on computers, she dreamed of designing and building a modern-day country inn. Eventually she was able to make her dream come true.
The result is one of the most attractive B&Bs I've seen in Ontario, big enough for family and group activities. On holiday-season weekends, parents who don't have big homes of their own will often take it over for family Christmas parties catered by Oram. The dining room comfortably seats 12.
Guest rooms rent at $100 per night double with full gourmet breakfast. For weekend retreat activities there are package rates, depending on the meals and services required.
For information and bookings, call 1-866-863-3330 or 705-835-2987. The web address is www.seasonschange.ca. The address is 3619 Line 5 North, Oro-Medonte. To get there, take Hwy. 400 north from Barrie to County Rd. 93. Exit here to Craighurst, about 1 km. At the Esso station in Craighurst, go left on Horseshoe Valley Rd. Follow this road past the Horseshoe Valley ski resort entrance to the Fifth Concession. Turn left here a short distance to No. 3619 on the right.
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