The Date Almanac
A fall day around Bowmanville
Pick-your-own pumpkins and a corn maze, Darlington Provincial Park, and a local market
Open the day with pick-your-own pumpkins and a corn maze at Watson Farms, then Darlington Provincial Park a few minutes on, and finish at the Bowmanville market. 4 stops, none more than 7 km apart, all around Bowmanville.
- 1
Pick the patch · Bowmanville
Watson Farms
A pick-your-own operation east of Bowmanville where you fill bags with apples, pumpkins, and squash in season, with a sunflower maze, wagon rides, and farm animals working the family-trip angle hard.
- 2
Shop and refuel · Bowmanville
Bowmanville BIA Market
A downtown vendor market in historic Bowmanville bringing local produce, baked goods, and handmade crafts onto the King Street strip. Worth a wander if you want to graze and meet the growers.
- 3
A bit of history · Bowmanville
Bowmanville POW camp
The last intact WWII prisoner-of-war camp in Canada, on Lambs Road, where German officers were held and the three-day Battle of Bowmanville riot played out. Crumbling buildings, a National Historic Site, and a strange history.
- 4
Walk it off
Darlington Provincial Park
A long sandy Lake Ontario beach an hour east of Toronto, with swimming, shoreline fishing for bass and perch, and a handful of short forest trails. A pioneer cemetery sits among the campgrounds.
Before you go
- Confirm Watson Farms is open and in season the day you go; what is ready shifts week to week.
- Bring water and bug spray for the walk at Darlington Provincial Park; the footing is easy but shaded and buggy in summer.
- The Bowmanville market runs limited days and hours, so check its schedule before you build the day around it, and bring cash.
A free day out from the Home Almanac. Every stop is a verified place; days change with the season, so print it the week you go. Data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, openstreetmap.org/copyright.