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Five Places You Have To Go Swimming In Brockville

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Located on the St.Lawrence River, Brockville has many great places to go swimming to cool off through the summer. Some of them are well known, while others are more off the beaten path and not as easy to find. Check out some of the popular locations to swim for locals in Brockville.

Centeen Park

Centeen Park is a great place to go swimming if you’re a stronger swimmer. The water gets deep quickly, and the sea wall at the edge of the park makes getting in the water pretty adventurous if you’re feeling it. We love going to Centeen to swim so much, we made jumping off the sea wall into the river our cover for the 2020 Brockville Visitors’ Guide! It’s an experience that everyone growing up in the area will be familiar with. We want to make sure that our visitors know about this location as well. 

Swimmers, take note – on top of being a great swimming spot, Centeen Park is also very popular with scuba divers, so be sure to look before you leap! The St.Lawrence River is filled with amazing shipwrecks to explore. If you’re a new or inexperienced diver, you might need some practice with the currents. That’s where the Brockville Underwater Sculpture Park can help! You can explore underwater sculptures that were created by local artists and students and placed by Save Ontario Shipwrecks (SOS) while you practice scuba diving in the St.Lawrence River.

St. Lawrence Park

On the other side of town, you will find another very popular swimming location – St.Lawrence Park. There’s no mistaking that you’re in the entrance to the 1000 Islands at St.Lawrence Park – you can see the islands begin as you sit on the beach.  This park’s sandy beach is perfect for spending the day relaxing with the kids. The water is shallow and protected from the main currents of the St.Lawrence River by being a little bit more inland. A dock marks the boundaries of the swimming area. If you go past it, be prepared! There is a very strong river current going just outside of the marked area.

Cunningham Park

This quiet little park is a little further off the beaten path. Nestled inside of a residential area in the west of Brockville is Cunningham Park. Just like Centeen Park, Cunningham has a seawall to jump off of, but the only way out of the water is the ladder. Never the less, this swimming location is popular with locals in Brockville. Out of all the swimming spots in Brockville, Cunningham Park perhaps requires the strongest swimming skills, as the currents are not too far from the edge of the river.

Lyn Valley Conservation Area (Lyn Pit)

If you’re looking for a swimming spot that might be a little warmer and a little more sheltered, Lyn Valley Conservation Area (locally known as Lyn Pit)  might be your best bet! This swimming hole can be found just outside of Brockville. The water in this spring-fed lake is calm and quiet. The water is usually a bit warmer than the river itself too. This swimming location is so popular, there are swimming lessons throughout the summer through the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.

Brown’s Bay Beach and Picnic Area

Brown’s Bay has a long history in the area. It continues to be a great stopping point for people during the drive between Toronto and Montreal. Just west of Brockville on the 1000 Islands Parkway, Brown’s Bay is a part of the Parks of the St.Lawrence. It does have a daily fee, which can be found here. This beach and picnic area is a great place to spend the day with the kids. There is also a playground and space to play sports.

Brockville has some great swimming locations in our area. However, outdoor swimming can be unpredictable and is affected by the elements. Be sure to check out the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit’s weekly Beach Results to make sure the water is safe to swim in.

Bonus: Brockville Rotary Park and Splash Pad

Looking for somewhere for the really little ones to have a great time and cool down? The splash pad at the Rotary Park is perfect for children to go and cool down without having to know how to swim.

Brockville Tourism Summit 2019

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If you work in the tourism industry, be sure to check a tourism summit being hosted by Brockville Tourism. These tourism summits, taking place on September 24 and 25th, we will be covering two very important topics in terms of tourism – culinary tourism and social media management. We will also discuss how we can make sure that Brockville’s tourism industry continues to develop and grow.

Brockville’s Tourism Summit – September 24th

From Field to Fork: Redefining Brockville’s Food Culture

People living in South Eastern Ontario are very lucky. They have an attachment to their food and where it comes from. Many people who live in the city don’t see farms or farm animals until they’re much older. Mny of our restaurants are able to benefit from this connection. It’s time we start to be proud of the fact we can see our food actually go from field to fork, either through our markets or restaurants.

Join Agatha Podgorski, Director of Community Engagement at the Culinary Tourism Alliance, to explore easy ways you can attract new visitors to your business. In this two hour session, we’ll dive into why food and drink experiences are top of mind for today’s traveller and how to get their attention. You’ll learn how to meet customer expectations, how to increase your sales through storytelling – both in person and online – and a few ways the area, collectively, can grow food tourism.

If you are interested in attending this free morning of food tourism storytelling, register for a ticket on our Eventbrite page!

  • 9am – Registration
  • 9:30am – Welcome remarks from the Brockville Tourism team
  • 9:35am – Telling Your Food Story (and Making Sure People Listen)
    • Led by Agatha Podgorski, Director of Community Engagement at Culinary Tourism Alliance
    • We’ll cover food tourism basics like why people are travelling for food and what they’re expecting, then dig into some easy, inexpensive ways you can grab their attention. We’ll talk a bit about successful partnerships and some tools you can be using to better work with your Destination Marketing Organization and other groups looking to put on you on the food map in Ontario and beyond.
  • 11:30am – FeastOn: Brockville Introduction
  • 12:00pm – Wrap-up

Brockville’s Tourism Summit – September 25th

Let’s Get Social: The Power of Social Media in Tourism Today

If you’re not on social media, you’re not where your customers are. Advertising, feedback and reviews can all be found across the internet. If you’re not in control of your social presence, you’re not listening properly.

Brockville Tourism will be focusing on social media and gaining control of your social presence through the three major forms of media – paid, owned and earned media. We will also be introducing our 2020 media kit, with all the different opportunities to advertise next year through Brockville Tourism.

This full day of tourism and social media will help you get ready for the 2020 tourism season. It will also prepare for your business in the long run digitally. There will be opportunities to network with other companies, as well as learn from from various talks.

Tickets are $15 and include your lunch. If you are looking to promote your own business to other tourism businesses in the area, we encourage you to book a table as well for an additional $15. Your business will be on display throughout the day around the summit, and people will be able to come and learn more about what you do.

  • 8:30am – Registration
  • 8:30-9:30am – Networking
  • 9:30am – Opening Remarks
  • 9:45am – Keynote Address: Establishing Your Owned Media
  • 11:15am – FeastOn: Brockville Introduction
  • 11:45am – 2019 Statistics Overview
  • 12:00pm – Lunch
  • 1:00pm – Maps and Visitor Guide talk
  • 1:15pm – Panel: Earned Media and Micro-Influencers
  • 2:30pm – Wrap-up

To buy your tickets to the tourism summit, be sure to check out our EventBrite page. You also can come into the Brockville Tourism office to fill out a registration form and pay in store.

Meet Brockville Tourism’s Young Professionals

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This week is Brockville Young Professionals Week! From May 12th to 18th, the city of Brockville will be recognizing the young professionals who make up the Brockville workforce and why it’s so important to make sure there is a healthy amount of young professionals in any workplace.

Half of the Brockville Tourism full time staff of four is made up of young professionals! They both recently started, so let’s meet the two new faces in Brockville Tourism.

Rebecca Bredin – Social Media Specialist

Hi! My name is Rebecca Bredin, and I’m the social media specialist at Brockville Tourism. It might sound like the most millennial job in the world, but this job is pretty important in the grand scheme of things! Social media is how over two thirds of people get their daily news. We want to make sure that Brockville’s tourism industry is part of that information being read by people. I compose blog posts and maintain all of our major social media platforms. I also have taken on projects that will help attract a new demographic of young professional tourists. I’ve returned to Brockville after living in Japan, South Korea, and Toronto for the last ten years, so I can see with experienced eyes now how special Brockville can be to urban dwellers. The farms, the water, the islands, the peaceful atmosphere – it’s a welcome break for those who live with long commutes over an hour dreaming about greener pastures!

I’m also convinced that Brockville is pretty Instagram friendly – this city is very easy on the eyes. Never forget, people in Toronto drove in flocks to go see a field of sunflowers over an hour away for the chance to get a perfect selfie. The perfect selfie can be taken in so many places in the 1000 Islands. I think we locals take it for granted! So invite your friends and family to Brockville for a weekend – tell them to do it for the ‘gram!

Alex Stobo – Tourism Specialist

I’m Alex Stobo – Brockville’s Tourism Specialist! What’s my job all about? Getting locals AND visitors connected with everything that’s awesome about Brockville. Growing up in Brockville I got great at “making my own fun” and now, I get to spend my days helping people find their fun!
I’m stoked to be back on the beautiful River St. Lawrence after seven years spent studying and working in Canada, the USA and Ireland. In the last year alone, I have taken in world class performances in England, finished countless pints in good Irish company, cozied up with Danish locals who taught me the meaning of Hygge, “chilled out” in Amsterdam after missing my flight home, and tasted some of the tastiest treats Belgium has to offer – yes, the chocolate is as good as expected.
As someone who has chosen to make a career out of exploring the world and leaving no stone unturned wherever I go, when I say there is so much to do here in Brockville, I really mean it. This is a beautiful city, with so much potential for young professionals to build thriving lives.
Feel free to reach out – I’m always down to connect & grab coffee!
Instagram @alexandrastobo
Facebook: Alex Stobo