Stepping into North Bay, Ontario - 10 Walkable Attractions in the Gateway of the North
Published September 26th, 2025
Photos by Jay Kana unless otherwise noted.
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North Bay, Ontario, is brimming with charm and one underrated yet effective way to explore it is by foot. Or as the cool kids from the 80’s said, “two feet and a heart beat.”
The city is well-designed where several attractions and points of interest are walkable, meaning you could easily get 10,000 daily steps in.
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Let’s use The Boat Restaurant as an anchor point because, well, it’s big and easy to spot while you plan your outdoor days in North Bay.
If you’re staying outside of downtown, for example, at The Finch Beach Resort, which is a 10-ish minute drive away, know that there’s ample parking at the waterfront.
Alternatively, if you’re staying at a hotel in downtown North Bay, you can use that at your home point.
Be sure to wear a sturdy, comfortable pair of walking shoes, a reusable bottle of water and have your smartphone and or camera fully charged.
With that, let’s step into North Bay!
Another huge boat within sight of The Boat is the Chief Commanda II, which offers a variety of tours. There’s a licensed bar, food and snack options on board, a spacious indoor seating/dining area and an outdoor upper deck that offers panoramic views of Lake Nipissing.
Distance from The Boat: Less than one kilometre.
Most museums are hands-off. The North Bay Museum handles things differently with several hands-on exhibits, a model train that actually moves and a model airplanes that spin, and others. There’s still the fixed pieces that you can admire and learn from and having these interactive pieces makes it a must-visit spot.
Distance from The Boat: Less than one kilometre.
The Dionne Quints Museum, less than 300 metres from the North Bay Museum, is the birthplace of the famous quintuplets, who were the first set of five to survive infancy.
Visitors come from around the world to see authentic pieces of the quints’ childhood and rare images.
Distance from The Boat: Less than one kilometre
The North Bay Farmers’ Market was named one of Ontario’s Top Market Destinations and after experiencing it myself, I can see why. A plethora of vendors, entertainment and good vibes envelop this community experience.
Distance from The Boat: Less than one kilometre.
There are kayak and standup paddle board rentals via Boathouse Rentals for you to enjoy Lake Nipissing from a different perspective. They’ve also got bike and e-scooter rentals if you want to go further in your explorations.
Distance from The Boat: Less than one kilometre
There’s no set distance here but I encourage you to walk as much of the waterfront trail as possible to soak in the serenity of North Bay’s waterfront.
Spend time on the Goulet Golden Mile, stroll along the pier or get sand in your toes along the beach itself. Grab a seat on the grass or a bench and gaze upon the lake and perhaps read other Modern Traveller articles or watch some of our videos on North Bay.
Distance from The Boat: Can be as long as you’d like.
Image via North Bay Museum.
The Heritage Railway and Carousel doubles as a both a unique attraction and a time machine.
Take a spin on the restored carousel and ride the rails on a mini train experience.
Distance from The Boat: Less than one kilometre.
Meander Main Street to get a flavour of how strong North Bay’s local business scene is. From coffee shops to retail locations, pop into several spots to see the variety of offerings the city has. There’s also new businesses popping up, including The Wizards Nook & Oddities, which opened a couple of weeks prior to my visit in mid-September.
Distance from The Boat: Can be as long as you’d like.
Image via Capitol Centre
If art captivates you, visit the Capitol Centre gallery, which houses the WKP Kennedy Gallery and has various vivacious exhibitions.
You can also catch a performance at the Betty Speers Theatre.
Distance from The Boat: One kilometre.
Yours truly about to eat wings at Cecil’s.
Since you’re doing so much walking, you’ll need to eat. Good thing North Bay has dining options aplenty!
Cecil’s Brewhouse and Kitchen, Moose’s Cookhouse, and gd2go are all under 1.5 km away, with many other spots within that radius.