PRINCE ARTHUR’S LANDING
Today, we visited the Thunder Bay Waterfront. Some people call it the Marina, but its official name is Prince Arthur’s Landing.
We began our day trip at Done-Rite Tire & Auto on Carrick Street. We headed to the Harbour Expressway and hung a right. We continued straight until we reached Water Street. At Water Street, we took a left and drove for roughly 5 kilometres before reaching the Prince Arthur Landing entrance.
Fun Fact: Prince Arthur’s Landing has been the home of Thunder Bay Bluesfest since its inception in 2002. The first Bluesfest lineup included Colin James and the late, great, Jeff Healey. Over the years, the event has shifted from pure “blues” acts to more mainstream artists, such as Sheryl Crow, Jann Arden, and the Barenaked Ladies.
We began our Waterfront experience with a stop at the Tai Chi Park. We entered through the “Moon Gate” which is a stone archway that centers on the Sleeping Giant. The purpose of the archway is to give visitors a quiet moment to take in the beauty surrounding them.
On the other side of the Moon Gate are three bronze statues that were gifted to the City of Thunder Bay by its sister city Jiaozuo City, China. Two of the statues represent Tai Chi movements, while the third statue depicts Chen Wangting, the founder of Tai Chi. There is also a 60 foot pad that is patterned in the traditional Yin Yang symbol.
Another Fun Fact: Thunder Bay is known as the Tai Chi capital of Canada.
My youngest daughter had fun posing as a Tai Chi master while her sister took photos. Once they finished their photo shoot, we headed on to the Anchorage.
The Anchorage is an area of the Marina dedicated to remembering the 31 Royal Canadian Navy warships and 2,024 Naval personnel lost during World War II (1939-1945). It is a special area that deserves a moment of silence.
We spent the rest of our Waterfront visit strolling the walkways. We checked out the beautiful boats, watched some skateboarders, visited with some Canada Geese and of course checked out the view of the Sleeping Giant.
We closed out our Marina visit with a stop at “Bight” restaurant. The patio is open to the public, but we opted to place a take-out order. We decided to try the Canadese pizza. It was loaded with what my children refer to as “fancy bacon” (actual toppings include Genoa, pancetta, mushrooms, mozzarella, San Marzano passata) and it was one of the best pizzas we’ve ever tasted. Seriously good.
We didn’t really need dessert, but we were close to Prime Gelato so we decided to stop by. If you haven’t tried this local gelato shop, this is the summer to treat your taste buds. The shop is located on the corner of Red River Road and Cumberland Street, and it is where Prime makes its artisan dessert. You can also find pints of their gelato in many grocery stores throughout the City. We actually found some in a grocery store in North Bay last summer, which made us proud Thunder Bay’ers.
The fresh air coupled with the exceptional local food made this an awesome day trip. We give it a 10 out of 10!
