Ontario, Canada - Springwater Conservation Area (between St Thomas & Aylmer)

by Barbara
(St Thomas, Ontario)

The Lake at Springwater - beach on the left, forest & trails on the right

My family has always enjoyed having picnics and our children range from 32 down to 10 years old - so we have had lots of them with children!

When I think of a Picnic I usually think of taking my family to the beach at Springwater Conservation Area which is to the south of highway 3 between St Thomas and Aylmer, Ontario.

There is something so peaceful about the place and we go there often to picnic. There are picnic tables and a view of the spring-fed lake. There are also lots of mature trees so those who need a nap after eating can take a snooze in a shady spot.

Before we eat we usually go for a stroll around the trails through the forest, which is some of the last remaining Carolinian forest in the area. The kids like to swim in the lake before we head home.

There are some birds in the Conservation Area that I have have never seen elsewhere - we caught a glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker last summer!

When we have spent the day at Springwater, I always return home feeling like my spiritual batteries have been re-charged!