3-Day Rice Lake Kawarthas Itinerary: Cottage, Food & Adventure

The first time you book a long weekend on Rice Lake, you probably think you’ll fill the time naturally. Three days, big lake, beach, you’ll figure it out. Then Friday night rolls into Saturday morning and you’re staring at a coffee wondering what the plan is.

This itinerary is what guests at Mildred’s Lakefront Resort Cottage actually do over a typical Friday-to-Monday. It’s not over-scheduled. It works because each day has a centre of gravity instead of a packed list.

What Are the Best Things to Do in Rice Lake, Ontario?

Planning ahead makes a Rice Lake weekend better. Here’s what the area actually has to offer — the itinerary below covers the best of these in detail, but the full list gives you options depending on your group.

1. Swimming at the private resort beach — Bellmere Winds has a sandy waterfront beach on Rice Lake with supervised swimming in season.
2. Saltwater pool at the resort — Heated, lifeguarded, open late May through September. Close enough to use twice in a day.
3. Canoeing and kayaking on Rice Lake — Free use of canoes, kayaks, and SUPs is included at Mildred’s. The lake is calm most mornings and the shoreline is good for slow paddling.
4. Bass fishing from the dock — Rice Lake is one of the best smallmouth bass lakes in southern Ontario. Guests catch fish right off the resort dock — no boat required.
5. 19th Hole Patio Grill — On-site restaurant at Bellmere Winds. Burgers, fish and chips, kids’ menu. You can eat in a swimsuit on the patio.
6. Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough — World’s largest canoe collection. New building opened 2024. Worth two to three hours. Twenty-five minutes from the cottage.
7. Peterborough Lift Lock — Highest hydraulic boat lift in the world. Boats rise twenty metres in ten minutes. Free to watch from shore.
8. Serpent Mounds Provincial Park — Ten minutes from Mildred’s. Ancient Indigenous burial site with short interpretive trails. Quiet, historically significant, and most guests don’t know it’s there.
9. Warsaw Caves Conservation Area — Forty minutes away. Actual explorable caves, hiking trails, and a swimming hole. A solid half-day for any group.
10. Trent–Severn Waterway walk — Flat, shaded trail along the canal in Peterborough. Easy two-hour walk for any age.
11. Downtown Peterborough — Hunter Street has good coffee, craft breweries, and lunch options worth building a day trip around.
12. Elmhirst’s Resort restaurant — Fifteen minutes from the cottage. The dining room overlooks Rice Lake and the food is better than expected.
13. Golf at Bellmere Winds — The resort has an 18-hole course on site. If your group includes golfers, this is already sorted.
14. Stargazing from the dock — Low light pollution compared to Toronto. Summer nights on a clear dock are worth staying up for.
15. Watching the Trent–Severn locks — You can watch boats lock through the Peterborough Lift Lock from shore without getting on the water. Free and impressive.

What Should You Do on Day 1 of a Rice Lake Cottage Trip?

You arrived Friday late afternoon, drove ninety minutes from Toronto, hauled groceries inside, and the kids found the splash pad before the luggage was unpacked. That’s normal.

Saturday is the day you don’t leave. Coffee on the back deck while the lake’s still glassy. Watch a heron work the shoreline. The kids will gravitate toward the water once they wake up — let them.

Mid-morning, head to the saltwater pool. It opens early and lifeguards on duty mean you can actually relax for thirty minutes. When the pool gets busy, switch to the private beach.

For lunch, the 19th Hole Patio Grill is on-site and lets you stay in swimwear. Burgers, fish and chips, kids’ menu. Sit on the patio.

Afternoon is a choice. Take the free use of canoes, kayaks, and SUPs out for a slow cruise — the shoreline of Rice Lake is full of cottages, herons, and the occasional Trent–Severn pleasure cruiser locking through. Or stay at the beach with a book.

Evening is dock time. Bring a drink, watch the sun drop behind the trees on the far shore. Rice Lake sunsets are the reason people come back.

What Should You Do on Day 2 — A Day Trip to Peterborough?

Guests searching for a cottage rental near Peterborough often overlook the Kawarthas entirely — which is exactly why it’s worth knowing. Keene is twenty-five minutes from downtown Peterborough, and Mildred’s gives you waterfront access on Rice Lake with Peterborough as a ready day-trip, not a compromise.

Peterborough is twenty-five minutes from Mildred’s and surprisingly worth a full day.

Start at the Canadian Canoe Museum. It opened a new building in 2024 and has the world’s largest canoe collection — over 600 vessels. Indigenous history, interactive exhibits, easily two to three hours if you let yourself slow down.

Lunch in downtown Peterborough on Hunter Street. A few decent options: – Publican House Brewery for a pint and pub food – Black Honey for coffee and pastries – Rolling Grape Vineyard if you want something slower

Afternoon, pick one:

The Peterborough Lift Lock. Highest hydraulic boat lift in the world. Boats rise twenty metres in about ten minutes. Kids find it more interesting than they expect.

Trent–Severn waterway walk. Flat, shaded, follows the canal. Easy two-hour stroll.

Warsaw Caves Conservation Area. Forty minutes northeast. Genuinely explorable caves, hiking trails, swimming hole. This one’s a full afternoon if you commit.

Drive home around dinner time. The route through the Kawarthas at golden hour is half the experience. Eat back at the cottage — you’ll be tired in the best way.

What Should You Do on Day 3 on Rice Lake?

The whole point of being on a 100-square-kilometre lake is the lake itself. Day 3 is for the water.

Morning fishing. Rice Lake has bass, walleye, musky, pike, and panfish. Off the dock at Mildred’s, you’ll catch sunfish in five minutes if you have basic tackle. Take the boat out into the weed beds for bass. Pick up a one-day Ontario fishing licence online before you go.

Lunch at Elmhirst’s Resort. Fifteen minutes from the cottage. Their dining room overlooks the water and serves food that’s better than it needs to be. Worth the short drive.

Afternoon at Serpent Mounds Provincial Park. Ten minutes from Mildred’s. An ancient Indigenous burial site with short interpretive trails. Most guests don’t know it exists. It’s quiet, historically significant, and a counterweight to a weekend of swimming.

Or just stay on the dock. There’s no wrong call.

Evening on the dock. Last night. The grill is going. Kids are tired. The lake’s going still. This is the part you’ll remember.

What Are the Best Restaurants Near Bellmere Winds Resort?

Dining options near Bellmere Winds run from on-resort casual to Peterborough proper for something more serious. Here’s what to know:

On-resort (Bellmere Winds itself):

• Bellmere Patio Grill — The resort’s own restaurant, open seasonally. Casual pub fare, patio with a golf course view. Good for a family dinner without getting in the car. Not destination dining, but reliable and close.

Within 15u201320 minutes of the resort:

• Keene Village — The nearest town (5 minutes). Basic convenience options. Not a restaurant destination.
• Lang Pioneer Village area — Worth checking for seasonal food events near the historic site on County Road 34.
• Indian River’s Riverview — Local spot near Rice Lake. Casual, lakeview dining. Seasonal.

In Peterborough (30u201335 minutes from Bellmere Winds):

• The Venue — Popular Peterborough restaurant, good for a dinner out on the Day 2 Peterborough trip
• Ashburnham Ale House — Local craft beer and food, central Peterborough
• Black Honey — Brunch stop. Peterborough’s most-mentioned breakfast spot
• Boston Pizza (Lansdowne) — Reliable, family-friendly, no wait on weekdays

The practical advice: stock groceries at Peterborough Loblaws on the way into the resort (40 minutes closer than driving back later), eat on-resort one or two nights, and plan one Peterborough dinner out. That balance works well for a 3-day weekend at Bellmere.

Departure

Monday morning, slow coffee, last walk to the dock. Most guests are out by 11 AM and back in Toronto by 12:30. The drive home goes faster than the drive up.

What Do You Need to Know Before Visiting Rice Lake, Ontario?

• Cell service is solid on Rice Lake. Both Bell and Rogers have coverage.
• Gas up in Peterborough before heading back to the cottage. Sunday gas in small towns is unreliable.
• Stock groceries at Loblaws in Peterborough on the way in. The general stores near Bellmere are fine for top-ups but not a full week.
• Firewood is on-site at the resort. Ask during check-in.
• Wildlife — herons, loons, osprey, the occasional beaver. Keep an eye out.

Book the trip

Mildred’s Lakefront Resort Cottage sleeps six across three bedrooms with a shared resort dock, free use of canoes, kayaks, and SUPs, and full Bellmere Winds resort access. Three-day weekends like this one book up four to six months out.

Check availability for your dates.

What Else Is There to Do Near Rice Lake, Ontario? (Beyond the Cottage)

If you’ve been on the water all morning and want to get off the property for a few hours, here’s what’s within easy reach when you’re based near Rice Lake, Ontario:

• Serpent Mounds Provincial Park — 10 minutes from Mildred’s. Ancient Indigenous burial site with short interpretive trails on the water’s edge. Most guests near Rice Lake don’t know it exists, which means you usually have it to yourself.
• Warsaw Caves Conservation Area — 40 minutes. Actual explorable limestone caves, hiking trails, and a cold swimming hole. A solid half-day for anyone in the group who wants something more active than lake time.
• Peterborough Lift Lock — 25 minutes. The highest hydraulic boat lift in the world. Boats rise 20 metres in 10 minutes. Free to watch from shore and genuinely impressive once you see it operating.
• Canadian Canoe Museum, Peterborough — World’s largest canoe collection, new building opened 2024. Two to three hours, worth it for anyone travelling with kids aged 6 and up.
• Downtown Peterborough — Hunter Street for lunch, Publican House Brewery for dinner, Black Honey for coffee. Twenty-five minutes from the cottage and a real city’s worth of options if you want a night out.
• Cobourg Beach and main street — 45 minutes south. Historic lakefront town on Lake Ontario, sandy beach, antique shops, good for a Sunday afternoon drive.

Everything above is reachable in under an hour from a Rice Lake cottage base. The Kawarthas are well-positioned for this — you’re not stuck in the bush. You’re 25 minutes from a city and 10 minutes from a provincial park, depending on which direction you point the car.

For a more structured day-by-day planning guide, see the full breakdown of day trips from a Kawarthas cottage — the 8 best options within 45 minutes of Rice Lake, organized by what works for different group types.

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Related: Kawarthas Lakefront Cottage Rentals: What Makes a Property Worth Booking

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Planning for a holiday weekend? See our Canada Day long weekend guide for Rice Lake cottages.

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