A Family Legacy Vacation Creating Magic at Bayview Wildwood Resort

Nearly 25 years ago, Peggi Bristow made a quick vacation decision that would forever change her summer holidays.

She was looking for a summer retreat to go to with her young children and decided to take a chance on a place she had only vaguely heard of — Bayview Wildwood Resort.

"I called up and we got the last room," she remembers.

When they arrived at the family resort on beautiful Sparrow Lake, they were immediately hooked. Her kids instantly found playmates, but Peggi was more reserved — until a stranger swam up to her in the pool. "I didn't know anybody and she introduced herself to me," Peggi remembers. "Mary, from Connecticut. And we've been lifelong friends ever since." By the time the week finished, Peggi was already booking a room for the following year — and what began as a one-time getaway has turned into a cherished ritual. For 24 years, Peggi and her family have returned to Bayview Wildwood, alongside a tight-knit group of friends who hail from across Ontario and the U.S. — all of whom met at the resort. "Friendships I have made over the past 24 years, have grown stronger," Peggi says. "My kids and their friends all grew up together. Some are married and some have kids of their own. It's like a new generation carrying on the tradition."

Bayview Wildwood Resort is an all-inclusive family-friendly resort in Muskoka, offering lakeside accommodations, meals and family programming throughout the year. The resort has indoor and outdoor pools, a beach and a waterpark. But it is the people that bring the magic, says Jason Stanton, the resort's General Manager.

"It is such a unique place," he says. "Our guests really enjoy bonding over meals in the dining hall and being social on the property. They build these long-lasting friendships, and that's been incredible to witness."But it is the people that bring the magic, says Jason Stanton, the resort's General Manager.

"It is such a unique place," he says. "Our guests really enjoy bonding over meals in the dining hall and being social on the property. They build these long-lasting friendships, and that's been incredible to witness."

Jason has a unique perspective on the legacy of Bayview Wildwood — he is the 6th generation Stanton to be part of the property.

His great-great-great-grandfather, a steamboat captain named Tom Stanton — affectionately known as Captain Tom — founded Port Stanton on the shores of Sparrow Lake in the 1880s and began to operate a guest house on the site. Over the ensuing decades, the Stanton family of entrepreneurs became leaders in Ontario tourism. Although they sold the property in 2017, the Stanton legacy of genuine hospitality continues at Bayview Wildwood with Jason at the helm.

"We still operate as a family-owned resort. We treat our staff like they're part of our family, our resort family," he says. "And the staff really take pride in their work and try their best to make memorable vacation experiences for all our guests."

Peggi and her growing group of friends always visit at the end of July and every year it seems they welcome new people into their fold, new families who are just visiting Bayview Wildwood for the first time and get swept up in the magic.

"I remember what it was like to be the newbie," she says. "So I always say 'hello and welcome' and invite them to play shuffleboard."

By the time the week is done, they are all friends.

Peggi and her husband Murray call Bayview Wildwood their "home away from home " and visit periodically throughout the year — sometimes for Family Day weekend, other times for New Year's Eve or another event — but it is their week in the summer with friends who are more like family that they treasure most.

"When we're on Sparrow Lake Road and cross over those railroad tracks and go down that little laneway, we breathe a big sigh of relief," she says. "We just know we are home."

Create your own family legacy vacation at Bayview Wildwood Resort. Call us today to make your reservation.

Article written by Izabela Jaroszynski