Clarington (Ontario)

Clarington is a municipality of 92,000 people (2016) in the Durham region of the Greater Toronto Area. It is directly to the east of Oshawa, and a partially-rural area.

The town centre of Bowmanville, Clarington's largest community

Understand

It was incorporated in 1973 as the Town of Newcastle with the merging of the town of Bowmanville and the townships of Clarke and Darlington. In 1994, the town was renamed Clarington, a portmanteau of the names of the two former townships.

Most residents commute for work in Durham Region or Toronto. Major employers in Clarington include the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, General Motors Canada, and several medium to large-sized manufacturing businesses.

Communities

The municipality consists of several major urban communities:

• Bowmanville
• Courtice
• Newcastle
• Orono

Climate

Unlike many other locations on similar latitudes on the eastern half of the North American continent the winters are relatively mild, with cold extremes being moderated by the proximity to Lake Ontario. In spite of this the average low is around −10 °C (14 °F) in January. Summers are normally moderately warm with averages of around 26 °C (79 °F) during the day but with nights cooling off rapidly to fall below 15 °C (59 °F) on many occasions.

Get in

By rail

VIA (intercity) and GO Transit (commuter) trains stop in nearby Oshawa.

By car

By freeway, the six-lane Ontario highway 401 connects Clarington to the rest of the Windsor-Quebec corridor.

For Bowmanville, exit Hwy 401 at the Liberty Street Exit.

For Newcastle, exit Hwy 401 at the Mill Street Exit (Exit 440), or exit Hwy 35/115 at the Hwy 2 exit.

By bus

Megabus (Coach Canada) express stops in Whitby (Ontario), a west-end Oshawa suburb, on their way from Montréal to Toronto; you must then cross Oshawa to get back to Clarington.

From the Oshawa railway station, GO Transit Routes 90 and 91 offer half-hourly service to Bowmanville (King St. E. at Ontario St., 36 min, $6-8), and hourly scheduled bus service on to Newcastle (King St. E. at Ontario St., 45 min, $6-9).

By plane

The closest major airports serve Toronto, with Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada's largest airport (YYZ ^IATA) just west of Toronto. From Clarington, this means having to cross all of Oshawa and Toronto, which is time-consuming in peak traffic hours.

Get around

The entire village of Newcastle is approximately 1.5 km square. Everything in the village is within an easy walk or bicycle ride.

See

• The original Massey Tractor factory on King Avenue east of Mill Street in Newcastle. This building was the original production facility for a company (Massey-Ferguson) that would go on to become one of the largest manufacturers of farm machinery in the world. A portion of the original facility is still standing, and has been converted into luxury loft apartments.
• The Newcastle Town Hall, at the intersection of Mill Street and King Avenue. This beautiful, classic public building in the 'art nouveau' style is a local landmark, and was donated to the community by the Massey family.
• Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. A major attraction in the municipality is the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park), a multi-track facility located north of Bowmanville that features a 2.459-mile (4.0 km), 10-turn road course; a half-mile paved oval; a 2.4-km advanced driver and race driver training facility and a 1.4-km kart track (Mosport International Karting). It was a host of the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula One before the event was moved to a circuit in Montreal in the 1970s. (updated Jun 2018)
• Jungle Cat World, 3667 Concession Road 6, Orono, ☎ [phone]. Daily 10AM-5PM, closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan. A privately-owned zoo. Free guided feeding tour at 1:30PM daily. accredited by the Canadian and World Associations of Zoos and Aquariums. Lodging is available: $175-250 double, breakfast included. Adults $20, teens and seniors $15, children $10, children under 3 free. (updated Jun 2018)
• Clarington Museums and Archives - Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre, 62 Temperance Street, Bowmanville, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-Sa 10AM–4PM, Th until 8PM. (updated Jun 2018)
• The Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, 143 Simpson Avenue, Bowmanville, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Tu 10AM-5PM, W 10AM-9PM, Th 10AM-5PM, F-Su 10AM-4PM. A non-collecting public gallery dedicated to arts education and the exhibition of contemporary art.​ (updated Jun 2018)

Do

• Stephen's Gulch Conservation Area, 360 Stephen's Mill Road, Bowmanville (follow Liberty St N, turn right on Concession Rd 4, turn left on Bethesda Rd to Stephen's Mill Rd), ☎ [phone]. Groomed trails for hiking. Parking $2 per hour or $5 for the day. (updated Jun 2018)
• Cedar Park, 6296 Cedar Park Rd., Bowmanville (follow Regional Rd 57 N from Bowmanville), ☎ [phone]. Early June through to early Sep only: daily 10AM-6PM. Family campground & water park. Day-use park facilities: pool, water slides, splash pad, aqua playgrounds, miniature golf, tennis court, park playground areas and 30 acres of parkland, picnic grounds and covered shelters. Adul $14, child 2-12 or senior 65+ $12; large water slides $8 extra per person, mini-golf $6 per person; all taxes included. (updated Jun 2018)

Buy

• Orono Antique Market, 6 Park Street, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M 10AM – 5PM (Nov & Dec), Tu-Sa 10AM – 5PM, Su 11AM – 4PM. (updated Jun 2018)

Eat

• Da Taste, 361 King Ave E, Newcastle,, ☎ [phone]. M 11AM-9PM, Tu W 11:30AM-8PM, Th 11:30AM-9PM, F 11AM-10PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-8PM. Jamaican cuisine. (updated Jun 2018)
• Mito Sushi, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 11AM-10PM, Su Hol noon-9PM. All you can eat: lunch $15, dinner $22-23; discounts for seniors ($2-3 off), and for children. (updated Jun 2018)
• Bowmanville Restaurant, 231 King St E, Bowmanville, ☎ [phone]. 7AM-9PM. (updated Jun 2018)

Drink

• Manantler Craft Brewing Co., 182 Wellington St, Bowmanville (behind the factory in the basement), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-W 2PM-7PM, Th-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-6PM. Tours, tasting, beer yoga, live music events. (updated Jun 2018)
• Walsh's Snug (The Snug), 28 King Ave. E., Newcastle, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 11AM-1AM, Su 11AM-10PM. Irish pub. (updated Jun 2018)

Sleep

• Liberty Inn, 150 Liberty Street South, Bowmanville, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Air conditioning, free WiFi, small pets allowed, 30 rooms. From $109. (updated Jun 2018)
• Best Western Plus, 160 Liberty Street S, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. From $98. (updated Jun 2018)
• Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 37 Spicer Square, Bowmanville, toll-free: [phone]. Indoor pool, fitness center, guest laundry facilities, air conditioning, mini refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker. (updated Jun 2018)
• Cedar Park, 6296 Cedar Park Rd., Bowmanville (follow Regional Rd 57 N from Bowmanville), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. May 1 to October 1. Tent-trailer, trailer or RV sites by the night, by the week, or by the month. Facilities: snack bar, picnic areas, washrooms, laundry facilities, access to the water park, not including the large water slides or miniature golf. No trailers for rent. Tent camping not permitted. Camping $75 for a family of four, plus $12 per additional person - includes taxes and general admission to water park. (updated Jun 2018)

Go next

Routes through Clarington

Toronto ← Oshawa ←	W  E	→ Newcastle → Kingston
ENDS ←	S  N	→ Lindsay → Peterborough