Illustrative rendering · Lake Scugog waterfront
Updated On: October 2026
Port Perry, Ontario.
Port Perry is the heritage town at the southwestern shore of Lake Scugog, and the anchor of Scugog Township. A laid-out-in-1848 main street, a working marina, a fair that dates to 1853, and a waterfront that film crews keep borrowing. It is about 20 to 30 minutes west of 170 Hwy 7A.
The town · Scugog Township
A heritage main street that still works for everyday life.
Queen Street runs from the historic downtown to Water Street, where it opens onto the Lake Scugog waterfront at Palmer Park, with a public dock, picnic areas, and a splash pad in season. The Port Perry Marina sits just north of the Queen and Water corner with roughly 400 slips, and the red grain elevator at the foot of Queen Street is billed as Canada's oldest, anchoring a downtown designated as a Heritage Conservation District.
In the 1880s a fire swept the downtown, and much of what visitors admire today was rebuilt after it, including storefronts that are still in business. The town markets itself as Ontario's favourite lakeside heritage town, and productions including Jack Reacher, American Gods, and The Handmaid's Tale have filmed on these streets. The town is also planning for growth: a draft plan of subdivision on Reach Street proposes up to roughly 1,350 residential units, with public consultations running through 2026, and the downtown Queen Street and Perry Street reconstruction project was revised in late 2025 after business and public feedback, with a corridor study under way.
Community Spotlight · This week's feature
A real local business, featured every week.
Keith and Lisa, the local curators, profile a real Port Perry or Scugog business each week. This week's spotlight lives on the blog, and every past feature is archived below so each business keeps its place.
This week's spotlight · Oct 23, 2026
The Port Cheese Co: Port Perry Community Spotlight
Read the full featureSpecialty cheese shop, wine bar & café
The Port Cheese Co
A family-run specialty cheese shop, wine bar and café on Queen Street carrying more than 100 local and international cheeses, charcuterie, gourmet grilled cheese and wine, just a few doors from Hank's.
- Rating
- Around 4.5 out of 5 · dozens of reviews
- Address
- 203 Queen St., Port Perry
- Hours
- Roughly 11 am to 5 pm · closed Mondays · check before you go
- Phone
- 905-985-2515
Other local businesses we feature
Past spotlights are archived here rather than deleted, so every featured business keeps its place on the site. More Port Perry spots we send clients to after a showing:
- Hank's Pastries Our founding spotlight: the family-run Queen Street bakery
- Waterfront Kitchen + Bar Lakeside restaurant and bar on Water St. with stone-oven pizza, pasta, and cocktails
- Anyway Fruit Fresh fruit shop, smoothies, and juices on Water St., opened December 2025
- Boathouse Grill Marina waterfront grill, reopened under new management in 2025
- The Piano Cafe & George Stanley Inn Casual dining and rooms on Queen St.
- Foundry Kitchen Highly rated kitchen on Water St.
- Nexus Coffee Co. Local roaster and coffee bar on Queen St.
- Pantry Shelf Cafe Bakery & Fine Foods Bakery and café on Water St.
- Marwan's Global Bistro Globally inspired menu on Queen St.
- Mrs Fields Bake House Cafe Bakes and breakfast on Queen St.
Own a local business in the Scugog area?
Nominate yourself for a future Community Spotlight and Keith and Lisa will be in touch.
Traditions & lake life
A fair since 1853, a lake since before the town.
The Port Perry Fair dates to 1853, making it one of Ontario's oldest agricultural fairs, and it has run at its current fairgrounds since 1886, capping the summer on Labour Day weekend with a midway, tractor pulls, and a classic county fair. Lake Scugog, formed in the 1830s when a dam at Lindsay raised the water level, drives the town's boating, fishing, and cottage life, and its name is said to come from a Mississauga phrase roughly translated as waves leaping over a canoe.
Schools
Port Perry addresses sit in Scugog Township and feed the Durham District School Board, with Port Perry High School as the public secondary option. The assigned school for a specific address is set by the board, so families should confirm with the board's address-based school finder.
Services
Queen Street and the surrounding blocks carry the town's day-to-day shopping: groceries, pharmacies, banks, cafés, and specialty shops like the Port Cheese Co. and Cupcake Junkie, with newer additions like the lakeside Waterfront Kitchen + Bar and the fresh-fruit shop Anyway Fruit on Water Street. Most of the Janetville area's errands land here, about 20 to 30 minutes from 170 Hwy 7A.
Waterfront
The Scugog waterfront trail follows the shore past the marina, parks, and the museum village. In season you can boat, paddle, fish, or swim on Lake Scugog; in winter the lake draws ice anglers and skaters. It is an easy day out from the property without leaving the township.
Living in Port Perry · Quick answers
Common questions about the town on Lake Scugog.
Q. 01
What is Port Perry known for?
Port Perry is a heritage town on the southwestern shore of Lake Scugog, known for its historic Queen Street main street, a waterfront promenade and marina, and the Port Perry Fair, which dates to 1853 and has run at its fairgrounds since 1886. The lakeside mill at the foot of Queen Street, which now houses our brokerage office at 268 Queen St., has anchored the waterfront for over a century.
Q. 02
How far is Port Perry from 170 Hwy 7A?
Port Perry is about 20 to 30 minutes west of the property along Hwy 7A, roughly 27 km. It is the closest full-service town to Janetville, with day-to-day shopping, dining, and the Lake Scugog waterfront.
Q. 03
What schools serve Port Perry?
Port Perry addresses sit in Scugog Township and feed the Durham District School Board, with Port Perry High School as the public secondary option. The assigned school for a specific address is set by the board, so families should confirm with the board's address-based school finder.
Q. 04
What is new in Port Perry?
The lakeside Waterfront Kitchen + Bar opened at 150 Water St., the fresh-fruit shop Anyway Fruit opened on Water St. in December 2025, and the Boathouse Grill at the Port Perry Marina reopened under new management in 2025. A draft plan of subdivision on Reach Street proposes up to roughly 1,350 residential units with public consultations in 2026, and the downtown Queen Street and Perry Street reconstruction project was revised in late 2025 after business and public feedback.
Q. 05
When does the Port Perry Fair run?
The Port Perry Fair caps the summer on Labour Day weekend at its fairgrounds, where it has run since 1886. The fair itself dates to 1853, making it one of Ontario's oldest agricultural fairs, with a midway, tractor pulls, and a classic county fair.
See the area in person
Come for the bakery, stay for the waterfront.
Keith and Lisa know every street in this township. Tell them what you are looking for and they will plan your showing around the best of it.