Green Door B&B, Brockville, ON

While on my Great Lakes Adventures, I've 

brought you glimpses of some of the special inns and historic B&Bs where I've stayed.

In the town of Brockville, Ontario, I came across one of the most ambitious building transformations I have ever seen.

The Green Door B&B used to be a church, the Pentecostal Tabernacle, built in 1929. 

Lynne and Peter Meleg purchased the empty building in 2005 and undertook a bold renovation. They detail the transformation of the building on their website HERE.

Entry to the Green Door B&B

Lynne & Peter in the brilliant kitchen

There are four rooms with private baths at the B&B and two apartments in the building that used to be used for Sunday School.

Dining area for gourmet breakfasts

Breakfasts at the inn were amazing. 

Here are some of their specialties:

Eggs Benedict, Green Door style. Mouth-watering!

Lemon ricotta pancakes drizzled with raspberry-maple coulis. Heavenly!

Asian-inspired poached eggs. A vegetarian delight!

Citrus French toast with berries, mint and warmed maple syrup. Yummy!

Gathering area -- check out those windows!

The renovation preserved much of the large, open spaces in the building and the windows....

the windows!

The space is bathed in natural light.

Gorgeous detail in the floor

This is the perfect place to stay while exploring historic Brockville and the Thousand Island region of the St. Lawrence River.

Private bath in my room

I had the "boathouse room", and, yes, this was my private window

Promotional consideration given.

The 1000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River

I coordinated with a kayaking outfitter,

1000 Island Kayaking

to explore some of the islands in the St. Lawrence River.

This company is based in Gananoque, Ontario. This special trip, though, was out of Brockville, Ontario, 

to explore the Frontenac Arch. 

Kayaking on the St. Lawrence River, a freighter passes behind me

 The Frontenac Arch is the ancient granite bridge connecting the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains. It is an incredibly biodiverse region and was recognized in 2002 by being designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

National Geographic also recognized the area as a geotourism region. This recognizes the connection of tourism of the region the geographical character of a place. This connection "...should sustain or enhance the environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and well-being of its residents."

Kayaking with the group through a narrows

Lunch!

 They served a wonderful lunch, much of the food was 

sourced locally. 

We had lunch on Stovin Island

The city of Brockville owns around 16 islands in the river here and maintains them for boaters to explore and even to camp on some of them. 

Heading back toward Brockville

 Murray Golledge, a local kayaking expert and kayak builder, paddled with us and told stories of this stretch of river that he loves so much. He talked about "listening to the river" and he told me that the river often gave tests instead of lessons. 

Murray said, "If you survived the test, then you 

learned the lesson." 

I certainly have some experience with that concept!

A gorgeous day on the river

The waters of the Great Lakes are on a slow journey to the northern Atlantic Ocean. All of these waters flow down the Saint Lawrence River -- hundreds of miles -- before merging with the ocean.

Check out the Facebook Page for the Frontenac Arch Biosphere HERE.

And connect with 1000 Island Kayaking 

HERE.