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Just under 200km northwest from Toronto, OWEN SOUND lies in the ravine around the mouth of the Sydenham River, at the foot of the Bruce Peninsula. In its heyday, Owen Sound was a rough and violent port packed with brothels and bars, prompting the Americans to establish a consulate whose main function was to bail out drunk and disorderly sailors. For the majority it was an unpleasant place to live, and the violence spawned an especially active branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Organization, whose success was such that an alcohol ban was imposed in 1906 and only lifted in 1972. The town was in decline long before the return of the bars, its port facilities undercut by the railways from the 1920s, but it's managed to reinvent itself and is now an amiable sort of place, with three central sights of some interest: the Marine-Rail Museum , overlooking the harbour in the old railway station at 1165 1st Ave W (June-Sept Tues-Sat 10am-noon & 1-4.30pm, Sun 1-4.30pm; donation), with photos of old sailing ships and their captains; the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery , 840 1st Ave W (July & Aug Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; Sept-June Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; donation), which has temporary exhibitions by Canadian artists and a clutch of Thomson's less familiar paintings; and the Billy Bishop Museum , 948 3rd Ave W (June-Aug daily 1-4pm; $4), concentrating on the military exploits of Canada's Victoria Cross-winning air ace. Owen Sound bus station is on 3rd Avenue East at 10th Street East, ten-minutes' walk from the tourist office , which is next door to the Marine-Rail Museum at 1155 1st Ave W (Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm; June-Aug also Sat & Sun noon-4pm; tel 519/371-9833). They have a list of local accommodation, including details of a dozen B&Bs (Up to $40-60). One of the handiest is the Brae Briar , 980 3rd Ave W (tel 519/371-0025; $40-60), an unassuming two-storey brick house with three guestrooms downtown off 10th Street. The town's motels are strung out along highways 6 and 10 (9th Ave E) on the south side of town. Incidentally, orientation in Owen Sound is a tad difficult, but the main rules to remember are that Avenues run one way, Streets the other, while the river, which bisects the compact town centre, separates Avenues and Streets East from those marked West . For food downtown, try Jazzmyns , 261 9th St E, for excellent, inexpensive snacks - anything from tapas to pizzas and burgers - or the very good Macky's Fish and Chips , 791 1st Ave E and 8th Street E.
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