Parry Sound is host to many annual events including an ATV jamboree, a sailing regatta and a classical music festival, the Festival of the Sound.
It is the birthplace of hockey legend Bobby Orr, the namesake of the local community centre and the town's own Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. Canadian actor Don Harron's stage character Charlie Farquharson remains one of the town's most cherished personalities. Former Ontario premier Ernie Eves also called the town home for many years; he was the MPP for the Parry Sound—Muskoka riding from 1981 through 2001.
The town is home to several cultural festivals, including the Festival of the Sound classical music festival, an annual dragonboat race and a buskers' festival which takes place as part of the town's Canada Day festivities. The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts serves as the principal performance venue during the Festival of the Sound, and also hosts concerts, live theatre and other cultural events throughout the year.
Recreation
There are several provincial parks in the Parry Sound area, including Oastler Lake, Massasauga and Killbear, as well as numerous provincial conservation reserves. A 230-kilometre recreational trail, the Park-to-Park Trail, connects Killbear with Algonquin Provincial Park near Dwight, with a second proposed extension connecting to another site east of Kearney.
The town is home to an annual ATV Jamboree and a motorbike rally. There are also guided ATV tours of the region's wilderness throughout the year.
Parry Sound's Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary cares for injured and orphaned animals, and has limited daily tourist hours as an informational and interpretive centre for wildlife education.
There are several golf courses located in and near Parry Sound, including the Parry Sound Golf and Country Club, the Seguin Valley Golf and Country Club, Deer Run Golf Course and the Rocky Crest Golf Club. Ice hockey and fishing are also popular recreational sports in the area.
The Parry Sound coastline is home to the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, one of only 13 UNESCO sites in Canada. The eastern coast of Georgian Bay where Parry Sound is located is known as the "30,000 Islands" and is considered the world's largest freshwater archipelago. It covers 347,000 hectares of shoreline ecosystem, and over 100 species of animals and plants that are at risk in Canada and Ontario, including unique reptiles and amphibians.
Sightseeing tours of the 30,000 Islands are offered by Georgian Bay Airways, and the Island Queen and MV Chippawa cruise ships. The area is also home to White Squall Outfitters, a sport outfitter which offers kayak and canoe rentals and tours during the summer, as well as winter sporting gear rentals during the winter.
