Whether you come for the day, stay for a week, or make this your home away from home, there’s plenty of fun for the whole family at this popular vacation destination!
Story and photos by Norm Rosen
This special feature first appeared in RV Lifestyle Magazine, Volume 38, Number 1, and has been updated with links to the current websites.
For generations, the shores of Lake Erie have been a magnet for vacationers from the Golden Horseshoe area of South-Central Ontario and beyond… today, just a few miles from the former site of legendary Crystal Beach, one popular campground has re-invented itself – building on a 25-year reputation for excellence, it has grown to become a new recreation and entertainment community emerging as one of the premier beach resorts in the region… with facilities geared for families of all ages.
Sherkston Shores offers a full menu of accommodations for the vacationing family – from traditional RV sites to fully equipped vacation homes, and RV vacation home rentals, it is a destination that combines all of the features you could ask for in a self-contained vacation community.
Our RV Lifestyle Magazine Road Test Team spent a week at Sherkston Shores, exploring the area in preparation of this special report. The resort is without a doubt one of the premier destinations in the region, offering a full range of recreational facilities, accommodation, and entertainment.
With 560 acres, Sherkston Shores offers a community of villages within the park, each with its own distinctive flavour. From the traditional RV areas surrounding the Quarry, to the beachfront lots where park model RVs overlook beaches of Lake Erie, there is ample space for several thousand visitors and seasonal residents, and an extensive array of attractions for every member of the family.
You can bring your own RV, or rent one of the resort’s travel trailers, park models, or prestige vacation homes… pricing is quite reasonable, and you can book in-week, long weekend, or full week packages. For rates and availability please consult the website at www.sherkston.com.
Every day is Fun Day at Sherkston Shores
One of the most impressive aspects of Sherkston Shores is the organization behind the scenes – everything a family could ask for has been provided – and the finely-tuned operation remains very much in the background – out of the way, but always there when you need something… the staff are friendly, helpful, and very, very good at their jobs, which are all focused on the comfort of their guests.
If you haven’t visited Sherkston Shores lately, be prepared for an eye-opening surprise – a $2 million Fun Works complex was completed in 2008, with restaurant, Family Fun Zone arcade, and entertainment facilities. The resort has meeting and conference facilities, and there is even a chapel, making Sherkston an ideal setting for weddings and receptions!
From the early morning to after dark, the entertainment schedule at Sherkston offers activities to appeal to all ages. Swim at one of the pools, have a bite at The Water’s Edge family restaurant or at Pizza Pizza, enjoy the waterslide, a round of golf on the 9-hole “Pitch ‘n Putt” at Quarry Meadows, or jut “putt around” on the miniature golf course… the focus is always on fun in the sun, and when the sun goes down, the main stage at the Fun Works entertainment complex lights up with a range of outstanding professional entertainment – we had the opportunity to take in Anthony Von’s tribute to Elvis performance, which was as fine a show as we have seen in years – and it’s all part of the all-inclusive packages at Sherkston Shores. Watch the website for a full schedule of entertainment – when we visited back in 2009, the array of talent was impressive – including Saturday Night tribute performances in the style of Shania Twain, U2, The Beatles, Elton John, The Eagles, Aerosmith, Elvis, and more!
The teenagers will love the Much Music Video Dance Party, held three times during the summer, and a range of sports and novelty entertainment
Go Fish!
With the pond at the Quarry stocked for fishing, and a rental fleet of canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats available to enjoy the sheltered waters, you can enjoy all the benefits of a private lake, or visit the beaches along the Lake Erie shore.
Everything you need is on-site at Sherkston Shores – restaurants, groceries, and recreation. Prices are very reasonable, and if you feel the need for a real shopping excursion, you can always dash over to Fort Erie or Port Colborne, only a few miles down the road… and there’s always the international appeal of Buffalo, N.Y., just across the Peace Bridge from Fort Erie.
Deluxe Accommodations
When we created this special feature for RV Lifestyle Magazine, we selected Sherkston Shores as a destination to facilitate our review of the latest (2009) park model from General Coach, the Huron Ridge. This double-wide park model vacation home was the flagship of a series of RV park models featured at Sherkston Shores. With a variety of sizes and floor plans up to 700 square feet, and all of the amenities of a country home, the Huron Ridge Park Model remains a very attractive and affordable alternative to the traditional cottage – and when placed in a facility like Sherkston Shores, it really is an excellent vacation home for the family.
The double-wide Huron Ridge model that we selected for this adventure was brand new when we visited in 2009, and the the manufacturer, General Coach Canada, of Hensall, Ontario, has kept their park model lines “state of the art” with many exciting updates over the years, with the latest models featuring elegant interior décor and appointments that rival (or exceed) residential calibre.
The unit we stayed in had been delivered as two park model sections, which were joined on-site to create what to the casual observer appears to be a vacation cottage – in fact, when you look under the home, you see that the Huron Ridge is actually two large trailers, complete with steel frame foundation, axles and wheels – qualifying it for zoning purposes as a park model trailer for seasonal accommodation.
The various General Coach park model units are perfectly installed on their pads by the Sherkston staff, and embellished with decks and skirting, creating a complete vacation home environment. Every component that you require is provided in the fully furnished park model – including décor and trim packages if desired.
Our showcase home featured a very comfortable master bedroom with walk-in closet, and a luxurious full bathroom outfitted with a full vanity component. The second bedroom was outfitted with bunk beds, and was situated across the hall from a second full bathroom, also very nicely outfitted with cabinets and vanity.
The kitchen was exquisitely finished in dark oak, with hardwood flooring and elegant track lighting. Appliances were upscale and ideally located for gourmet cooking – the ample countertop was surrounded by an abundance of cabinets, and everything was finished with meticulous care – it was, in short, a delight to spend time in the kitchen!
The spacious living room featured an entertainment centre outfitted with a large-screen LCD TV, facing a pair of sofa beds that brought the accommodations capacity of the unit to eight. Bright and breezy thanks to the large windows and sliding patio door entrance, this proved to be an ideal location for relaxing and entertaining friends.
For the latest array of 2022 park model homes from General Coach Canada, please visit the website at: https://generalcoachcan.com/park-model-homes/
The Ultimate in RV and Park Model Resort Facilities…
Sherkston Shores is a vacation resort community, and the majority of the park models are privately owned by families like yours… the price range for home ownership varies according to the location of the home, the size, and the amenities. Community fees are priced on an annual basis, and can include insurance, hydro, sewage, and propane.
Ownership has its privileges at Sherkston Shores, with a beautiful clubhouse reserved for residents, as well as many additional benefits.
The newest section of the development, Quarry Meadows, is shaping up to be one of the most desirable vacation venues in the region, with special edition “Quarry Ridge” models offering the ultimate in park model accommodations.
Many of the home owners take advantage of Sherkston’s rental program to offset some of the cost of the property – the program is straightforward and very well suited to the average family – your Sherkston representative will be delighted to fill you in on the details – call toll free at 1-877-482-3224.
If the Sherkston Beach concept appeals to you, and we are sure it will, you have to check out the winter vacation alternative – Sun N Fun RV Resort in Sarasota Florida, also operated by the international resort group that owns more than ___ properties throughout North America. Check out this location at www.sunnfunfl.com.
Imagine the lifestyle that you could enjoy – six months of the year in Sarasota, and six months in Sherkston – that’s the ideal way to enjoy fun in the sun 12 months a year!
