History

Our History

The Opinicon has sat proudly on a rise above the banks of Opinicon Lake and the Rideau Canal’s Chaffey’s Lockstation for more than 120 years. It began as a residence for John Chaffey, circa 1896. It was then a rooming house, a private fishing club, a family resort, and the restaurant/pub everyone enjoys today.
The heart of The Opinicon, its main lodge, grew in many stages from John Chaffey's original house. In 2016 a major reimagining took place inside its walls: old dated hotel rooms were removed to make way for expanded dining options and a state of the art large-scale kitchen.
Today visitors come to The Opinicon by car, by boat, and sometimes by floatplane for excellent meals and hospitality in the pub and the restaurant dining room. And in the heat of summer many will make the trip for a scoop or two of delicious ice cream in the iconic ice cream shop.