Hanging Out in Guelph with Matt Fudge

While its roots may be in agriculture, the City of Guelph, located in Southwestern Ontario, is now going through its renaissance. That’s what we felt when we toured “The Royal City” along with hometown boy Matt Fudge. As an adventure-junkie who climbs mountains and skydives he showed us around his childhood hometown from ground-level. Today Matt calls Vancouver home but we won’t hold that against him. He’s a true Ontarian at heart!

During our visit to Guelph we recorded a video with Matt for our YouTube Channel. Check it out and let us know what you think.

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10 Facts about Matt Fudge

Status – Not Single (Sorry Ladies)
Zodiac Sign – Scorpio
Employment – Self-Employed. He owns his own Audio Visual Production Company Red Tree Productions
Languages Spoken – He is fluently bilingual in English & French and knows enough Spanish to get himself out of a jam if needed.
He is an avid indoor & outdoor rock climber.
He has a really cool personal website that showcases his adventures.
He was featured in the Toronto Star.
He is very soft spoken for someone with such daring hobbies.
He wears funky red sunglasses.
One of his many life goals is to climb every one of the Seven Summits.

The original plan was a tour with just Matt however when he found that his girlfriend Tiffany was suddenly free for the day he asked her to join us. Tiffany is not originally from Guelph but now calls it home after spending 4 years in the city as a university student. This worked out great because Tiffany visited places she had never been to before.

This is the 4 of us after a long day of filming & touring.

Indoor Rock Climbing at Guelph Grotto

The Guelph Grotto is an indoor climbing facility which welcomes both amateur and experienced climbers. It also offers classes, a climbing team and camps for kids. There’s also several climbing walls and climbing challenges such as ropes and ladders.

Matt is a pro at rock climbing so he made it look so easy. As first-time climbers we were nervous and excited and it took a few attempts and falls before we got the “hang” of it. The Staff at Guelph Grotto were very patient and encouraging and explained every step to us.

Where we ate and drank in Guelph

We started our day off with breakfast at The Cornerstone which is a vegetarian restaurant with daily specials, vegan & gluten free options in additional to organic fair-trade coffee. The cafe also features live music throughout the week.

We needed a caffeine boost after climbing so we made a quick coffee run to the Downtown location of Planet Bean to grab a couple of lattes & cappuccinos. Planet Bean is exclusive to Guelph and includes 2 other locations in the city. All 3 locations serve organic fair-trade coffee, freshly roasted beans and desserts.

We continued to walk around the Downtown Core and when lunch time arrived Matt suggested Baker St. Station for its variety of food & beer on the menu. This gastro-pub is totally reminiscent of an English pub and it has 2 levels in addition to an outdoor patio. t We had mussels as our appetizer while we waited for our tacos, chimichangas & pasta entrees to arrive. We each had a pint of the several craft beers to choose from. The food was delicious and totally hit the spot!

McCrae House

Lt. Col. & Dr. John McCrae, author of In Flanders Fields, was born in Guelph. His birthplace which is today call McCrae House is now a Museum and features several artifacts and displays which pay tribute to his service in WWI.

Getting There

If you’re heading to Guelph from Toronto then you’ll need to take the 401 West to Hwy 6 North.

There are also 3 alternate options that will get you to Guelph if you don’t drive. The VIA Train, Greyhound & GO Bus have routes that stop at Guelph Central Station located in the downtown core.

There’s a really unique story behind this cannon on the University of Guelph Campus. Watch our video for more details!

Keep In Mind:

The Speed River runs through the City and includes several parks with walking & bike trails.
Guelph has its own namesake University which also includes its own Arboretum.
You can use Guelph Transit to get around the city if you arrived by train or bus.
The residents of Guelph love their BEER and there’s no shortage of it. The Sleemans Brewery is based in Guelph and there’s also 3 craft breweries Royal City Brewing Company, Wellington Brewery & Stonehammer Brewing.

What to do or try during your visit to Guelph:

Dinner & a Movie at The Bookshelf Cinema & EBar. It’s a bookstore with an onsite movie theatre & restaurants. It’s such a cool spot and a total one-stop-shop in Downtown Guelph!
Treat yourself to a scoop or two from The Boathouse.
Stopping in at My Kitty Cafe to play some with some friendly felines and support a worthy cause.
Grab a cappuccino or latte from Planet Bean.
Hike up Starkey Hill.
If you’re visiting on a Saturday then a visit to the Guelph Farmer’s Market is a must-do.