Chilling in Cottage Country: Muskoka Chills

WORDS BY ANDREW HIND

Kids love ice cream, don’t they? Two teens loved it so much that they opened their own ice cream shop, which has quickly become a go-to place in Muskoka on a hot summer day.

While most teens spending a summer at the family cottage dream of endless days on the water, cousins George and Maria Kyriazis traded lazing away the summer for something far different: running Muskoka Chills, their Port Carling business dealing ice cream and all things cool and refreshing.

“We wanted to spend time together at the family cottage and figured the best way to do that was to get jobs in the area,” explained George. “Eventually, rather than go through the process of looking for a job, we decided to create our own last summer.”

Muskoka Chills opened on June 9, 2023. At the time, George was 16 and Maria still 15.

You get a sense of the cousins’ youth and good humour even before meeting them dishing out ice cream from behind the counter. A chalkboard by the roadside announces the ice-cream-themed Joke of the Day: “Why doesn’t ice cream play tennis? Because it has a soft serve!” “The ice cream jokes are part of our signature,” George says. “It’s a business, but we want to have fun as well, to entertain people, to do something memorable, and to express ourselves a bit—we are only 17 after all.”

Also setting them apart is the wide selection of cool treats offered. There’s ice cream, both soft serve and 13 flavours of scooped Kawarthas Ice Cream (in cones or cups), but also Icees, frozen cappuccinos, cold drinks, and Celsius energy drinks.

The location is perfect, right in Port Carling amidst the shops – a perfect respite on a hot day walking through the quaint but lively and trendy village.

And there’s lots in Port Carling to grab children’s attention. Marvel at boats passing through the historic locks between lakes Muskoka and Rosseau. Take a stroll around lock-side James Bartleman Park and spend a leisurely hour at Muskoka Lakes Museum (mlmuseum.com). Maybe even book a cruise aboard the 60-year-old Peerless II to enjoy stunning Muskoka scenery (sunsetcruises.ca).

But kids being kids, it will be ice cream from Muskoka Chills that will likely top their experience for the day.

Just the Facts

121 Medora Street, Port Carling
Hours of Operation:
Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Weekends after Labour Day, weather permitting.