Where should a hockey team stay for a tournament at the Meaford arena?

It depends on the schedule and on what the families want from the weekend. A team with one game a day, or with siblings who want to ski or spend an afternoon in Blue Mountain Village, gets the most from a chalet base. A team with a 7:00 a.m. game and another at 9:00 p.m. on the same day spends much of it in the car.

Settle that question before booking. If the fixture list arrives after the chalets are booked, plan to spend long gaps in Meaford rather than drive back and forth; the Meaford guide helps fill an afternoon.

Navigate to 151 Collingwood Street West in Meaford; the street name does not put the arena in Collingwood. Road estimates are about 30 minutes from Aqua Villa (24.1 km), and about 35 from 104 Brooker Boulevard (28.2 km) and 44L (27.3 km). For a 7:30 a.m. puck drop with a one-hour arrival request, a Brooker car leaves before 5:55.

Pack equipment the night before, and give the early runs to drivers who know the road. In snow, leave earlier than the estimate; it assumes a clear highway.

Aqua Villa, the closest home, sleeps 10 in four bedrooms with four bathrooms, enough for two families. The rest of the team can take adjacent Brooker chalets, two families to a house, with parents in the main-level queens and players in the bunk rooms. Every chalet has four parking spaces, and a fifth car forfeits part of the security deposit, so carpool to Meaford in as few vehicles as possible.

Only registered guests may be at the chalets, so the team social happens inside the houses the families booked, or in town. Quiet rules under the Town’s bylaw hold day and night.

The centre combines the arena with an auditorium and meeting space, and it hosts events such as the Apple Harvest Craft Show. Families planning a Meaford visit without a game can read where to stay near Meaford.