Tiny Ontario - Prince Edward County
- chebelladonna
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
It's been a busy summer with a heavy work schedule along with some family responsibilities that have required me to stick close to home. As a result, I cancelled most of my plans to focus on the day-to-day. However, a couple weekends ago Pablo and I woke up on a Monday with a rare free day. A girl needed a day out.
One of our go-to day drives is to visit Prince Edward County, an island (or technically a peninsula) located about two-hours east of Toronto or about an hour east of Kingston.
The County and I have had a long relationship. I grew up in the small town of Deseronto about 20-minutes from the County making it a staple backyard outing since the late 70s. For my grandma, who grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, the appeal was firmly rooted in its agricultural heart. We would pop over to pick berries or apples or to frequent the farm stands for a variety of fresh vegetables, most notably, the sweet corn. She would come home and spend summer afternoons canning, pickling and making jams in the heat. My grandfather on the other hand enjoyed heading over to the County to partake in a pie social at the local churches, with fresh bakes made from all those lovely fresh ingredients. The man loved a pie.
With my mom we would go over to the County to spend the day at the beach in Sandbanks Provincial Park with its expansive, shallow waters and fine sand. (Fun fact, the Sandbanks has the largest baymouth barrier dune formation in the world.) We would park the car and walk through the tall grass lined paths that led to the beach where we would set up camp under a tree for the day. At some point we'd head over to the little restaurant which served up piping hot fries or to pick up cold drinks and popsicles. In my humble opinion, I still think it's the best beach in Canada and have often credited it for making me a bit of a beach snob. If it's not a white sand beach, I'm not interested.
This is all to say that the County has always been a happy place for me. For a period of time in my forties we were lucky enough to have a three season cottage in the area and I introduced my kids to this world of my childhood. And then I met Pablo and it became one of our favourite places. On Monday as we were driving home, he looked over at me and said, "This has been our date spot for the last eleven years", with a smile. It really has. We make a point to go down several times a year - in the summer and definitely in the fall when it is at it's prime, but we are game to go any time of the year when we need a little pick me up.
This week we travelled over by ferry from Bath in one of Pablo's vintage cars, this time a deep blue 1966 Mercury Meteor, which happens to be my favourite. By the time we boarded the ferry we were both overheating without either air-conditioning or UV treated windows. A vintage car is style over comfort.
As such, the first stop of the day was a cold drink on a patio, in the shade, at the Inn on the Lake on the Mountain restaurant. This is an OG classic establishment that has been around for decades. The Miller restaurant, by the same owners is located across the street, and has killer views over Lake Ontario. I'd recommend both. Pablo enjoyed a non-alcoholic citrus sptrizer and I, being a passenger princess for the day, indulged in a Positano Pink spritz. And so the day began.
If you haven't been to the County, there are three main towns Picton, Bloomfield and Wellington. Picton is the largest of the three. It has the most places to stay, to eat and to shop. It also boasts a retro theatre, the Regent, which is over 100 years old. It's a fun place to spend an evening, or a rainy summer afternoon. Likewise the Acoustic Grill, is a good time, live music watering hole, and a cheerful place to spend an evening. The new(ish) kid on the block is the Royal Hotel which opened a couple of years ago, but is located in a refurbished historic hotel dating back to 1879. For a kid who has been coming to the County since the 70's; it's fancy.
Bloomfield, the smallest of the three towns mostly boast boutiques, a couple of restaurants and Slickers ice cream, another county classic, is a must try.
Wellington, the final town, is smaller than Picton but larger than Bloomfield. It has more places to stay, eat and shop, as well as a grocery store. In recent years it has become famous for the Drake Hotel. The original is on Queen West in Toronto and it draws fans from the city with its quirky, modern boho style, and lake front location. It should also be noted that a fairly large portion of the wineries in the county cluster around the Wellington area.
We tried to slip into the Drake for a late lunch/early dinner but it was full and we found ourselves at the nearby Lakeside Motel in search of sustenance. It was a vibe. It's another old school motel given a glow up. The decor was kept simple in white and black with touches of colour through the flowers and foliage. In addition to the motel, there is a lovely pool with all-white loungers, several day cabanas for rent, an outdoor bar and restaurant by the water, lake access, fire pits and a large lawn where kids and grownups alike can play games. Both the food and the service were excellent. The highlight was the grilled Mexican street style corn (fresh from the County). We will be back.
If you are still looking for things to do here are a few more highlights:
peruse the various farm stands
explore the Arts trail
go on a wine (or cider) tour, I have used Sandbanks Tours in the past, but there are multiple operators. They can set up the whole thing, or take requests if you want something specific. Specifically go to the Terracello winery for pizza. This small boutique winery is run by an Italian family. They make incredible wood-fired pizza that is worth the drive and ideal at the end of a day of wine tasting.
take a cooking lesson at the Waring House
spend an evening at the Mustang drive-in. It will take you right back to the 70s. My kids loved it there!
take the time to go to the beach
go cycling (the county is lovely and flat), fishing, kayaking, birding, hiking
go dancing at the Hayloft Dance Hall - a huge old barn turned live music venue
partake in the local fair (in early September) or see if you can find an old school pie social at a local church (my grandfather would approve)
go for coffee and browse for books in Picton at Books and Company
visit Base 31 (I haven't been yet) but it looks like they have refurbished the old air force base into a cultural centre. It's on my list for a next trip.
and finally there are bonus points if you can find the mid century Fixaco station in Cherry Valley.
Like many beautiful places, one of the downsides is that they inevitably become expensive, especially for hotels. If you are looking for a more economical option you could either stay in either Belleville (about 25 minutes away) or Napanee (about 30 minutes away). Napanee, in particular, is a lovely historic town in its own right. The joy in the County is driving around to explore it. I don't see a real downside to staying slightly outside and commuting in, unless you want to do a wine tour and shouldn't be driving. But even then, I'm sure that you could arrange to be picked up, especially in Belleville which lies closer to the majority of the wineries.
The County is always changing. I hesitate to recommend that you have to try this restaurant or that coffee shop. Just go and be open to what the day brings. The real beauty of the County is to drive around without an agenda and see what you find. The many vistas of the water, of the magnificent barns and farmers fields, and of the small towns will draw you in. It's a lovely place to meander. If the Drake hadn't been full we wouldn't have discovered at the Lakeside Motel. And that would have been a shame.
Driving home, as the sun began to set, and as we pulled onto the ferry, I felt slightly sun-kissed, (thank-you 1960s car), and as though I'd been on a proper holiday. We will be back in the fall to see the change of the leaves!
