Taste Of The County Itinerary

Welcome to Prince Edward County, where every day is a culinary adventure waiting to be explored!

Day 1: Arrival and Culinary Indulgence

Arrive in Prince Edward County and check into your charming accommodation. Freshen up and get ready to embark on a culinary adventure!

First, grab a coffee from BEACON BIKE + BREW. Then, head to PECish Baking Co. and indulge in their signature pastries and treats. Don’t forget to take with you a loaf of their mouthwatering Dill Pickle Light Rye – a true must-try!

Begin your wine journey at Lighthall Vineyards, where you’ll savor a selection of their artisanal cheeses while learning about their winemaking process.

Later, catch the stunning sunset at Slake Brewing while sampling their handcrafted beers.

For dinner, make a reservation at The Royal Hotel – a historic landmark, known for its charming ambiance and warm hospitality.

For dessert, head across the street to Slickers County Ice Cream or grab a nightcap from The Russ & Co.

Day 2: Exploring County Treasures

Enjoy breakfast at your accommodation.

Embark on a cycling adventure through the County’s scenic countryside. Remember those artisanal cheeses and bread from yesterday? Before you leave, pack those with you for a picnic!

Follow Ridge Road, which offers panoramic views of the area. Stop into Cressy Mustard Co. for more culinary delights and have yourself a picnic at a scenic spot.

Continue your cycling journey before heading back to your accommodation for a little R&R before heading out for dinner at a cozy gastropub or an elegant restaurant with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients.

Day 3: Sights and Sips

Enjoy breakfast at your accommodation or try a brunch spot that offers farm-to-table delights.

Visit SHED Chetwyn Farms for a relaxing nature walk through the farm’s scenic trails with Alpacas.

Optional Activity: Participate in a workshop on traditional farming techniques or rural crafts.

Stroll through the picturesque vine rows, at Broken Stone Winery, learn about the different grape varieties, and take in the scenic views. Visit another nearby winery such as Closson Chase Vineyards.

For lunch, visit Flossie’s Sandwich Parlor and indulge in a mouth-watering sandwich piled high with all of the fixings!

In the evening, enjoy dinner at The County’s newest Pizza joint – Darlings.

Day 4: Farewell, but not Goodbye

Savour the last flavours of Prince Edward County at a charming breakfast nook. Then, visit a farmer’s market to purchase some artisanal products and culinary souvenirs to take home.

To elevate your culinary exploration, download our exclusive passport. With each exciting check-in, you’ll inch closer to a tantalizing reward: a $25 Feast On® Voucher to be savored at your preferred participating establishments all while supporting communities across Ontario too! Download our passport today and let your culinary exploration begin!

Où faire du canot, du kayak ou de la planche à pagaie dans le Comté ?

On peut découvrir la beauté du Comté de nombreuses façons. Nos sentiers de randonnée vous entraînent à travers monts et marais. Le sentier du Millénaire permet de faire du vélo, de la marche, de l’équitation et bien plus encore. Les amateurs d’art peuvent explorer la Route des arts en visitant des galeries et des ateliers, ou encore admirer des œuvres en plein air sur la Route des courtepointes de grange.

Pour voir nos paysages autrement, nous vous invitons à apporter (ou à louer) votre canot, votre kayak ou votre planche à pagaie, et à vous mettre à l’eau. Des lacs turquoise étincelants aux rivières aux méandres tranquilles, il y a tant à explorer.

Voici quelques-uns de nos endroits préférés dans le Comté. Nous avons aussi créé une carte qui montre où se trouvent les sites de mise à l’eau, les services de location et les plages. (Conseil pratique : téléchargez l’application MacKay Pay ! Toutes les rampes municipales de mise à l’eau utilisent cette plateforme comme moyen de paiement.)

À LIRE ÉGALEMENT : Guide des initiés pour les vacances d’été dans le Comté de Prince Edward

Remarque : les conseils et les consignes de santé publique destinés aux voyageurs sont modifiés fréquemment dans le contexte de la présente pandémie de COVID-19. Veuillez consulter notre pour connaître les dernières mises à jour.

RÉGION D’AMELIASBURGH

Rossmore

Rampe municipale de mise à l’eau de Rossmore — Ridley Street North

• Plan d’eau : baie de Quinte.
• Commodités : rampe de mise à l’eau, quai, stationnement, toilettes, parc, aire de repas extérieure.
• Prix: frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À explorer : le pont Norris Whitney et la rive de Rossmore.
• Avis aux pagayeurs : soyez prudents si vous vous aventurez dans la baie de Quinte, car les conditions peuvent changer rapidement selon la météo. Cette zone est également fréquentée par des bateaux à moteur.

Zone protégée Massassauga Point — 1280 Massassauga Road

• Plans d’eau : baie de Quinte et Sand Cove.
• Commodités : rampe de mise à l’eau, stationnement, toilettes, parc, aire de repas extérieure, sentiers de randonnée, plage, pêche.
• Prix : frais de stationnement de 5 $, payables à l’aide de l’application PayByPhone (valables à d’autres sites de Quinte Conservation)
• À explorer : plusieurs îles et 1 200 mètres de rivage protégé.
• Pour les amateurs d’histoire : un grand hôtel se trouvait autrefois sur la pointe. On peut encore trouver ses fondations et une voie d’accès piétonnière près du bord de l’eau.  
• Avis aux pagayeurs : soyez prudents si vous vous aventurez dans la baie de Quinte, car les conditions peuvent changer rapidement selon la météo. Cette zone est également fréquentée par des bateaux à moteur.

À LIRE ÉGALEMENT : Aide-mémoire pour visiter le Comté en 2021

Consecon

Rampe municipale de mise à l’eau de la baie Wellers — 158 Edward Drive

• Plan d’eau : baie Wellers.
• Commodités : stationnement, toilettes, rampe de mise à l’eau, quai.
• Prix : frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À explorer : allez vers l’ouest autour de la pointe pour profiter de panoramas magnifiques. Vers l’est, vous trouverez la rive de Consecon.

RÉGION DE SOPHIASBURGH

Rampe municipale de mise à l’eau de Northport — Centennial Park, 1417B County Road 15

• Plan d’eau : baie de Quinte.
• Commodités : rampe de mise à l’eau, stationnement, toilettes.
• Prix : frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À explorer : Big Island et la baie de Quinte. Les couchers de soleil y sont magnifiques.
• Avis aux pagayeurs : soyez prudents si vous vous aventurez dans la baie de Quinte, car les conditions peuvent changer rapidement selon la météo. Cette zone est également fréquentée par des bateaux à moteur.

RÉGION DE PICTON

Picton et environs

Rampe municipale de mise à l’eau HJ McFarland — McFarland Park Lane.

• Plan d’eau : baie de Picton.
• Commodités : quai, rampe de mise à l’eau, stationnement, toilettes, petit parc, aire de repas extérieure, rivage.
• Prix : frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À explorer : soyez à l’affût de la faune. Des pygargues à tête blanche et des loutres de rivière ont été aperçus dans la région.
• Avis aux pagayeurs : de grosses barges empruntent ce plan d’eau pour accéder à la carrière locale.

À LIRE ÉGALEMENT : Réservez maintenant, détendez-vous plus tard

RÉGION DE WAUPOOS

Glenora

Marina de Glenora — 11438C Loyalist Parkway.

• Plans d’eau : baie de Quinte, Adolphus Reach et diverses baies autour d’Adolphustown.
• Commodités : stationnement, petit magasin.
• Prix : frais de mise à l’eau de 10 $.
• À explorer : ce secteur est propice à la pêche, et le magasin de la marina vend des vers.

Lake on the Mountain

Parc provincial Lake on the Mountain — 297 County Road 7

• Plan d’eau : Lake on the Mountain
• Commodités : stationnement, toilettes, restaurants à proximité, belvédère, panneaux d’interprétation.
• Prix : frais de stationnement de 3 $ pour 2 heures ou de 6,50 $ pour la journée.
• À explorer : découvrez le mystérieux lac sur la montagne. Depuis le parc de stationnement, voyez le traversier de Glenora sillonner la baie de Quinte.
• À noter : une route sépare le stationnement du lac. Il faut faire un court portage pour se rendre à la petite aire de mise à l’eau. Quand vous explorez le lac de ce parc provincial, n’oubliez pas que la plupart des terrains riverains sont des propriétés privées — restez dans votre bateau !

Cressy

Rampe municipale de mise à l’eau de Prinyer’s Cove — accessible par County Road 7.

• Plans d’eau : baie de Quinte et Prinyer’s Cove.
• Commodités : stationnement, quai, rampe de mise à l’eau, toilettes, parc, aire de jeu.
• Prix: frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À explorer : faites le tour de Prinyer Point et allez dans son anse, ou explorez la rive de Cressy.

Waupoos

Marina de Waupoos — 65 County Road 38.

• Plan d’eau : baie Smith.
• Commodités : stationnement, toilettes, magasin, chalets à louer, rampe de mise à l’eau, quai.
• Prix : frais de mise à l’eau de 15 $.
• À explorer : la rive de Waupoos, avec ses collines ondoyantes, ses vergers et ses vignobles, ainsi que les vues sur l’île de Waupoos et la rive sud.

RÉGION DE LA RIVE SUD

Black River

Cabin Fever Kayak — 906 County Road 13

• Plans d’eau : Black River et South Bay.
• Commodités : location (réservation requise), boutique offrant des objets nautiques fabriqués localement par ClearWater Design, stationnement limité.
• Prix : frais de 10 $ pour le stationnement et la mise à l’eau de motomarine.
• À explorer : pagayez vers South Bay et admirez McMahon Bluff, ou baladez-vous le long de Black Creek (à prononcer « crique », comme le font les gens du coin).

Long Point    

Long Point — Traverse Lane, dans la réserve nationale de faune de la Pointe-du-Prince-Édouard

• Plans d’eau : Long Point Harbour et lac Ontario.
• Commodités : stationnement, toilettes, quai, rampe de mise à l’eau, sentiers de randonnées, observatoire d’oiseaux Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory.
• Prix : aucuns frais pour la mise à l’eau de planche à pagaie, de kayak ou de canot.
• À explorer : le Leanic est amarré au quai de Long Point Harbour, un plan d’eau qui offre un magnifique rivage à explorer. En faisant le tour de la pointe, on trouve le phare de Traverse avec des vues sur les îles False Duck et Timber. Cet endroit est une halte migratoire très fréquentée par les oiseaux, alors n’oubliez pas d’apporter des jumelles ou un bon appareil photo. Le pygargue à tête blanche, la petite nyctale, les grives et les faucons ne sont que quelques-uns des oiseaux que l’on peut régulièrement observer dans la région.

RÉGION DE SANDBANKS

Rampe municipale de mise à l’eau Mabel Kleinsteuber — à l’angle de County Road 12 et de Kleinsteuber Road

• Plan d’eau : West Lake.
• Commodités : stationnement limité, toilettes, rampe de mise à l’eau.
• À explorer : vues de Sheba’s Island et des dunes du parc provincial Sandbanks.
• Prix: frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À noter : durant la haute saison touristique, l’accès au parc provincial Sandbanks et à ses dunes peut devenir difficile à cause de la densité de la circulation routière. Considérez cet endroit comme une solution de rechange si vous souhaitez voir les dunes.

Parc provincial Sandbanks (plage Dunes)

• Plan d’eau : West Lake.
• Commodités : stationnement (par abonnement ou payant), plage, sentiers de randonnée, aire de jeu, cantine(en saison), l’une des meilleures vues du Comté.
• À explorer : pagayez le long de hautes dunes faites du sable le plus blanc et le plus doux. Une famille de cygnes habite dans le secteur.
• Prix : un laissez-passer du parc (saisonnier, d’un jour ou de camping) est requis pour accéder aux aires de mise à l’eau.
• À noter : pendant la haute saison estivale, songez à pagayer en soirée. Utilisez le système de réservation des permis d’utilisation quotidiens pour garantir votre place.

Parc provincial Sandbanks (plage Outlet)

• Plans d’eau : rivière Outlet vers East Lake et lac Ontario.
• Commodités : stationnement (payant), magasin du parc, restaurant(en saison), activités pour enfants (en saison), location (en saison, au boisé longeant la rivière Outlet), terrains de camping, plage réputée, sentiers de randonnée, section de plage ouverte aux chiens.
• À explorer : les bancs de sable de Sandbanks, réputés pour leurs barres sableuses.
• Avis aux pagayeurs : les barres sableuses créent à plusieurs endroits des zones peu profondes qui vont loin dans le lac. L’embouchure de la rivière Outlet peut s’assécher, donc vous ne pourrez peut-être pas pagayer jusqu’au lac à partir de cette embouchure.
• Prix : un laissez-passer du parc (saisonnier, d’un jour ou de camping) est requis pour accéder aux aires de mise à l’eau.
• À noter : une promenade en soirée vous permettra d’admirer le coucher de soleil. Utilisez le système de réservation des permis d’utilisation quotidiens pour garantir votre place.

Rampe municipale de mise à l’eau Glendon Green — County Road 18 

• Plans d’eau : East Lake et rivière Outlet.
• Commodités : stationnement, rampe de mise à l’eau, quai, toilettes.
• Prix : frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À explorer : pagayez dans des marais tranquilles parsemés de nénuphars ou descendez la rivière. Soyez attentif aux barrages de castors et à la faune.

Wellington

Rampe de mise à l’eau de la plage Rotary de Wellington — au bout de Beach Street

• Plans d’eau : Wellington Harbour, West Lake et lac Ontario.
• Commodités : stationnement, toilettes, plage.
• Horaire : la rampe de mise à l’eau est fermée les samedis, les dimanches et les jours fériés de 9 h à 17 h. Vous pouvez mettre votre bateau à l’eau avant ou après ces heures, puis le sortir à tout moment pendant ces heures, mais aucun nouveau bateau ne peut aller sur l’eau durant cette plage horaire.
• Prix : frais de stationnement de 10 $ pour un véhicule sans remorque ; 20 $ pour un véhicule avec remorque.
• À explorer : un phare et le bord de la plus grande formation de dunes se trouvant à l’entrée d’une baie.

par Gaby Cole

Le texte ci-dessus, que nous avons traduit de l’anglais au français, inclut des hyperliens qui mènent à des contenus anglais. Nous avons gardé ces liens au cas où ils vous seraient quand même utiles.

What’s new for Summer 2021 in PEC 🍜 🍺 🎨

Looking for something new to do in Prince Edward County? New ventures and the optimism they embody are always cause for celebration – never more so than now, in these unpredictable times. So a heartfelt and hearty huzzah to this latest crop of openings, expansions and reimaginings in Prince Edward County. May these offerings fill your belly and lift your spirit.

Please note that public health travel advisories and orders are changing frequently during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please consult our COVID-19 Essential Info page for the latest updates.

Eat

A must-visit for your Sunday morning is the Picton Town Hall Farmers’ Market. A wide variety of Prince Edward County vendors are offering locally grown and made goods; do your grocery shopping, grab a snack or enjoy some lunch in the nearby shady Benson Park.

The Grist Mill is a wedding and event venue located in Consecon at the old Cascades Pub and Grill. Four days a week, The Grist Mill operates as a public space where guests can gather to share a drink, while enjoying live music, drag events and food from pop-up caterers. Food is served on Friday night and Sunday Brunch. Fridays, find PJ’s Jerk. Saturdays Matty Boy BBQ is there with his Texas Style BBQ.

All those good smells coming from Milford lately? They’re coming from the new PECish Baking Co. Matti Matyasfalvi, baker and self-described breadhead, is turning out bread, croissants, cookies & more every week – made preservative and additive free with local wheats, honey, and butter. Take note – these fresh-from-the-oven treasures sell like, well, hotcakes – so order ahead for best selection. Long-term plans include a café and general store.

RELATED: Insider’s Tips for a County Summer Getaway

Lighthall Vineyards has a new food offering from the owners of Sand and Pearl. FirebirdPEC serves wood-fired rotisserie chicken and fresh crisp salads al fresco. Winemaker Glenn Symon has expanded his cheese offerings, and this year, the crew will be working out of a new tasting room. Assistant wine maker Chris Thompson has his own wine on the go, introducing Legal Smile Wine Co.

At Closson Chase, the new Au Verre by The Marans replaces the Swinery, offering full service dining plus grab and go options.  Sip wine by the glass and eat outside by the iconic purple barn.

Well-known Wellington Farmer’s Market manager Naz Karsan will be popping up his latest venture called TikkaChaat. Naz will offer fresh and frozen cuisine inspired by his family’s roots along the coast of east Africa, most notably Zanzibar. Follow his Instagram for locations.

Sarah Rogers has opened the eponymously named Sarah’NDipity Eats & Treats on Gilead Road.  She makes healthy meals and delightful sweets for you to order ahead and take home to enjoy.  Let her do the kitchen work for you!

RELATED: Visitor Checklist

Taste of Country occupies the corner previously home to  Schroedter’s Farm Market at the intersection of Hwy #62 and Cty. Rd. 1. They carry a wide selection of frozen foods, baked goods, gift items and other specialty goods, and are partnering with a chef for prepared foods to go. They’re also an LCBO outlet and carry local brews and Kinsip spirits.

While Waupoos has always been known as The County’s blueberry spot, there is a new kid on the isle – meet Laura’s Organic Blueberries, located just down the road from Sandbanks. Picking starts in late July into August.

Drink

Adega Wine Bar has all the chops to be a full service wine appreciation spot in Consecon, at least when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Located at the Grist Mill in the centre of town, Adega is part wine bar, part wine retailer and serves as home base for owner Thierry Alcantera-Stewart’s wine consulting, tours and tastings.

Built into a limestone hill, Slake Brewing offers stunning panoramic views of The County from its taproom and patio. They currently produce clean, balanced, easy drinking ales and lagers but will soon be introducing mixed-fermentation beers. All Slake’s beer is proudly brewed with 100% Ontario malt.

Looking to take a deep dive into the ins and outs of Caesar making? The Weekend Social, tucked behind the Bean Counter Cafe, is opening its doors to small groups this summer, for workshops, experiences and its new Caesar bar. Keep an eye on their social for upcoming dates and events.

PEC Wine Explorer app is a one-stop shop for all your wine touring needs, including detailed profiles for all local wineries, tourism businesses and retailers, as well as lists of unique wine activities. Discover which wineries host elevated tastings, which ones will welcome your dog, or which sell the wines that match your preferences. New activities are always being added, so download today, find a wine you love, and plan your perfect trip to PEC wine country. Not in The County? Most of the PEC wineries are only too happy to ship bottles to you and the app can help make the challenge of selecting the perfect bottle easy by matching your individual taste preferences to a database of all PEC wines.

Wondering what that glass glass building going up near Terra Cello and Huff Estates is? Stillus is a new craft distillery hoping to put Canadian vodka and spirits on the map. They’re aiming to be open for summer, but COVID construction delays mean we’ll have to keep watch on their social channels for exact timing.

County experiences

Encaustic artist Susan Wallis has moved Melt Studio Gallery into the space formerly occupied by Maison DePoivre Gallery in Barrack 3 at Camp Picton (Loch Sloy). Susan is introducing an experience this summer that invites guests to Pause. Partnering with Tamara Segal of Hawthorn Herbals and Bay Woodward of Honeypie Hives & Herbals, guests will begin with a walk in the forest, getting grounded in plants and their uses, and foraging for mementos to be used in their art. Then at the studio they’ll work with Susan to create an encaustic piece – encaustic art being an ancient technique involving layering pigments, fibres and more in beeswax.

Get up close and personal with the herd at Noble Beast Farms in Bloomfield. Shepherds Paul and Nadia will show and tell about their 80 quirky alpacas, Thunder the famous donkey, and other rescued animals.  The farm’s signature summer offering is Alpacas No Zoom Zoom, a half-day event with a light farm meal that will allow you to truly unwind and reconnect with nature.  Disconnect from zoom and reconnect with nature through the eyes of the alpacas on the farm. They also have a shorter trek for those who prefer a one-hour visit called The Bloomin’ Welly Little Trek.  These will sell out fast!

Don’t ride the teachers at Mayrose Farm! Patti Stacey is a second-generation PEC farmer whose pack of mini-horses are equine therapy animals. This summer she’s launching a new experience giving families and groups a chance to snuggle up to the miniatures, lead them through an obstacle course, and take home an equine themed treat bag. Horse hugs are welcomed.

Beekeeper Elis Ziegler has expanded their experience this year, offering a Bees & Blooms experience and a Bees & Brunch option. Deepen your connection with nature, pollinators and the food we eat with a unique and immersive adventure. Use all of your senses at Elis’ off-grid homestead while you learn about bees, make a balm, taste seasonal honey, spend time in the People’s Garden and have a locally made snack.

Shop

Lovers of the Nordic vibe can rejoice in the opening of SCANDISKIN, a skincare and lifestyle shop inspired by the wellness rituals and rugged landscapes of Scandinavia. At its core, SCANDISKIN is an indie brand of small-batched skincare inspired by the fresh-faced, clean Scandinavian aesthetic. There are also books, candles, tea, art, towels and home spa goods made of natural materials such as wood, wool, hemp, jute, paper, cotton, aluminum, with minimal packaging to help you embrace and celebrate timeless Scandinavian lifestyle concepts.

Bloomfield’s Main Street fixture Garb has a new sister shop. Owner Shyrl Nussey has retired her Brag store brand and launched a boutique called Swan Song in that space. The new shop features clothing, jewelry, and body and skin care products.

Spark Box Studio is popping up in Bloomfield for the summer at Handworks on Main Street. They’ve curated an art gallery that can be viewed from the outside of the tiny building made of entirely of windows!

Susan Jaehn-Kreibaum, owner of The Empty Nest Bed & Breakfast has a new online shop: emptynestshop.ca. The site features granola, body lotion and lovely hand-painted cards by Kate Jaehn-Kreibaum, a watercolour artist based in the County. This is also the place to learn more about and book their workshops on journaling, as well as art and one-on-one guided watercolour classes by a local artist, with plant-based diet workshops coming soon.

Good times

The former Fields on West Lake has new owners and a new name—The Eddie Hotel and Farm.  Mike and Alex are eager to create spaces for residents and visitors alike. This summer they’re partnering with Festival Players to present the open-air Six Feet Festival. Savour a glass of wine, sit back, and enjoy a socially distanced evening with some of Canada’s most extraordinary artists. The Eddie also plans to bring in concerts.

Also on site, the former Blooms on West Lake is now Nellie’s Shoppe and Flower Market. More than just flowers, the shop carries hostess gifts, candles, thank you notes and more to help with your next party, bouquet, or apology to your spouse.

The Hayloft Dance Hall has new owners with big plans to expand the venue’s offerings to include comedy, burlesque, drag, cabaret and more! Events will be more intimate, hosting 50 seated guests. They’ll also be open daytime on weekends, with Big Mike’s BBQ serving food and drinks on their patio.

by Sue Hierlihy

History Takes Flight: A walking tour of Macaulay Heritage Park and Birdhouse City

Part cultural history lesson, part architecture primer and part outdoor fun, this walking tour offers education and entertainment that can be enjoyed outside, anytime, at no cost.

Note: The tour can be started either from Macaulay Heritage Park or from Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area/Birdhouse City. The two sites are joined by Whattam’s Memorial Walkway, a wide unpaved walking path. This tour is intended to be family-friendly but includes information about graves and the on-site cemetery. Discretion with young children advised.

Macaulay Heritage Park

Located on the southern edge of Picton, Macaulay Heritage Park consists of land and buildings built by Reverend William Macaulay, whose vision and leadership helped shape the development of Prince Edward County. 

William Macaulay was the son of Robert Macaulay whose family originally came from Scotland. They moved to Ireland, where Robert was born, and then to New York in 1764. He landed in Cataraqui (Kingston) as a United Empire Loyalist around 1784, having supported the British Crown during the American Revolution.  In 1791, Robert married Ann Kirby, who came from the Crown Point area in Upper New York State and had been born in Yorkshire. 

Robert died in 1800 when his son William was just six years old. William inherited 400 acres of land (including this property) that his father and Thomas Markland had purchased from Lieutenant Moore Hoverton at a Sheriff’s sale in 1790 for the sum of 300 pounds.

William went to school in Cornwall and Kingston before going to Oxford to take his ministry. His teacher and mentor was the renowned Bishop John Strachan. After being ordained in 1818 Macaulay claimed this inherited land. Macaulay had it laid out as a village, naming it Picton after General Sir Thomas Picton who had been killed in the Battle of Waterloo. Street names (Portland, York and Pitt) were all heroes of the day. His land was used to build the neighbourhood’s first school, Picton’s first Roman Catholic Church and the County Courthouse. In 1837, the adjacent village of Hallowell on the north side of the Bay was amalgamated with Picton. 

Old St. Mary Magdalene Church and Graveyard

Stop #1: Front of Church

Welcome to Picton’s “old”  Church of St. Mary Magdalene (sometimes known as the English Church), the first Anglican church in Prince Edward County. In 1823-25, Macaulay used his own money to build it and was appointed its first rector upon completion. 

This building is very likely the first one in the area that had been made of brick and it is also one of the oldest surviving institutional buildings in Prince Edward County. Over its long history, many additions and renovations have been made to the church. The portion with yellow brick walls, visible from both the interior and exterior, indicates the original structure. The limestone sections were added in the 1870’s. The notable large Black Locust trees on the property were said to have been planted in Macaulay’s time, around the 1850s.

The “new” Church of St. Mary Magdalene was constructed on Main Street in 1912, and while this old church was maintained, it was used only rarely and virtually sat vacant for the next fifty years.

In 1967, the church building was declared unsafe and was turned over to the County for use as a museum. It reopened six years later after extensive renovation and repairs. In 1974, the municipality purchased Macaulay House, and the grounds were combined with the church to form Macaulay Heritage Park.

The most recent of many renovations to this building was completed in 2011 to enhance the church’s function as a museum and to preserve heritage features. It also addressed many of the structural issues that had plagued the church’s earlier days.  The building now serves as office and work space for museum staff, in addition to providing exhibition and programming space for the visiting public.

Stop #2 – Graveyard surrounding the Church

The first known burial in this cemetery predates the church, taking place in 1819. The first 20 or so burials were marked by wooden crosses, though those have now been lost to time. There are more than 300 burials in total now, with roughly half of that number still marked with gravestones.

Most of the gravestones are of mottled grey and white marble. The marble may have originated in the Renfrew, Madoc and Napanee areas. Limestone, though used here only rarely as a headstone, is the typical base into which the marble stones were slotted.  The limestone is of the Black River type, from Kingston. Despite cracking, sinking, sun, acid rain, erosion, moss, vandalism, moisture, gravity, frost and faulty repairs, the remaining gravestones are in “fair” shape considering their age.

Carvers from Port Hope, Belleville, Cobourg and Kingston as well as Picton itself have work represented here. Carvers were typically illiterate, and simply copied the minister’s information as to what the stone was to say.

Stop #3 – A Most Prominent Family: Grave of Samuel Merrill (along the left side of the Church, midway)

Samuel Merrill was Picton’s first lawyer, practicing here for over 50 years beginning in the mid-1820s. As two lawyers practicing in the same region, Merrill developed a friendship with Sir John A. MacDonald. He became registrar of the Surrogate Court in Prince Edward as well as Master-in-Chancery. He and his wife, Mary Edwards Hall, had 11 children, including Edwards Merrill. 

Edwards was born in 1842 and became a lawyer and later a County Court Judge and Mayor of Picton. Merrill was a progressive and freethinker – a movement that held that ideas and opinions should be based on science and reason, not authority, tradition or religion. This influential movement, which lasted from the mid-1800s to early 1900s, supported women’s voting rights, and advocated for the abolishment of slavery and reforms to the medical and justice systems. Merrill was an outspoken opponent of capital punishment and helped bring about improvements to the treatment of juvenile delinquents in Canada. 

Edwards Merrill and the Lazier Murder Trial
Edwards Merrill was also one of over 400 local residents who took a keen interest in the fate of two men convicted of murder in the 1880s in Prince Edward County. During a botched robbery, a farm implement salesman named Peter Lazier was murdered, and Joseph Thomset and George Lowder were sentenced to hang for the crime. During their trial the only evidence brought against them was circumstantial, and Merrill, who was Mayor of Picton at the time, signed a petition requesting that their death sentence be commuted. He also wrote to Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald on behalf of the prisoners, but the Prime Minister was unmoved and the execution went ahead as scheduled on June 10, 1884. They were the only hangings ever to take place in Prince Edward County. It has long been argued that at least one of the two was wrongfully convicted. 

Stop #4 Macaulay Family Plot (to right of the church, close to the back)

Reverend Macaulay is buried here with his first wife, Ann Geddes, his second wife, Charlotte Sarah Le Vesconte, and one of his daughters, Mary Rose, who died as an infant. The family rests in one of four fenced plots in the cemetery, indicating their elevated status in the community. Macaulay’s first wife, Ann, suffered from ill health for many years, well documented in family letters. She died in 1849, and Reverend Macaulay purchased a piece of expensive Italian marble for her headstone. Its quality cannot be denied as her stone, while one of the oldest in the cemetery, has stood the test of time better than the stones made of local marble. The amount of text on her stone also alludes to how beloved she was, as the more carving required, the more expensive the finished stone would be. This is why most gravestones from the 19th century included only basic inscriptions.

Stop #5 – Tragedy on Smith’s Bay: Graves of the Pierce Children (to right of the Church, midway)

These three small stones are all marked with the same death date, suggesting a truly tragic story.  On July 8, 1866, the five Pierce children, William, Patience, George, David and Robert, and friends were in a canoe on Smith’s Bay (near Waupoos) with their mother Lydia and a cousin. Legend says that one of the children lost a hat over the side, and when they reached to grab it the canoe capsized. The five Pierce children perished, though their mother Lydia survived. Their father, Samuel Pierce, was a blacksmith and his grave can be seen nearby. This moving poem, written shortly after the tragedy, can be found in the book Canvas and Steam on Quinte Waters by Willis Metcalfe.

Smith's Bay Drowning Tragedy
(These verses were composed by Miss M. Shannon, on the drowning of the Pierce Children in Smith's Bay, Marysburgh Twp., July 8, 1866.)

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Is man's unchanging doom;
For every living being must
Lie in the silent tomb.
Dear friend depart, though loved so well
No human power can save;
How oft the solemn tolling bell
Reminds us of the grave.

'Twas in the year of sixty-six,
The eighth day of July,
Nine started for a pleasure trip
No danger seeming nigh,
Upon Smith's Bay they sailed along,
Until a hat was lost,
Which by their efforts to regain
This sad event was caused.

For suddenly the boat capsized,
All overboard were cast;
In vain they tried to save their lives
But seven of them were lost,
And sad it is the think that five
Belonged to Mrs. Pierce;
Who shared their danger, heard their cries,
But could not give relief.

Upon the drifting boat she clung
For three long hours or more,
Supporting Michael Harrington
Until they reached the shore.
Their friends and neighbours gathered round
When they the tidings hear;
And soon their bodies all were found
And claimed by parents dear.

Alas, it was a painful sight
To see them brought ashore,
So sadly changed, so cold and white,
Where all was life before.
Their parents clasped them in their arms
And kissed them o'er again,
And long embraced their lifeless forms - 
None from tears refrain.

George Brown, whose age was twenty-one
Lay calmly sleeping there;
John Harrington, about fifteen,
Freed from all earthly care,
Of Pierce's family Patience Ann,
The mother's joy and pride,
William and Robert, David, John
And George lay side by side.

Who can describe the mother's woe,
Her anguish and despair,
She almost wished she was laid low
Beside her darlings there,
All earthly happiness seemed gone,
Her heart of hope bereft
Of all their children only one
Sweet little girl is left.

Then soon their bodies were prepared
Within the tomb to dwell;
And many friends assembled there
To take a last farewell.
And solemnly they were conveyed
From earthly home away,
And in the silent dust were laid
Until the Judgement day.

But in a home beyond the sky
When this frail life is o'er,
Friends meet again in endless joy
And parting is no more.
Oh! let us them be warned in time;
And each for death prepare,
That we gain that happy clime
And meet our loved ones there.

Stop #6 – Believe It or Not: Grave of William Pierce (to right of the Church, midway)

Another Pierce grave nearby is quite noteworthy. William Pierce was the son of United Empire Loyalist Patrick Pierce who fought with the 84th Regiment and came to this area in 1784. This tombstone was featured on an episode of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” in the 1960’s for its odd and impossible death date of February 31st. The most likely reason for this mix-up is that the stonemason who carved the stone was illiterate and merely copied a typo in his instructions from the minister. However, if William actually died on the 13th, it’s possible that his family were superstitious and decided to reverse the numbers to avoid incurring any bad luck. This outdoor stone is a replica of the original, which resides just inside the entrance to the church.

Stop #7 – Grave of Philip Low

Picton was established in 1837 after the smaller villages of Picton and Hallowell Bridge amalgamated. Philip Low was the new town’s first Mayor, though that role was not created on the town’s inception. Low, a lawyer, was partnered with the Honourable Justice Christopher Salmon Patterson, who later became a judge on the Supreme Court of Canada and who also presided over the murder trial of Joseph Thomset and George Lowder. Low has two streets named in his honour nearby, and owned Picton’s impressive “Castle Villeneuve” on Bridge Street, which was demolished in 1986 after a propane explosion. 

Stop #8 – The Woolworth Connection: Graves of James and Eleanor Creighton

During the Irish Potato Famine in the mid-19th century, hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants arrived in British North America in search of a better life. A number of Irish families settled in Prince Edward County, including the Creighton family in North Marysburgh. Eliza Jane Creighton (or Jennie) was born and raised in Waupoos, but left the County as a teenager to learn dressmaking in Watertown, New York. While there, she met a young stock boy named Frank Winfield Woolworth, and in 1876 they were married. With a loan from Jennie’s cousin, Miss Margaret Morrison, they were able to open their first successful 5 and 10 cent store in Lancaster, PA. Frank would go on to establish the most successful department store chain of the 20th century. Frank died in 1919 and Jennie in 1924. They are buried in the Bronx Cemetery. James and Eleanor Creighton are relatives of Jennie’s. Jennie’s cousin Miss Morrison, who Frank Woolworth called the “Mother of the Five and Ten cent Business”, was a great supporter of this church.

Graves of James and Eleanor Creighton, relatives of Jennie Creighton Woolworth | Courtesy of Macaulay Museum.

 

Please proceed to the lawn in front of Macaulay House.

Macaulay House and Gardens

Stop #9 – Front of Macaulay House

Macaulay House was constructed for Reverend William Macaulay and his first wife Ann Geddes. They married in 1829 in Kingston, and lived in a cottage at the corner of Church and Old Church Streets until the present house was completed in 1830.

We know from family letters that Ann was beloved by her husband and was described as sweet, generous and very pious. Ann died from pneumonia in 1849. She and Reverend Macaulay did not have any children.

Four years later, in 1853, Reverend Macaulay married a second time, to Charlotte Le Vesconte. Charlotte was born in England, but had immigrated to Canada with her family as a teenager. Her family lived in Seymour Township where her father, a former British naval officer had received a land grant of 1000 acres, although Charlotte had been living in Belleville before her marriage. One of her brothers, Henry Le Vesconte, stayed behind in Englad to serve in the Royal Navy. He became a Lieutenant on the HMS Erebus and was part of the doomed Franklin Expedition. 

As the wife of a reverend, Charlotte, like Ann before her, was responsible to the church and congregation to conduct missionary work, charity work, and prayer meetings. She would also have been responsible for managing the female help, planning meals, planting, and errands within the household. 

Between marriages, William received money from the estates of his mother and uncle. His new wife also had a dowry.  This influx of money made possible some alterations to the house, including the summer kitchen to the rear, adding a side porch off the dining room, and adding marble mantles to the fireplaces in both the parlour and dining room. 

Charlotte and William had two daughters during their marriage. One, Mary Rose, died before her second birthday.  The other girl was Annie. She lived to adulthood and married James Kirkpatrick of Kingston who was a lawyer.  Their two girls were named Grace and Jessie. During the First World War they were nurses, and after the war they lived in a cottage called “Picton” in East Grinstead, Sussex, England.

We do know that while Reverend Macaulay appeared to be well-liked by his staff, there were periods of time where he was unable to pay them due to his financial woes. Prior to his second marriage, Reverend Macaulay was not particularly savvy when it came to his finances. As his first wife Ann was often ill and unable to manage the ‘books’, Rev. Macaulay tended to run up debts in town – not for anything scandalous, mind you – and would depend on his brother John to pick up the tab. He also neglected to regularly collect rent from the numerous tenants living on his property, which meant he was almost always cash-strapped. However, his second wife Charlotte not only brought a large dowry with her, but also the energy to oversee his spending and collect rent from their tenants.

After Reverend Macaulay’s death in 1874, the property passed to his wife Charlotte, and following her death, it was passed to their daughter. As she lived in England, it was held in trust on her behalf before being sold in the early 1900s. The property changed hands at least five times over the next 30 years before being purchased by the Bond family in 1935. The Bonds would live here until 1973, when the County purchased the house, and 4 acres of surrounding parkland for $50,000. 

Please proceed to the garden area on the left side of Macaulay House.

Stop #10 – The Kitchen Garden and Apple Orchard

There was an operational farm on this property in the mid-19th century, and this apple orchard in addition to the family’s kitchen garden, would have provided all the fruits and vegetables they needed. The farm and the gardens would have been managed by hired help.

From this vantage point, it is easy to see where the ‘new’ summer kitchen extends backward from the original structure. Cooking would have been done in this space during the hot summer months, which helped keep the main house cool. However, the farm manager’s quarters were located directly above the summer kitchen, so he would have been uncomfortably warm in the summer and freezing cold in the winter.

Lives of the Macaulay House Serving Staff
The compliment of female help would have been a cook, hired girls, and seamstresses. Their routines would have centered on cooking, housekeeping, and lamp maintenance. Other duties included taking down and cleaning the stove pipe, beating carpets, emptying chamber pots, washing and ironing, food storage (homemade preserves), keeping the inside of the house clean, and serving. The compliment of male help would have been a farm manager, itinerant farmers, and tenant farmers. Seasonally, the farm work would have included planting, harvesting, animal care, candle making, and preserving salted meats and vegetables.

Stop #11 – The Carriage House

This reconstructed Carriage House rests on the site of a former outbuilding from the Macaulay farm, and was relocated to this site from Bath, Ontario in 1998. It bridges the gap between Macaulay Heritage Park and Macaulay Mountain. You’ll notice the bat box on the east side of the building, alluding to the wildlife that call the Conservation Area home. 

The tour continues at Birdhouse City which is located nearby at Macaulay Conservation Area. You can access this site on foot by taking Whattam’s Walkway. You’ll find the entrance to the walkway on the far side of the Carriage House. The walkway ends at Macaulay Conservation Area. Proceed past the brown building on your left and you will find Birdhouse City on your left.

Birdhouse City

First opened in 1980, Birdhouse City has become a purposeful and whimsical miniature community that hosts over 100 birdhouses that are actually native bird nesting boxes. Most of the birdhouses replicate local buildings and speak to the unique character, culture, and history of Prince Edward County, but there are a few “international’ houses that have inserted themselves over the years.

Birdhouse City is maintained and managed by volunteers with the support of the community and in partnership with Quinte Conservation. In the fall of 2020, an extensive inventory was conducted to assess the state of the birdhouses and their posts, and assign birdhouses to volunteers.  The task is ambitious as years of rain, snow, wind, and over-use have taken their toll and and birdhouse needs to be taken down to be cleaned up, rebuilt or refinished, and painted. This work is taking place in the garages, back yards, and sheds of these ‘Birdhouse City Builders’ across the County. But with the use of more durable materials, a plan to maintain the City on a regular basis, and brand new signs for the birdhouses, the future looks chirpy and bright. Follow the City and its team of dedicated volunteers on Facebook and Instagram.

Stop #12 Where It All Began: The Massassauga Park Hotel 

Birdhouse City began with just one birdhouse– the Massassauga Park Hotel, built by Doug Harns, then superintendent of the conservation area. He wanted to build a bird house so large that it would go into the Guinness Book of Records (which sadly did not happen). He chose the historic Massassauga Park Hotel as his subject – a large hotel that once graced the shore of Massassauga Point, on land that is now part of Massassauga Point Conservation Area, in the northwest corner of Prince Edward County. The large, elegant hotel and adjacent dance pavilion was located beside a busy port and attracted summer vacationers from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s, before being demolished in 1934.

Stop #13 The Crystal Palace

Many of The County’s most notable architectural structures are replicated in Birdhouse City, including The Crystal Palace. Built in 1890 by F. T. Wright based on a plan by Andrew Irving, the building still stands on the Picton Fairgrounds on Main Street East. Picton’s Crystal Palace was inspired by the original Crystal Palace created by Sir Joseph Paxton in 1851 for the Great Exhibition in London England. Paxton’s design of expansive glass was inspired by his work with greenhouses. Following the Great Exhibition, “Crystal Palaces” sprang up throughout the world including New York City and locally in Napanee and Kingston. Sadly many have been demolished and ours is now one of the few original Crystal Palaces remaining in the world.

Picton’s Crystal Palace

Picton’s Crystal Palace Birdhouse | Courtesy of Birdhouse City

Stop #14 The Merrill Inn

This birdhouse replicates The Merrill House, built in 1878 in the Gothic Revival style for Edward Merrill (see stop at the grave of Samuel Merrill). The House, which stands at 343 Main Street in Picton, is now a boutique hotel. Merrill and his wife Carolyn later commissioned a smaller version of Merrill House nearby on Hill Street, overlooking the harbour. In 1905, suffering from a terminal disease, Judge Merrill hanged himself from the balcony of this Hill Street home.

Stop #15 The Octagonal House

There are two octagonal houses in Picton. The earliest one, The Roblin House, at 16 Main Street was built in 1858 for John Roblin, then the County registrar of crown lands agent and collector of customs. This house shape and “grout construction” – where a mixture of sand, gravel and mortar is poured into forms – were from a method recommended by phrenologist Orsen Squire Fowler. Fowler promoted the octagonal shape as the perfect building form. The second house, known as Fralick House, is a brick structure on the corner of King and Elizabeth Streets.

This concludes our tour. Feel free to wander and enjoy the birdhouses, and explore Macaulay Conservation Area and its trail network.

Birding Festival Migrates Online

For ten years, the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory and community partners have celebrated spring migration with the Spring Birding Festival (SBF) each May. This year, the Festival is going virtual with a month-long webinar series and family-friendly activities sure to capture the magic of spring in the County.

Webinar series

• As a highlight, on May 19 at 7 PM, the Festival presents keynote speaker Julia Zarankin, best-selling author of Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder. A modest registration fee gives exclusive access to her presentation.

All other webinars are free and include:

• On May 5 at 7pm, Terry Sprague, “Keep it Natural and They Will Come” suggests how to build a garden to attract birds and butterflies.
• On May 8, at noon, Cheryl Chapman spotlights PEPtBO’s work in “All about the Bird Observatory”.
• On May 20 at 10am, Julie White, organic apiarist, explains “What Goes on in the Beehive”.
• On May 25 at 7pm, Kari Gunson, in partnership with Prince Edward County Field Naturalists, shows “How to use iNaturalist”.

For the little chicks and family

PEPtBO’s Get Out! Kids’ Club will offer hands-on family fun with nature-centered activities. As part of the Festival, on May 15, the Prince Edward County Library will hold a virtual Bird Adventure Storytime at 10:30am. 

Two, unique family projects are also available to download : Bird Behaviour Scavenger Hunt and The Top Five Nature Challenge. In addition, families can register to receive a kit by mail containing birding activities, Junior Birder Journals, maps, sketch books – everything needed to take the family on outdoor family adventures this spring.  

Details and registration information for all the events can be found at peptbo.ca/sbf .

About the Observatory

PEPtBO is a registered charity with the mandate to monitor, report on and promote analysis of bird migration and to act as official caretaker of the Prince Edward County South Shore Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.

A New Place Called Home

For those of us with wanderlust, it’s been a tricky time. We’ve been dreaming of the trips we want to take. The places we want to explore. Instead, we’re left to find ways to experience our favourite destinations from a distance – through delivery, virtual experiences or just bookmarking inspo for future visits.

For those of you jonesing for trip to the County, there’s now another way to visit from the comfort of home: through your TV screen!

“A New Place Called Home” is a just-launched television series focusing on the people behind some of The County’s most beloved enterprises. People who made a big change in their life to come to The County and start a new journey. Created and directed by County resident Chrystelle Maechler, “A New Place Called Home” tells the stories of six County entrepreneurs: what brought them here, what inspired their journey and what keeps them going in their new place called home.

You can find the six-episode series of documentary shorts on VOD on Bell Fibe, channel 1 (listed under Kingston) and on the Bell Fibe TV app.

A new project in a new home

Chrystelle Maechler creates content for film, radio and television as a screenwriter, director and voice artist. When she and her husband came to The County, they were looking for their next project, and the idea for “A New Place Called Home” came to them. It was a very personal project. Chrystelle hails from France and husband Andreas Krätschmer, who filmed and edited the project, is from Germany. They’ve moved around a lot. The notion of “home” and how people perceive it was intriguing to them. Meeting and interviewing the show’s subjects was a great way to get to know their new community.

“We moved here and after three months, the pandemic hit. There were three months of normalcy, and the rest was abnormal,” says Chrystelle. “We learned about the community through their eyes and saw how nice it can be when it’s normal. They were so adamant about how the community is so strong here, and people are so nice and willing to help.”

Selecting the interview subjects was tough. The original list was long, but when they finally landed on the subjects for the six episodes, themes started to emerge. The people profiled in this series all have different stories. Despite their different paths, they all share a love of community and a love of the land. Their stories are not just about geographic moves, but also a major life changes, restarts and a big internal journeys.

Meet the stars of the show:

Mel Cannons and Paul Tobias

Melissa Cannons and Paul Tobias are the restaurateurs behind Idle Wild, a pan-Asian kitchen that serves up take-out at their popular Wellington storefront. Residents and visitors alike are treated to contemporary takes on classic dishes. Look out for Korean japchae, Filipino adobo and lumpia, Thai curries and Japanese maki rolls.

Aaron Armstrong

Aaron Armstrong is the owner and farmer at Blue Wheelbarrow Farm, whose organic greens and produce have supplied The County’s best restaurants for years. Aaron is a friendly face at farmers’ markets around The County. While the farm is on sabbatical in 2021, you can keep your eyes on Blue Wheelbarrow for future agritourism experiences.

Susan and Glen Wallis

Susan and Glen Wallis are not only the hosts at AWAY in the County bed and breakfast, they are also celebrated artists. Susan’s encaustic paintings of landscapes, nests, birches and more are on display throughout The County and at her own studio gallery Melt Studio. Glen is a designer and fabricator who makes the Canadian Screen Awards in his shop at the historic Camp Picton air base.

Alison Lawtey

Alison Lawtey is the owner of The Acres at High Shore bed and breakfast, a unique accommodation made of exquisitely re-designed shipping containers.  Ali, a former marketing ace, has lovingly restored a heritage barn on the property. She is the steward for acres of wetlands that attract a whole world of birds, bugs, beetles and small animals.

Sleiman Al Jasem

Sleiman Al Jasem arrived in The County as a Syrian refugee, and quickly found his place in the community. When the owners of The County’s only commercial fishery were looking for a succession plan, they connected with Sleiman. He was mentored by them, then took over the business and launched The County Catch. Look for his fresh-caught fish at the Picton Foodland, in his Sophiasburgh area shop and on the menu at local restaurants.

Joaquim and Amor Conde

Joaquim and Amor Conde of Quinta do Conde moved from the big city to The County to revive a small acreage farm with organic and regenerative farming techniques. You can visit their farm store near Black River for produce alongside Amor’s Antiques, or check out their “table at the farm” harvest dinners. Everything they serve at these unique culinary events comes from their land, and the experience includes an opportunity to tour the farm with Joaquim and learn about their farming practices.

10 Ways to Enjoy The County – from home

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, it should be a lovefest-extraordinaire when things get back to normal in Prince Edward County!

In the meantime, there are plenty of ways to show PEC some love by having The County’s bounty shipped right to the socially distant safety of your front door.

Here are but a few …

Practise (isolation) hydration: Order PEC beverages.

If you’re craving some isolation companions, most of The County’s wineries, breweries, cideries and lone distillery will deliver the goods – and quench your thirst. Check their social media channels and websites for available products, details, order minimums and to confirm shipping locations and fees. Many are offering free shipping or personal delivery.

The new PEC Wine Explorer app can help you find the perfect bottle by matching your individual taste preferences to a database of all PEC wines, resulting in an easy to navigate, personalized wine list with matching accuracy over 90%. With over 35 wineries and cideries and 200+wines and ciders in the system, there is something for everyone. 

Book some time (alone): Order PEC books.

Now is a great time to catch up on your reading, whether it’s dusting off that mystery you’ve always wanted to dive into, or perhaps brushing up on some County history. Books & Company has a good selection of books about and from PEC.

County Magazine

You can order books about The County from The County Magazine, including some favourites from local author Steve Campbell: Prince Edward County, An Illustrated History, and The County Handbook, a “wicked and witty primer to life in Prince Edward County, enjoyed equally by County newcomers and oldtimers.”

Email your local indie bookshop to ask about County authors, including Janet Kellough, Vicky Delaney, Ryan Aldred or Shani Mootoo.

Invisible Publishing

You can also find books that feature The County at Invisible Publishing, a local, small producer of contemporary Canadian fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. The Picton-based, not-for-profit publisher’s cool lineup includes Don’t Honk Twice, an anthology of County short stories.

Slip into something a little more County

The County T-shirts 2020 collection shows some love for Carrying Place, County diving (we have shipwrecks; it’s a thing!) and the usual favourites featuring Bike PEC and Agri + Culture. PEC T-shirt Company has also added a COVID-19 “flatten the curve” T-shirt, with $5 from every sale going to “support vulnerable people impacted by the virus.” Of course, while you’re on the website, check out all the other awesome PEC-centric gear.

Shed Chetwyn Farms also has a gorgeous selection of distinctive, high-quality alpaca fleece and yarn. Shed has everything from stuffed toys and booties for the wee ones to pillows and throws for the home to nesting fleece for the birds!

Or click into The Local Store’s new online boutique, featuring dozens of County-made products, including glassware, jewelry, photography, pottery, and more.

You’re so sweet!

There’s definitely no social distancing in a bee hive, and that’s great news for lovers of PEC honey. You can order your sweetness from local producers such as Prince Edward County Honey Company and Honey Pie Hives & Herbals.

Want that sweet taste without leaving home? Several County producers sell their syrup online, including Justin’s, Roblin’s and Vader’s Maple Syrup. Visit individual websites linked to Maple in the County for information.

Cheeses!

Holy cow, goat and water buffalo, these cheeses are good! You can pretty much order any of Fifth Town’s award-winning fromages individually, including Truffalo, Buffalina, Cape Vessy and Lemon Fetish, or get all of the aforementioned quartet in their cheese-care package, which also includes local salami and raw Fifth Town estate honey.

Wash your hands (again)

Everywhere you turn these days, somebody is telling you, advising you, begging you, ordering you to wash your hands! Again. And again. And again!

Luckily, The County has a number of amazing makers of quality soaps that will not only wash away those pesky germs, but leave your hands smelling fresh and clean. Check out the great soap products at Prince Edward County Lavender Farm, Millefleurs Lavender & Honey Farm, and Honey Pie Hives & Herbals. Gentle, hand-made soaps can also be ordered from Savon du Bois. And while you’re on their sites, add some of their other fantastic products into your cart – they’ll appreciate the support.

And remember that our favourite County distiller, Kinsip House of Fine Spirits, continues to crank out hand sanitizer, which they’re selling in their online shop. (Don’t worry – they’ve still got plenty of booze in their online store too!)

Face(book) the music: Stream your fave County artists.

Live music is such an integral part of The County vibe, but you don’t have to miss out just because you can’t physically be here right now. Many of the artists you’re used to seeing are streaming impromptu live shows on social media, including Instant Rivalry, Benni Vander, Miss Emily and many more.

The Waring House is showcasing several crowd favourites on its Facebook site, such as Greg Wyard, Mark Despault and Robert Keyes. They’ve even launched online trivia.

Check the artist’s individual Facebook, Instagram and web pages for upcoming streaming shows, or to see past performances.

Show someone some (safe) love

While it seems like COVID-19 has put the world on pause, nature and time are still doing their thing. Animals are blissfully unaware, happily grazing on all the fresh greens that spring brings. Birthdays and anniversaries happen daily. Babies are being born. So, to maintain some sense of normalcy, we must still celebrate all those special occasions – virtually, of course.

Make someone’s special day by sending them a gift certificate from one of the County businesses on SupportLocalPEC.ca, or have one of the aforementioned products shipped directly to their door. We guarantee it will put a huge smile on their face!

And when the time is right to visit The County, they’ll use that gift certificate and thank you all over again.

Reminisce about (viral-free) days gone by

Ever wonder why we call it the Loyalist Parkway? What the barley days were? Or, how that lake really got up on the mountain?

Brush up on your County history by following The County Museums on Facebook and Instagram – be sure to catch their daily ‘museum mind bender’ for insightful trivia and fun facts. (Did you know The County has had two exotic animal establishments?)

Prefer to binge-watch your history lessons? Grab the popcorn, settle in and get ready to be schooled by Peter Lockyer and his History Lives Here videos. The History Moments series packs nuggets of local information into 2-5 minute videos on topics ranging from local geography, industry, families, buildings and Indigenous People.

Enjoy our home (from your home): Keep tabs on what’s going on in PEC.

The County is like a swan on the water… everything seems calm up above, but down below, it’s paddling like crazy.

So, while businesses are finding new ways to work, there’s still plenty going on. Farmers are farming, brewers are brewing, winemakers are wine-ing, and just about everyone is planning for life after COVID-19.

We can’t wait to see you – hopefully soon. Until then, like the song from The Police says: “Don’t stand so close to me.”

Be safe. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @visitthecounty and Facebook at VisitTheCounty.

by George Amaro (updated April 2021 by Anne Munro)

Wellness in The County

After a l-o-n-g lockdown, home schooling, working from home, separation from loved ones, and whatever else the pandemic could throw at us, we all deserve a little pampering. Here are 16+ ways to take some “me time,” whether at the spa, in nature or on a yoga mat.

Please note that public health travel advisories and orders are changing frequently during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please consult our COVID-19 Essential Info page for the latest updates.

Image courtesy of Bloomfield Beauty Co

Spa

Developing a hunch from working at the kitchen table? Hitting the “hide self” button on Zoom more and more? Maybe it’s time for a little self-care at the spa. Personal care services where masks can be worn at all time – such as haircuts and massage – are part of Step 2 of the province’s Roadmap for Re-opening. The County’s spas are ready to welcome you back.

Bloomfield Beauty Co & Cafe offers a range of medical aesthetic services, registered massage therapy, manicures and pedicures, hair removal and cosmetic treatments. Try the aptly-named Unwind Massage, a two-hour treatment sure to work out the kinks.

iFloat Spa specializes in Flotation Therapy, REST Therapy (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) or Sensory Deprivation. Float in your very own pod, in a salt-water solution in a specially designed tank for relaxation. A perfect way to tune out the worries of the world.

Guests of The Manse Boutique Inn & Spa can enjoy the pool and hot tub in the B&B’s beautiful garden, as well as registered massage therapy from in-house massage therapists.

Natural Beauty Mini Spa is an oasis of calm off Main Street Picton, offering the classic spa favourites, including manicures and pedicures. Reservations a must!

RELATED: Insider’s Guide to Summer in Prince Edward County

Wellness, beauty and natural products

Featured in House and Home magazine, Field Made Goods is a must-shop for locally-made, nature-derived products, including beeswax candles, wood turned candlesticks and ceramics. The shop also carries Sunday’s Company, a line of skin care products made in small batches, using only natural ingredients.

Love of Lavender offers County-grown lavender products, including sachets, bath and body products, along with some Ontario-made beauty products online or in-store. Or go to the source: spend some time in the lavender fields of Millefleurs.

Savon du Bois carries an extensive offering of essential oils, natural skin care products and zero-waste alternatives, available from their charming Main Street Picton store or online.

Nourish the Soul has tea blends and essential oils, one-on-one aromatherapy and crystal healing sessions, as well as ‘Soul Nourishing’ sessions available by booking. Shop for the mystical, metaphysical, and magical products you have been looking for. 

Scandiskin carries Nordic-inspired, small batch skin care products and a growing line of products gathered from across Scandinavia. Her shop on Main Street Bloomfield will appeal to those seeking clean, natural products. Handmade products are also available now on her website, itself an oasis of Zen.

Connect with Nature

Artist Susan Wallis has teamed up with registered herbalist Tamara Segal and artist/herbalist Bay Woodyard for PAUSE, an experience that starts with forest bathing and foraging before heading to Wallis’ new Loch Sloy studio/gallery to work with wax, pigments and found objects to make an encaustic painting.

RELATED: Reserve now, relax later

Yoga with a twist 

A summer hit in 2020, Goat Yoga with Mikenze is coming back for another season. Starting in late May, you will be able to take a fun yoga class along with 8-10 Nigerian Dwarf goats and kids on Saturday mornings. Hosted at OnceUponA Farm in Picton, pre-registration begins in late April. Classes are capped at 12, so be sure to mark your calendar.

Alpaca yoga | Courtesy of Chetwyn Farms

Looking for more workouts with furry friends? Yoga with Alpacas at Chetwyn Farms is back for the third year. Beginning in June, join yoga instructor Alison Kelly and the Chetwyn Farms alpacas in the riding ring for yoga sessions surrounded by idyllic scenery, as the alpacas quietly watch you practice your poses. 

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings, start off with Yoga in the (Vine)Yard at Karlo Estates. Reservations are essential to manage COVID protocols. Find more details here. Or spend Tuesday evenings or Sunday mornings on the mat among the vines – and reward yourself with a glass of wine – at Waupoos Winery. Or spend Saturday at noon stretching out at Casa Dea Estates Winery. More details here.

If yoga from the comfort and safety of home sounds more appealing, Viniyoga Connection classes with Kelly Cade have moved online, with semi-private or private lessons also available. 

On Saturdays in July and August, take part in Backyard Yoga at Sand and Pearl Oyster Bar and then grab a vegan poke bowl lunch.

Health and specialty food

Penny’s Pantry in Picton is a great local resource for healthy bulk, local and specialty diet foods. Penny will send interested customers an email listing her bulk food offerings (mostly organic) as well as a menu listing prepared food and baking to purchase. 

Looking for some specialty, organic and whole food options you can’t get in a regular grocery store? Stop by The Good Place in Wellington or The Green Root in Rossmore for specialty foods that cater to many different dietary and nutrition needs. Staff will walk you through the store to introduce you to foods for lifestyle changes or if you are new to food restrictions.

Looking for more health and wellness offerings in Prince Edward County? See our listings of Health and Wellness services in PEC.

By Amy White. (Updated July 2021)

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

I’m just going to say it, I’m an espresso snob. For a short eight-month stint I was a barista at a quirky coffee shop, forever solidifying my snobbery and ultimate need for an expertly crafted flat-white. Drip coffee is foreign to me as I am forever in search of the perfect crema. 

Since I was already seeking out all the coffee, I asked Visit The County to let me write a blog about it. What is extra wonderful about this topic is that The County is undergoing an espresso Renaissance. Eight new spots have opened over the past year alone, pulling shots and serving the higher power that is caffeine. 

Article by Gaby Cole

The Big Three: Coffee in the Towns

Wellington

The cooler and often windier climate of this mecca on the water is ideal for a walk with hands wrapped around a warm coffee cup. 

Enid Grace Culinary’s Piccolina Bar & Mercato. Pair their signature blend direct from Italy with a bombolina, cornetti, or monete, and order extra. Take some time with the menu, it pays homage to Italian markets and offers a different variety of espresso beverages. 

Oak Surf Club coffee window is perfect for a quick stop. Serving Anchored Coffee out of Nova Scotia, which has a great variety of beans. Beans are also available for purchase. 

The newest addition to the village is Hello Bonjour. They serve quality beans by the perfectionist roasters of Pilot Coffee and add a unique twist to their brews. Here you’ll find brightly coloured and healthful Superfood lattes, and vegan doughnuts. While they do not have an espresso machine on site, you won’t miss it after trying their Dalgona Coffee, a whipped, cold concoction with enough caffeine to shock the system of the most seasoned coffee drinker. 

Drake Devonshire. Right on the water, the Drake is featured on of the top 100 patios in Canada. They have espresso to stay or to go. 

On Saturdays in the summer, the Wellington Farmer’s Market brings in more coffee offerings, highlighting both local and visiting vendors. Check out their website to find out who will be at the market. 

Good Place offers a selection of pick me ups, and not just in the caffeinated form. They are the only spot in The County to offer Bullet Proof Coffee. Here you’ll find the popular Cherry Bomb as well as juices and smoothies. 

Bloomfield

There is no better place to grab a to-go coffee and take a stroll. With well-curated art galleries, antique shops and beautiful gardens, Bloomfield is the ultimate location to unwind.  

Saylor House Cafe. A cozy, out-of-the-way breakfast and lunch spot in the heart of the village with a small tea and drip coffee menu. Enjoy your brew in their garden patio away from the busy street.

If you prefer to be a part of the hustle and bustle of this tiny hamlet, Bloomfield Public House Market’s patio is great for people watching. They make a fantastic flat white and offer a great selection of teas and other bevies. They are currently the only cafe serving up locally roasted humble coffee co.

Bloomfield Beauty Co. You might not expect it, but there is a hidden gem of a cafe inside the Beauty Co. They serve up a list of teas and specialty coffees, perfectly paired with a pedicure.

Picton

No matter where you find yourself on Main Street, you’ll be sure to be steps away from your next brew.

Located on the western edge of Main Street, perfectly placed beside the LCBO, The Agrarian Market serves their namesake blend from Cherry Bomb coffee. Make sure to pick up some fresh breads and pastries to pair with your brew. 

The Vic has always been passionate about a good coffee and their drip coffee using Reunion Island beans is carefully brewed. Partake in the coolest pivot in town and enjoy it as part of a drive-in breakfast. 

Right next door, the Bean Counter serves up locally roasted organic Fairtrade County Roasters and lovingly made in-house baked goodies. They also have the largest selection of specialty drinks and cold brews. Try their Mean Bean for a deliciously cool pick-me-up on scorching days.

Beacon Bike + Brew serves Quietly Coffee and a killer breakfast sammy. You’ll also find canned cold brew coffee, teas, and the prettiest Blume Tea lattes.  

A few doors down, the adorable hole-in-the-wall cafe, Picnic, serves up local fav Cherry Bomb Coffee, with nitro cold brew on tap. 

Hidden among hand-crafted artisanal soaps and apothecary items, Savon du Bois brews up Toronto’s ethically-sourced Merchant on the Green beans. 

Attached to the local independent bookstore, Books and Company, Lily’s Cafe serves up espresso and a selection of drip coffees from Pilot Roasters and Cherry Bomb. 

Tucked away in Picton’s small didn’t-know-we-had-one Industrial Park, you’ll find local favourite, The Lunch Box. They use Bridgehead Beans for their selection of espresso bevvies and create some phenomenal in-house baked goods for pairing. 

Emergency Coffee: Pick Me Ups Outside the Towns

While you won’t struggle to find a good brew at one of the three main hubs in The County, it can be difficult out in the wild if you are out antiquing or in search of our hidden beaches and best wineries. 

Sophiasburgh

Demorestville Café & Convenience. Finally a café in Demorestville! Locals rejoiced at this new addition featuring espresso plus pantry staples. Refreshingly, the owners do not use social media, so you’ll have to stop by and see what’s new!

Consecon

The Consecon Honey House is your go-to spot for an espresso coming in our out of The County from the west. Their cheery decor and delightful baked goods make this a must-stop when in the Consecon area.

Wellington Rotary Beach

Need a boost to get your beach day started? The County Coffee Truck offers hot and cold coffee along with baked goods at the Wellington Rotary Beach on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Not A Morning Person?

Prefer to not have anyone see you before your first caffeine jolt? There are spots within The County to grab beans and all you need to make the perfect cup at home.

Coffee Roasters & Beans

Over that past few years, Stone Temple Coffees has been creating an international brand that is Certified Fair Trade and USDA Organic. Their newly opened headquarters in Cherry Valley is surrounded by giant weeping willows and is one of the most idyllic spots to grab beans (and have them custom ground on-site). They also have full sized bottles of Monin so you can add your favourite flavor shot to your morning cuppa. With thirteen roast profiles available, including in-house blends and single origin beans, the company is looking to expand in the near future by opening a cafe and tasting bar.

Vortex. A micro-roaster based out of Prince Edward County, Vortex can be found in the quaintest of spots, including Flora Lora’s Farm Stand and Sunnydale Farms. Currently only whole beans are available. 

PEPtBO (Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory) beans is a fundraising initiative for our local observatory. These shade-grown, bird-friendly beans can be found at a variety of locations around The County including The Local Store just outside of Bloomfield and Curious Goat General Store. Not your average general store, this off-grid homestead and farm stand on Old Milford Road is one of the few spots in the southern area of The County to grab beans. 

Parson’s Brewing Company. For a brewery that carries a line of stouts, it’s only fitting they should also carry a smoky, chocolatey roast. The beans are organically grown in the Highlands of Lake Atitlan in Central America by Samantha Parson’s father and locally roasted. 

Known for their delicious bread that regularly sells out at the market, humble bread also roasts regular and decaf beans every week. You can grab them on Saturdays in Wellington or place an order online for curbside pick up at their barn. 

Coffee Gear

Zest Kitchen Shop carries a variety of coffee brewing gear including grinders, milk frothers, and coffee makers from Aeropress to French Press.

For stovetop coffee, you’ll find gorgeous Moka pot’s imported from Italy at Piccolina.

Huskee Cups are a must purchase and when we are allowed to use reusable cups again, perfect for offsetting this time when we are using disposable coffee cups. Find them at Beacon along with coffee holders and coffee making devices such as a Collapsible Coffee Dripper. 

There is nothing better than wrapping your hands around a perfectly made coffee mug. The County prides itself on some amazing ceramicists, potters and artisans. For just a few ideas, check out Field Made Goods and The Ye11ow Studio in Picton, Wellington Pottery in Wellington, Mena Dragonfly, and The Local Store just outside of Bloomfield. You’ll be sure to find the ideal mug that will add that much more delight to your morning ritual.

To suggest updates and additions to this blog, contact Visit The County.

Maple Syrup Time in PEC

Please note that the Province of Ontario is not recommending non-essential travel between zones. If you do travel, please travel responsibly: stick with people in your own household, limit contact with others and follow all public health guidelines.

With so much that is unrecognizable these days, the return of sap flowing through the trees seems especially comforting.

It’s a sign that the earth is spinning, as it always has, and that better days are on the way. But needless to say, this maple season will not look like ones we are used to.

Maple in the County, the annual festival celebrating all things maple, is taking a COVID-inspired break this year. So while there’s no festival, conditions are ideal and local producers are hard at work producing maple syrup, maple butter and other products.

The Good News? If you’re in the neighbourhood or want to order from local producers online, there are definitely ways to get your maple fix.

If your COVID survival plans include mastering the cocktail shaker, the new Maple Love is Forever Kit from Kinsip House of Fine Spirits is for you and includes maple whisky, whisky barrel aged maple syrup, maple walnut bitters and 2 glasses. Can be ordered online for delivery or pickup.

If cider is more your jam, Crimson Cider’s Oh So Sappy is an off dry maple cider, available as a stand alone 750ml bottle or as part of a Maple Basket with local syrup and maple candy. Free delivery to PEC and area, Toronto, Durham and Ottawa.

The County Cider Company has a March Cider Box includes cans of cider and local maple candy, plus bonus mystery ciders with free shipping. Here’s a great use for that County cider:

A small number of local businesses have joined together to offer March Maple Madness, @marchmaplemadnesspec on Instagram, featuring syrup-laden events and sugar shacks with that sweet steam rising every weekend in March.

• Bring your bubble to Three Dog Winery for waffles with syrup and beans, plus marshmallows by the bonfire. There is also opportunities (albeit limited) for private groups to take a shuttle through 100-year-old woods down to the sugar shack for a hands-on demonstration of the maple syrup process (reservations required).
• Walk the trails through the sugar maples at Walt’s Sugar Shack and reward your labours with their changing offerings of maple inspired and infused food.
• Smokin Rednex will be serving up smoked maple BBQ fare at County Shores sugar shack.
• Waupoos Winery and Sugarbush’s petting zoo and sugar shack are open and, for those who prefer glass plates and real cutlery, the restaurant is serving a Maple Brunch.

Remember that social distancing and other COVID-19 protocols remain in place at all venues. Keep in mind that opening hours and offerings can change and some events require reservation. Check before you leave.

Want that sweet taste without leaving home? Several County producers sell their syrup online, including Justin’s, Roblin’s and Vader’s Maple Syrup.

County Maple Dressing

This recipe comes to us from Smokin Rednex. John says it’s a versatile maple-forward dressing. Don’t feel like making it yourself? John has it for sale at his food truck at County Shores every weekend in March.

Ingredients
2 cups vinegar of your choice, such as apple cider|
1 cup County maple syrup
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Instructions
Mix and drizzle at will.

10 Fun Facts about Maple Syrup 🍁

1. Getting the sap that makes maple syrup running involves the right mix of warm and cool temperatures. In the spring, the sap wood layer of the sugar maple – located just underneath the bark of the tree – acts as a super highway bringing necessary sugars up from the roots to feed new growth. When night-time temperatures dip below freezing, the sap wood contracts, creating negative pressure that draws the sap up. Warm daytime temperatures help the sap wood expand, creating positive pressure that causes the sap to flow. That yo-yoing of temperatures is necessary to keep the sap pumping.

2. Maple syrup is an Indigenous invention generously taught to early French settlers. Maple curing meats is also an Indigenous custom that has been widely adopted.

3. It takes 40 gallons of syrup to make one gallon of syrup. To put that in perspective, that’s as much liquid as fills an average bathtub, boiled down to the equivalent of a carton of milk.

4. The average sugar maple tree produces anywhere from 5 to 15 gallons of sap, which means the sap from 2.5 trees needs to be combined to make a single gallon of syrup.

5. Syrup’s flavour depends on when the sap runs. Early season sap tends to be lighter in colour and flavour. Later in the season, when temperatures are warmer, the sap darkens. The darker the colour, the stronger the maple flavour. This year North America is switching to a new grading system for syrup!

6. Sap straight from the tree is mostly water – only 2% sugar. That’s why maple producers boil it down, aiming for a minimum of 66% sugar in their syrup.

7. Maple syrup can be a one-to-one substitution for liquid sweeteners such as honey, molasses and corn syrup. To swap out granulated sweeteners like sugar, use 2/3 cup of maple syrup for every 1 cup of granulated sugar, reduce the quantity of liquid ingredients in the recipe and lower the baking temperature.

8. Pure maple syrup has the same beneficial classes of antioxidant compounds found in berries, tomatoes, tea, red wine, whole wheat and flax seed.

9. Tapping a tree leaves a scar. When the sap runs out, the tree naturally closes over the wound. But tapping needs to be done carefully and correctly, as it can expose the tree to microorganisms that can kill the tree.

10. Unopened maple syrup can be stored at room temperature, but once opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator. Syrup can last a long time, but it can also crystallize or mould. Crystallization is a reflection of a syrup’s sugar content and isn’t harmful. Mould too can be removed using a clean Q-tip. But maple producers would encourage you to just buy a new bottle!

10+ Things To Do when it Rains

Into every life, a little rain must fall. Even – gasp! – during a Prince Edward County getaway. If it’s raining in The County, here are some suggestions for where to find the silver lining in those unwelcome grey clouds.

Indoor space is at a premium due to physical distancing protocols – be sure to call ahead, check websites and socials and make a reservation wherever possible to be sure there is space! Please note that public health travel advisories and orders are changing frequently during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please consult our COVID-19 Essential Info page for the latest updates.

Rainy day in the vineyard | Photo Credit: Terry Culbert

1. Take a trip around the horn

Most visitors stop in Hillier, Picton or Sandbanks, but many don’t make it all the way around to The County’s more isolated areas, including the South Shore, Sophiasburgh, Ameliasburgh, Waupoos and Cressy. Check out Road Trippin’ Off the Beaten Path for ideas for routes and stops.

Stop for blueberries, wine, cider and more in Waupoos, or travel out along the horn to Cressy, where you’ll find cheese, mustard and some rather grand summer homes. (And since Lake  Ontario can also produce wild swings in the weather, you may find yourself leaving rain and finding sunshine.)

RELATED: Reserve Now, Relax Later

Wellington Heritage Museum

2. Step back in time

Visit one of the three The County’s Museums scheduled to open on set days for summer 2021. Macaulay Heritage Park in Picton features Macaulay House, restored to the mid 1850s; the historic former Church of St. Mary Magdalene, now a museum; the old parish cemetery; heritage gardens and the carriage house. Wellington Heritage Museum, located in the heart of the village of Wellington, was built in 1885 as a Quaker Meeting House and now features exhibits on local history. Ameliasburgh Heritage Museum has grown from one building, in 1968, to a full pioneer village. The main structure was built in 1868 as a Wesleyan Methodist Church. Over the years, several additional buildings have been added to the site, including a log cabin, display barns, an operational blacksmith shop, a sap shanty, dairy and bee-keeping buildings, and a large stone building housing the Goldie Corliss 18 foot flywheel.

RELATED: Insider Tips for a Summer County Holiday 

3. Craft your own barn quilt tour

Stay warm and dry in the car while playing a little barn quilt bingo. Keep an eye out for one of more than 100 blocks adorning County barns and buildings. These eight-foot square (and smaller) painted replicas of quilt blocks are painted on wooden boards, then mounted on a barn or other building. Barn quilts draw attention to Ontario’s disappearing rural landscapes, timber frame barns, and the family farm. 

4. Play a game

Escape rooms meet history at Escape Camp Picton. Visit the iconic WW2 air force training base and test your wits in an escape room game or order their Arrow’s Secret puzzle box for play-at-home fun. If jigsaw puzzles are more your jive, Books & Company and Bonkers and Green Gables have great selections, plus other games to boot.

In non-COVID, winter months, Grange of Prince Edward Winery comes prepared with games | Photo Credit: Daniel Vaughan

RELATED: Summer 2021 Visitor Checklist

5. Visit an artist

Part of what gives The County its unique vibe is its rich vein of creativity. Check out the Arts Trail online, a PEC Studio Tour guide and explore galleries and artists’ studios, home to painters, potters, glassblowers, fibre artists, photographers, jewellery makers and more. Looking for a one-stop-shop on local art? On a day when its raining in The County you can easily spend the afternoon wandering around SideStreet Gallery, Melt Studio and Gallery, Mad Dog Gallery or The Local Store, which opens for the season in May, finding all sorts of County gems.

Owner/operator Alex Sproll at Trail Estate pouring samples| Photo Credit: Daniel Vaughan

6. Taste the terroir 

The County’s bedrock of calcareous limestone is what gives the soil the minerality needed to produce world-class wines. From citrusy chardonnay grapes to full-bodied malbec, winemakers here are bottling up a bit of sunshine every season. Book a tour – whether in cars, carriages or bicycles – or plan your own trip with thePrince Edward County Wine Growers Association map or their new PEC Wine Explorer App.

Or take  in some of the craft breweries, cideries, the distillery, or a meadery. By your fifth stop, you won’t even notice the rain!

7. Seek retail therapy

Whether you’re a big spender or just a window shopper there are dozens of stores and shops in downtown Picton, Bloomfield, Wellington and Consecon to peruse when its raining in The County. Clothes, books, locally-made arts and food products, body-care, antiques, furniture, knitting goods and even PEC-branded swag – there’s something for everyone.

8. Pick up a book

Perhaps the rain is a sign to slow down. If so, head to Books & Company for a wander amongst the shelves of bestsellers, specialty magazines, local poetry and lore. There’s also a huge selection of kids books, toys and board games. And Pushkin, the store cat, will undoubtedly commiserate about the unfortunate weather. For specialty books, try Zest Kitchen Shop for recipes and culinary tomes, Carbon Life for out-of-the-box books on politics, justice, history and design, and KOKITO for cute books for kids.

All of The County’s six library branches (Picton, Bloomfield, Wellington, Milford, Consecon, and Ameliasburgh) are packed with cozy nooks, books, and often kids programming or activity spaces. Their staff are pretty amazing too for recommendations and local tips. Check their websites for opening hours and services.

Grey day at the Wellington lakeshore | Photo Credit: Terry Culbert

9. Set yourself a fancy table

Grab some takeout from one of the County’s many restaurants and find your new favourite bottle of wine. Then set a fancy table with new napkins, plates, place mats, vases or other goodies from one of the County’s many houseware shops like Zest Kitchen Shop, The Ye11ow, KOKITO, Green Gables, Gilbert & Lighthall.  Add some flowers from Coriander Girl, Floralora or Flowers by Marvin and make your dine-at-home experience extra special.

10. Embrace the rain

#CountyUp and embrace the weather with a visit to the shoreline. Consider parking on Main Street and heading for a walk at Wellington Beach, where wild winds can churn up some amazing waves, which put on a show as they crash into the iconic beacon. If you’d rather stay dry during your weather watching, grab a table on the covered patios at the Drake Devonshire, The Vic Drive-In, Parsons Brewing or Isaiah Tubbs Resort.

11. Stay warm and dry at the Drive-In

Rainy evenings gotcha down? The Mustang Drive-In has movies rain or shine and it’s a well known Sandbanks camper secret that rather than spend the night in a tent in the rain.. spend it laughing and snuggling in your car! 

And remember: rain helps the garden grow, which means better farm-to-table produce at the next meal!

Updated June 2021.

Virtually Here: The County in February

It’s The County in February. It’s freezing and a global pandemic has been altering life as we know it for 11 months – and counting. As a result, staying connected – to the people, places, and activities we love – can feel overwhelming.

Fortunately, The County party is still on this February, thanks to three local masters of the pandemic pivot. The County Museums, The Department of Illumination, and Escape Camp Picton bring you Flashback February, ICE BOX and The Arrow’s Secret puzzle box, respectively. And all this fun is available to enjoy at home!

Read on for an amazing array of County-inspired, COVID-safe activities. We’ve got inspiration for everyone from locals to locked down County lovers pining for their next in-person visit. We’ve got this – through the February freeze and beyond! 

Stay Connected with Flashback February

First up is Flashback February: The Living Room Edition! From February 15-20, 2021, The County Museums and their community partners are taking their annual exploration of The County’s heritage online.

Longing to connect with The County’s natural surroundings? Flashback February offers a chat with local naturalist Terry Sprague about the interplay between our environmental and human histories. Green thumbs can summon springtime with a session on native plants.

Want to dig in to our more mysterious side? Join a live-streamed edition of the Museums’ popular Graveyards and Gallows tour.

Delve into post-war Canadian connections to the Holocaust with speaker Melissa Mikel. Learn about local tools for piecing together histories of your own family and home with the Seventh Town Historical Society and the Marilyn Adams Genealogical Research Centre. The list of intriguing and informative events goes on!

Ready to go all in? Get access to all of the Flashback February events and some extra perks with the Flashback Pass.

Stay Creative with The Department of Illumination

In good times and bad, you can find The Department of Illumination bringing a steady stream of art-filled joy to Prince Edward County. A collective sigh of relief followed the announcement that ICE BOX – a midwinter burst of colour and creativity – would return this pandemic winter! 2021’s at-home / physically-distanced incarnation runs from February 20th-28th. 

Rainbow Dance parties – what’s not to love?! Shake off the winter blahs with free daily 40-minute Zoom sessions with dancer Arwyn Carpenter. All ages, bodies, and levels of experience are welcome. Come one day or every day. And for bonus fun points, join the physically-distanced flash mobs on Sunday the 28th!

The Art in Isolation PEC outdoor exhibition, another ICE BOX 2021 treat, runs from February 20th-28th at Armoury Square (206 Main Street, Picton). It features 96 works of art by 66 County artists created over one month during the spring 2020 lockdown. Exhibition catalogues are available for purchase on the Department of Illumination’s website.

As Artistic Director Krista Dalby says, “Art has the power to lift people’s spirits”. Luckily, the Department of Illumination’s spirit-lifting work continues all year round! Follow them on social media and sign up for their e-newsletter for up-to-date info on ICE BOX and all of their programming. For instance, you can look forward to Join our HERD, a parade on the Millennium Trail in collaboration with DeRAIL Art & Architecture (Spring 2021); The Scarecrow Festival (October 9 & 10 2021); and the Firelight Lantern Festival planned for November 6, 2021.

Stay Curious with Escape Camp Picton

Groundhog Day may have come and gone, but all the days of our pandemic lives can feel a tad… repetitive. Why not switch it up for your next games or date night? Take flight – at Mach 2 speed – into the world of the Avro Arrow! Introducing Escape Camp Picton’s latest offering, The Arrow’s Secret – a limited edition solve-at-home puzzle box.

This handcrafted game is part puzzle, part escape room, part interactive mystery, and part history lesson. Most importantly, it’s all parts fun.

The Avro Arrow was a marvel of Canadian aeronautic ingenuity. It flew its first test flights over Lake Ontario and Prince Edward County – where your puzzle journey begins – before the project was abruptly cancelled. Decipher clues, crack codes, and discover who killed the Arrow – all while bonding with your bubble! The game is best suited for adults – but kids 10+ can happily join the puzzle party with some assistance. The Arrow’s Secret can be shipped anywhere in Canada, or picked up at Escape Camp Picton’s HQ.

The pivots continue! The Escape Camp Picton team is busy crafting exciting new game experiences to debut this spring and summer. This summer you can play a new outdoor escape room/obstacle course at their historic site. Or take in the full Camp Picton Experience featuring a walking tour, puzzle-solving, wartime food, plus a “make your own take-home escape room” activity! And of course, when it’s safe to do so, they will reopen their popular WW2 espionage-themed in-person escape rooms.

A Virtual Visit

With all this fun at your fingertips, if you can’t visit The County in person this February, you van visit virtually! For more information, check in with The County Museums, The Department of Illumination and Escape Camp Picton.

This post is sponsored by The County Museums, The Department of Illumination and Escape Camp Picton, with support from the Regional Tourism Organization 9.

Macaulay’s Debts

by Jessica Chase, Assistant Curator of The County Museums

Learn more about William Macaulay, a leading figure in the development of Picton and Prince Edward County at Macauley House and Macaulay Heritage Park.

William Macaulay became a land baron at only six, when he inherited 400+ acres of land in Hallowell from his father, a wealthy merchant with sizeable land holdings through eastern Ontario. But the young Macaulay wasn’t always wise with his wealth – and his debt management shadowed him and his family for decades.

While William’s brother, John, decided to pursue a career in government, William looked to the church. He completed a degree in theology at Oxford University, was ordained in 1819, and settled at Hallowell to establish The County’s first Anglican parish, now part of Macaulay Heritage Park.

William married Ann Geddes in 1829, and due to his extensive land holdings and family connections, they lived in relative comfort.

It was around this time that William started referring to his neighbourhood as “Picton,” after General Thomas Picton, a Napoleonic War figure who he admired. (While Picton was lauded as a capable soldier, he was also decried for the brutality and torture he employed during the decade he was Governor of Trinidad.)

While land-rich, Rev. Macaulay was not particularly savvy with his money.

Family letters reference debts owed to local merchants, as well as those in Kingston, Toronto and elsewhere. His brother John frequently wrote to their mother complaining about William’s flippant attitude regarding his debts, and annoyed with the fact that William sometimes borrowed money against John’s good name without asking permission.

A seemingly casual attitude toward paying off these debts, combined with a tendency to not collect rent from tenants on his land and his wife’s chronic poor health, meant that the Reverend often found himself in a tight financial spot.

This did not bode well for those employed by him.

The Macaulays, as a prominent local family, employed a household staff consisting of between two and four female servants: one to cook, and the others to keep house, do the washing and attend to the family’s general needs. There were also a small number of male labourers who worked Macaulay’s farm and tended to the family’s livestock.

Being a domestic servant in the mid-19^th century was no picnic, as all members of the household staff were awake well before the Macaulay family to ensure that the Reverend and his wife were kept warm and fed.

The female staff would creep down the servants’ staircase before dawn to start a fire in the hearth in the home’s main kitchen, and get to work on the day’s tasks. The fire stayed lit the whole day to cook the family’s meals, boil water for bathing and washing, and to generate heat for the entire home, including the female servants’ quarters, which were directly above this main, winter kitchen.

In the summer months, the female staff would move out of the winter kitchen and cook over a stove in the cooler summer kitchen. This kept the rooms used by the Macaulays at a comfortable temperature.

The accommodation for male staff, however, was directly located above the summer kitchen. This unfortunately meant that it was freezing cold in winter and stiflingly hot in summer.

Wages for domestic servants depended heavily on how many staff worked in the home, and whether a household was rural or urban. In the case of the Macaulays’ staff, by the mid-1840s the manager of their farm had an annual wage of about £23 per year (approximately $5,000 in today’s currency).

The family’s cook was paid about £5 annually, and the other female servants likely would have earned less. Their room and board was always looked after, and the money they earned was often put into savings accounts or sent overseas to family members.

In 1846, however, Ann Macaulay wrote to her brother-in-law expressing anxiety and feelings of regret because she and her husband had been unable to pay their servants for months on end.

“I cannot be happy or at ease in the least are long as I think that people will have to be put off when they call for what is justly their due.”

Countylicious Farm-to-Table

Countylicious has always been a celebration of farm-to-table dining, but farm-to-table is on the menu throughout the year. The County is abundant with agriculture, from traditional produce and livestock farming to winegrowing, organic and micro-farming, foraging, fisheries and more. County chefs and farmers work in partnership to bring local flavours to the plate.

While many County restaurants have a strong farm-to-table ethos, we want to shout out a few whose local food game is strong.

Drake Devonshire

At the Drake Devonshire, The County is on the menu. Literally. Their Chef proudly lists the local farmers and producers whose bounty is showcased on her three-course Countylicious dinner menu. The menu features the harvest of generations-old farms like Honey Wagon, Campbell’s Orchard, and Nyman’s Maple alongside the next generation of farmers like Fifth Town Artisan Cheese. The Drake’s drink list is County-forward as well with house wines from Rosehall Run and beer and cider from at least a half-dozen local brewers.

Drake Devonshire requires reservations for dinner. They have developed their own set of covid safety protocols called Good Clean Fun, acknowledging that “this is a serious moment, but we don’t want you to stop having fun.”

Waupoos Estates Winery and Restaurant

In arguably one of the most beautiful corners of The County, Waupoos Estates Winery and Restaurant sits on 100 acres of farmland on the shores of Waupoos Bay. Their fully-functioning farm produces vegetables, fruit and produce next to their estate vines. A farm-to-table philosophy inspires Chef Scott McInerney, who incorporates seasonal harvest, farm-raised proteins and their house preserves and pickles into the menu year-round. Pair that with wine made from their estate-grown fruit, and you’ve got a hyper-local meal in a hyper-beautiful location.

Waupoos Estates requires reservations for dinner. Seating is limited and physically distanced. You can enjoy safer dining knowing Waupoos Estates has signed the POST Promise commitment to a safe reopening. Take out is also available with a chef-recommended combo that’s great “to go.”

East & Main Bistro

Chef Kimberly Humby at East & Main Bistro works with fresh, local ingredients that come from all corners of The County. Her Countylicious dinner menu features Prinzen Poultry from Bloomfield, Laundry Farms corn from Picton, and pork brined in County Cider. East & Main stretches beyond the County borders to include Eastern-Ontario products like pasta from Belleville’s Pasta Tavola and cured meats from Seed to Sausage of Sharbot Lake. The menu features plenty of choice with gluten free and vegan options.

East & Main requires reservations and they offer a physically-distanced dining room or outdoor dining on their heated patio. Take out is also available if ordered before 5:30 pm. They’ve signed onto the POST Promise to commit to safety protocols.

Hartleys Tavern

Hartleys Tavern is a local fave, with a casual but classy energy and creative menus centred on farm-to-table. In the peak growing season, Chef Jared Hartley has his pick of the best local ingredients from farms he passes as he drives to work. Hartley’s Countylicious dinner menu features locally sourced produce and locally-made products like Cressy Mustard to accompany the rabbit liver mousse.

We recommend reservations for Countylicious dinner at Hartley’s. They are following Dine Safe protocols and have physically distanced dining and limited heated patio service.

The Waring House Restaurant and Inn

Surrounded by farmland, The Waring House restaurant is in an iconic limestone farmhouse that once housed the Waring family in the property’s agricultural past. The restaurant celebrates rural life and agriculture, and local food from neighbouring farms is featured prominently on their Countylicious menu. Mushrooms from Highline in Wellington, Laundry’s tomatoes, Vader’s maple syrup and Hagerman’s beets inspire Chef Travis Mindle’s lunch and dinner menus.

Reservations are available for The Waring House for lunch or dinner. The Waring House has been a community leader in safely re-opening their dining rooms. They even offer live entertainment with physical distance and see-through barriers. The Waring House has achieved the Safe Travel Stamp, Dine Safe and made the POST Promise.

The Marans

The Marans in Picton is always farm-to-table focused. Their Countylicious menu features veg from Honey Wagon Farms. Look for the pickled pink banana squash and beets in their vegetable carpaccio appetizer. Brian Walt of Walt’s Sugar Shack supplies most of The Marans pork. Cloven Farms is their go-to for mushrooms and micro-greens. The Marans offers a culinary retail shop with pickled and preserved foods made from Laundry and Honey Wagon produce.

Reservations are encouraged for this intimate, 4-table restaurant. The Marans has renovated their space to include three self-contained booths and one physically distanced table. They have installed see-through barriers to enclose the open kitchen, allowing you to still see and smell the action!

flame + smith

Bloomfield’s flame + smith is a Feast ON certified restaurant, recognizing their commitment to sourcing Ontario-grown and made food and drink. And a lot of that food is sourced right here in The County. Chef Hidde Zomer collaborates with local farms like Edwin County Farms to source unexpected greens, veg and other produce to feature in his wood-fired plates. The creativity, care and attention to farm-to-table food is what earned them the nomination as one of En Route Magazine’s best Canadian restaurants in 2019.

flame + smith is taking reservations for their 3-course Countylicious dinner. They are certified with the internationally-recognized Safe Travels Stamp for their commitment to safer reopening. They offer a physically-distanced dining room and weather-dependent patio service (dress warmly!)

Parsons Brewing Company

The kitchen at Parsons Brewing Company (led by Chef Ian Chislett) is known for Latin-American flavours. But they build those dishes using locally-sourced foods. First course features Enright Cattle’s short ribs (from nearby Tweed). Lighthall Winery’s Cotija cheese from the Milford area makes an appearance on the second course. And on the dessert menu: Blue Wheelbarrow’s beets offer depth to a dark chocolate cake with salted ganache.

Parsons is accepting reservations for their weekend-only Countylicious dinners. Their indoor dining room is physically distanced, and their large farm property features a fire pit. It pairs well after dinner with one of their signature stouts.