Category: Quinte Country and Prince Edward County

After a lame hotel breakfast experience, we did some searches in the Prince Edward County area for good breakfast places and this inn and breakfast place in Picton popped up. It sits on Picton Harbour, which is this small cute harbour where pleasure craft from Lake Ontario can come and dock. The place is popular for breakfast and we had to wait, but you can wait outside on a picnic table and enjoy the boats and scenery. Inside, the service was great, the portions generous and they had the best hashbrowns I had in memory. I learned some interesting history […]

Read more

I don’t want to give you the wrong impression about me, but when a hotel doesn’t have a hotel bar, there’s just something wrong. Fun fact: Travelodge Belleville used to be in the 1970s a Four Seasons Inn on the Park. My mother and father would take us to dinner there for their wedding anniversary. Therefore it was disappointing to find this stunning and convenient Belleville location had been left to decay. In fact, I’m not convinced the current Travelodge is up to even its own brand standards. The bathrooms are always the tell. There were some rough edges around […]

Read more

After a solemn occasion at a nearby Belleville graveyard, it helps if people can share experiences and dine in a group. We chose Red Rock Canyon due to location and the fact there were vegetarian options. Having been particular on location, please note that North Front Street in Belleville is not Front Street. If you are coming at it from the south, following Pinnacle Street is better than following Front Street. The restaurant is in one of the malls up on Front Street, which we used to call the miracle mile because when you took the exit off the highway, […]

Read more

Tucked away at 5a Market Street, this pizza place in Belleville is a great pizza spot. By the way, if you are really hungry, don’t order the medium for yourself, it will be too much! It looks like they recently renovated and had extra room made at the back to handle our slightly larger group. I was hoping for a beer, but they had – soon to change I was told – only the big breweries products. I have to say that I’ve turned into a fuss budget because micro breweries are so prevalent that I now come to expect […]

Read more

I had not been to Belleville itself in many years; it’s more of an exit I never take on the 401. But a family event led me to be staying near the old part of town, Front Street. We had our GPS set for Front Street and she was thwarted by the street being closed. Once we parked on Pinnacle Street we had trouble finding our restaurant and had a scenic walk of the construction around the old city hall building, which is truly evocative of the times around the confederation of Canada. There’s a market, which was not open […]

Read more

Of course, by “fossils”, I mean ancient organisms preserved in stone. On a trip to Prince Edward County, we were given a tip for finding fossils at a beach in Wellington Ontario. This quiet lakeside town is on Highway 33 and it worth the visit even if you aren’t a rock hound. At the end of Beach Street, there’s a small park and beach called Wellington Rotary Beach. You can park for free and enjoy the wind off the lake and start turning over stones. Some have faint markings and other are more clear. On the day we went, the […]

Read more

Cottage life at a cottage where you likely will never stay The term “cottage” in Canada is sometimes interchanged with cabin. Chalet is frequently used, especially near ski hills. All these terms evoke in our minds a place away from the constant commotion of the city. In the past few years, some of the monster homes have been built that have been given the appellation cottage. Perhaps “summer place” would be more appropriate. However, no matter what name you use for cottage, I’ve always associated the term with Prince Edward County, which is in Eastern Ontario about 2 hours from […]

Read more

Sandbanks Provincial Park is one of those secret places you read about that actually isn’t really a secret but feels like one. The park is located 14.5 km from Picton Ontario, which is about 2 hours from Toronto. I’ve always considered Sandbanks as a beach with a campground. The beach has wonderful sand and is itself a large sand dune that has a wonderfully gentle and slow drop off, making it a favourite for children. When the wind picks up, wonderful Lake Ontario waves crash on the shore and make for wonderful playing. I was trying to look up online […]

Read more

Prince Edward County is a wiggly shaped peninsula* in Lake Ontario that has a number of quaint towns. Bloomfield is perhaps the most quaint with heritage homes from pre-1879 and a main street that is pleasant to walk and shop. Back when I was a kid, the shopping on Bloomfield’s main street was limited to antique shops, a bakery and a grocery. Now some unique, non branded and fairly upscale shops exist. If you are in from Toronto or Montreal you will be pleased that you aren’t besieged with brand after brand, but can still drop some serious coin on […]

Read more

Starting from zero, in the last 12 years twenty wineries have become established in “the county”.   Recently my wife and I spent a getaway weekend at the lovely Devonshire Inn and visited the Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards & Estate Winery. Located at 990 Closson Road, Hillier,  the winery is in a lovely rural setting featuring a stream, dammed pond and a large, airy barn which serves as the tasting room and wine store.   We were so impressed with their 2006 Pinot Noir that we had them deliver a case to our home in Toronto.   Among many other good […]

Read more