Canada Trip.co.uk

Toronto is a fantastic city, but while you’re there why not take a day or two to explore more of the places around it. We’ve already covered a number of places out and about – one of them being Niagara Falls but there is so much around the city you’ll want to get out there and explore. As it says on the licence plates in Ontario it’s literally “Yours to Discover”! So the place we’re reccomending today is Prince Edward County

Prince Edward County (”the County”) is a region of southeastern Ontario that juts out into Lake Ontario. With its abundance of water, fresh air and wide-open spaces, the area has become increasingly popular with visitors, artists and Toronto residents… oh and it’s only 130 km / 81 miles (about 90 min drive) away from down town Toronto! The perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Prince Edward County is especially distinguishing itself among foodies, with the introduction of organic farms, wineries, breweries and cheese factories. Top chefs have been drawn to the area for the abundance of local goods.

Prince Edward County weather is about the same as that of Toronto or Buffalo. Summers are warm and humid, Autumn is cooler with gorgeous fall colours, winters are snowy and cold and spring is warming up but wet.

Summer is certainly the most popular time to visit, with cottagers arriving on weekends and plenty of other visitors arriving to enjoy water activities, camping, biking, and all the other outdoor fun that the County offers.

Some of the County’s top attractions are..

* As of 2009, many of the County’s wineries are young, but look forward to more wineries and more mature wines.
* Arts Trail is a journey of the County’s many studios and galleries.
* The Waterfront Trail hugs Lake Ontario, stretching from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec border – including through the County – along major roads, off-road dedicated paths and residential streets.
* Taste Trail comprises more than 20 wineries, restaurants, cheese shops, breweries and apple cider producers.
* Antique shopping is popular in the County, with primitive Canadiana pieces especially prevalent
* The County is a natural spot for bird watching as it’s a catch-all for migrating birds during spring and autumn

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Prince Edward County has many B&Bs and cottages to rent, inns and resorts. As the towns are all quite small, and currently there are no major hotel chains. See the full accommodation lineup.

Campers can set up at Sandbanks Provincial Park, but book early. The dunes and beaches of this park are popular and campsites fill up early!

Toronto families have been scooping up property for cottages in the County for about a decade now, so it follows that there is plenty for children and their parents to do, so why not have a look at taking a trip to the following places and events:

Sandbanks Provincial Park is a beach with loads of dunes and sandbars that is a delight for kids. Camping is available but book way in advance.

Maple in the County gives visitors the chance to watch the maple-syrup-making process.

Pumpkinfest is an annual October event.

All this and it still doesnt cover the food! The area has some of the country’s best chefs and resteraunts, so for the moment, until we feature some of them in the future i’ll let you head out and do some discovering of them for yourself!

For more information about Prince Edward County – check out their website: http://www.pec.on.ca This site lists all the accomodation, so should you want to stay for a night – this is the site you want to visit.

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 7:25 pm and is filed under Canada Trip.co.uk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.