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Credits:

Photographs, research and writing by Jennifer Wattam Kilt

Prince Edward County
Ontario,
Canada

Sights of Prince Edward County

The town of Picton, centrally located is the heart of Prince Edward County and its largest community with a modest population of 4,000. The town has been a victim of fires throughout the years. The result has been a combination of empty lots and various architectural designs that aren’t particularly coherent. The community is well aware of this and future design and construction intend to reflect the town’s history, tradition and identity. There are plenty of cafes as well as shopping to be had in Picton.

The village of Wellington is located west of Picton on Highway 33. It’s yet another beautiful area known for its beaches, fishing, wineries and architecture. One of the oldest houses in Ontario is a 1786 cobblestone home that is located in Wellington.

The village of Waupoos - an old Indian word for "rabbit" - lies east of Picton between the head of Smith's Bay and CapeVesey on County Road 8. The area is apple country and has a little bit of everything such as valleys, hills, beaches, woods and two of Prince Edward County’s first wineries. If you’re interested in seeing how the early settlers in this area lived, stop into the Rose House Museum. It is open from May to September. Admission is free.

A half hour's drive from Picton and twenty minutes east from Waupoos, on County Road 8, is Prinyer's Cove. It is a deep, sheltered port at the eastern tip of Prince Edward County. A favourite docking place since Loyalist times, Prinyer's Point was first occupied by First Nations peoples. Today, cruisers find that Prinyer’s Cove offers good holding ground, quiet walks along scenic country lanes and a full service marina.

Because Prince Edward County is becoming well known as a getaway place, spas have been popping up all over. One of the most unique is the Claramount Inn & Spa located in a 1906 Colonial Revival home in the town of Picton. Spa goers can choose from half and day programs. There are also overnight accommodations available.

Macaulay House Museum on church street in Picton is a must see. The restoration, furnishing and decoration reflect the early 1850’s. Volunteers in period dress, give guided tours of this home. It is open 1 to 4:30p.m Tuesday to Sunday seasonally and admission is $4.00. There is also a gift shop located in the museum.

Be sure to visit the Mariners’ Park Museum overlooking stunning South Bay on County Road 13 just south of Picton. It is a significant marine museum. Many hundreds of nautical artefacts of early vessels of the Great Lakes are on display there. The museum is open daily in July and August and weekends May, June and September.

While you’re in the area don’t forget to visit Point Traverse which is considered one of North America's most important dive sites where there are more than fifty shipwrecks, almost in view of the Museum. The waters between Pt. Petre, in Prince Edward County, and the Main Duck Islands claimed more than two thirds of the ships that met their demise on Lake Ontario during the schooner and early steam era. A number of schooners, barges, and steamers lie scattered around Prince Edward Point, Point Traverse, Timber and False Duck Island.

Main Duck Island, twelve miles from the shore of Prince Edward, in eye view of Point traverse, was a staging point for rumrunners smuggling liquor into the United States during Prohibition.

Also in the area, 11 kilometres (8 miles) south of Picton on County Road 13 is the award winning Black River Cheese Company. They make the most delicious cheese. Their curd in particular is yummy! Visit Little Bluff Conservation Park, also on County Road 13 which features an 18 metre high limestone bluff overlooking Prince Edward Bay.

One of the main reasons for the enormous influx of visitors to Prince Edward County is the establishment of wineries. The County is being recognized as one of Canada’s fastest wine growing regions. In 2000 there was 20 acres (67m2) of vines planted and only one winery in Prince Edward County. Today there are over 600 acres (2,006,7062) under vine and close to a dozen wineries. Several more are in the building and planning stages. The reason for this growth is because Prince Edward County offers some of the most unique and suitable soils for growing wine grapes in North America. The soils in Prince Edward County are ideal for Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and others.

The best attraction in Prince Edward County is the miles and miles of beaches - 497 miles (800 kilometres) of coastline. Probably the most popular of the bunch is the Sandbanks Provincial Park located on the southwest shore of Prince Edward County on County Road 12. It is well known for three of the largest and most beautiful beaches in Eastern Ontario. Some of the sand dunes rise to heights of (15.5 miles) 25 meters and the beaches are seemingly never-ending. About a million years ago, glaciers ground over the county and modified the surface of both the island and the shoreline. Sand deposited in areas resulted in the formation of the Sandbanks. There are two scenic hiking trails Cedar Sands Trail at (1.24 miles) 2 kilometres in length and Woodlands Campground Trail for both hiking and biking which is (2.5 miles) 4 kilometres.

One of the more unusual attractions in Prince Edward County is Lake on the Mountain which is located 15 kilometres east of Picton on County road 33. It’s a bit of a natural phenomenon as it has a constant flow of clean, fresh water, with no apparent source, (197 feet) 60 metres above the Bay of Quinte. Mohawks offered gifts to its spirits and settlers thought it was bottomless. There is an exquisite view of the Bay of Quinte and the Glenora Ferry from Lake on the Mountain.

Prince Edward County boasts the highest concentration and abundance of migratory birds anywhere on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario. You can catch birds migrating in either the spring or autumn months. Prince Edward Point, located in the most south eastern end of the Long Point Peninsula – east of Milford - in South Marysburgh Township, is considered the most important area for migrating birds in Prince Edward County. Therefore Prince Edward Point was deemed a National Wildlife Area by the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1978.

If you enjoy bird watching, be sure to visit Birdhouse City, located at Macaulay Mountain Conservation area, just outside of the town of Picton on the way to the village of Waupoos on County Road 8. There are 100 birdhouses, all very unique replications of historic buildings. If you are in the mood for a hike there is also 440 acres of land to trek across and in the winter months it’s a fun place to go cross country skiing and tobogganing.