Look out, Prince Edward County
With new restaurants, breweries and boutiques, Picton is about to emerge as a tourist magnet
Prince Edward County’s popularity as a tourist destination has, up until now, mainly focused on the fashionable and hip Wellington area, home to the Drake Devonshire and the equally stylish new Wander the Resort, and the quaint, delicious Bloomfield, which serves as host to buzzy restaurants like Flame + Smith, Bermuda PEC and Bloomfield Public House Market. By comparison, Picton, the county’s largest community, has been somewhat overlooked. That’s about to change: A host of new and renewed spots are shining a light on this bustling, charming little town that will, when travel is able to resume, expand the county’s already substantial appeal.
The Royal Hotel
By far, the most awaited change is happening right on Main Street, with the anticipated reopening of the Royal Hotel. After stripping this nearly 140-year-old hotel down to a few bricks, the long, painstaking process of rebuilding began in 2013. An unforeseen structural issue nearly derailed the whole project in ’17 and the pandemic has slowed progress, but the work continues, and it should be ready to reopen around the same time the rest of the country does. With 28 rooms, a spa and a restaurant overseen by former Le Sélect Bistro chef Albert Ponzo, the hotel is poised to once again be a central focus of cultural life in the county.
(247 Picton Main St.) Slake Brewing
There’s something quite meditative about sipping a crisp Pilsner while watching a flock of sheep graze in the meadow. Those fluffy ruminants are just about the only thing that can distract from the expansive view at this new family-friendly farm brewery. Opened last October, and already a locals’ favourite, by the time travel restrictions are lifted, Slake will be offering its much-anticipated barrel-aged beers alongside the six traditional styles they currently offer. (181 Mowbray Rd.)
Crêpe Escape
The newly revitalized Picton Armoury is home to a diverse range of businesses, from the all-natural skin care products of Savon Du Bois to Lustre and Tarnish’s bespoke jewelry alongside community event spaces — as well as the county’s best crêpe. Producing both savoury or sweet stunners, brothers Bryan and Nick Rebolledo also draw on their Mexican heritage for dishes such as their excellent enchilada and beef picadillo crêpes. (206 Main St.)
Fridays
With its elegant wooden shelving, pressed tin ceiling and subdued lighting, Fridays has the appearance of a high-end homewares shop, a stylish café or an old-timey apothecary. But any local “cannaseur” can tell you it’s actually a boutique cannabis store. By this summer, the store owners anticipate it will be one of the first shops in Ontario to offer local cannabis from Prince Edward County Growers, alongside its wide selection of tinctures, edibles and “flower.” (190 Main St. W.) Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area
Even when the Sandbanks, the county’s most popular destination, is overrun with visitors, there’s plenty of space at Macaulay Mountain. Spanning 178 hectares, the park’s 20 kilometres of trails range from leisurely walks among the elaborate architectural constructions of Birdhouse City to legburning sprints up a long stretch of escarpment. In the summer, the picnic area overlooks a small pond that turns into a picture- book-beautiful skating rink in winter. (224 County Rd. 8)
The Regent Theatre
A major fundraising campaign last summer and a community grant have enabled this beloved 103-year-old theatre to invest in substantial cosmetic upgrades as well to modernize its equipment to allow for a hybrid programming model that includes both live and streamed events. When the “entertainment hub of the county” finally reopens, it will come out of the COVID era stronger and more relevant than before it had to shut its doors. (224 Main St.)