Put A Pelee Island Getaway On Your Bucket List

Put a Pelee Island Getaway on Your Bucket List

Original blog by Carrie Steinweg

My only Great Lakes Island travel experience has been on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, so when we made plans to visit Pelee Island, I somehow expected the experience may be somewhat similar. I could not have been more wrong. While Mackinac Island has the charm of not having automobiles, it is congested with people during the peak travel season that flock into touristy spots and eateries.

Pelee Island has a much more relaxed vibe. And although there are motor vehicles there, there’s not a whole lot of them. Aside from vehicles belonging to 200-300 residents of the island, the ferry that makes its way over from the mainland has a small number of allotted spaces for visitors to take their cars onto the ferry and then drive them around the island.

I was under the mistaken thought that after our 90-minute ferry excursion to the island, we’d walk off the ferry and find an Uber to deliver us to different spots around the island. Uber isn’t a thing on the island and there are no taxis, so getting around (if your vehicle didn’t come along on the ferry) is done by bike or golf cart or on foot. And that just made it all the more charming and relaxing. Although the island isn’t huge, it’s big enough that you really need some wheels to be able to see a significant amount while visiting. At 10,000 acres, it is the largest island in Lake Erie.

If you’re there for a short time and are on foot, one place you can make it on an easy walk is to Pelee Island Winery to enjoy some leisurely time sipping and looking out at the vineyard. We had such a good time exploring the tasting room and then sitting on the porch sipping wine flights and savoring bites from our charcuterie board with the water in sight. There were lawn games to play and lots of cozy little seating nooks. When we finished sipping, we followed it up with a walk through the vineyard.

The 700+ acre farm dates back more than 150 years. It is the largest private estate winery in the country. I love this area in SW Ontario that is Canada’s warmest wine growing region. You’ll also find that they have a second location in Kingsville. Read more about the EPIC Wine Region here.

Another spot you can visit without needing wheels is the Westview Tavern, which is right in front of the dock and offers a beautiful view. It has a fun, friendly vibe with a nice beverage selection, a menu that goes far beyond typical bar food and frequent live music.

There’s a sizable number of starters, salads, sandwiches, wraps and burgers. However, I highly recommend the fish and chips. Whenever I’m traveling the areas around the Great Lakes, it is mandatory for me to have some fresh fish. We had an amazing Lake Erie Perch that was lightly breaded and fried and delicious. I further recommend getting an order for carry-out and bringing it on the ferry ride back. What’s better than noshing on fresh Lake Erie fish while ON the lake?

Pelee Island Adventures offers golf court rentals and also has picnic lunches available. So, if you’d rather find your own spot on the island to sit and enjoy a light meal, it’s a great alternative.

We rented e-bikes from The Pelee Shop, which was just steps away from where we docked and we had fun exploring the island that way. We definitely covered way more ground than we would have on foot – or even on traditional bicycles. It is best to make your reservations ahead of time. They have a number of different styles, including mountain bikes, adult tricycles, trailers for kids/pets/cargo and tandem bikes that are made for two. It was such a fun way to get around.

We spent a little time biking to Fish Point Nature Reserve and then hiked a little taking in some beautiful scenery, sandy beaches and stunning wildlife. This is where you will find the southernmost point of Canada.

The rest of our ride took us north along the western part of the island and it was so exhilarating to bump up the speed and let the e-bikes do the work while zooming along the water with the wind blowing, watching the water hit the rocks and seeing the sun sparkling on the water. We had hoped to make it all the way to the lighthouse, but realized we would be cutting it close to catching the final ferry of the day and decided to just slow down and savor our time along the coastline.

We ended up at Scudder Marina, where private boats arrive to the island. We grabbed a snack, took a walk and ended up having a wonderful conversation with a couple from Ohio who were frequent island visitors and had come in by boat and were staying overnight. They filled us in on their favorite things about the island and what has changed over the years that they had been visiting.

We also took a little time to make our way through the Pelee Island Heritage Center, which is full of island history with exhibits on the flora and geology of the island.

We headed back on the last ferry of the day watching the sun go down over the water as we returned. My heart was full and my body had that fulfilling exhausted feeling from a full day spent outdoors with lots of walking and pedaling. It’s one of the most peaceful places I have ever been and that I know I will visit again!

Carrie is a freelance writer, photographer, author and blogger in Northwest Indiana. She writes a travel column for the Northwest Indiana Times and shares her food adventures on the blog Chicago Foodie Sisters (ChicagoFoodieSisters.com). Her newest book, Unique Eats and Eateries of Indiana was released in September 2024. You can follow @chicagofoodiesisters on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

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