Tips To Planning A Pelee Island Escape This Summer
Thursday August 1st, 2024, 5:00pm
Pedaling Through Paradise
Original blog by Nina Ngo
Nina’s Guide to Pelee Island’s Best Adventures
Have you ever wanted to visit Canada’s best kept secret? You’d be surprised where this island retreat is located. When visiting Windsor Essex, many people forget there’s a hidden gem in the shape of an island, called Pelee Island. As your best friend who was born and raised here but also loves to explore and share some epic adventures, here’s my one day guide to enjoying Pelee Island!
Enjoy a short and smooth 1.5 hour cruise to Pelee Island. This ferry has multiple outdoor viewing decks or comfy seats indoor overlooking Lake Erie. Prior to your arrival, I recommend purchasing the tickets online on ontarioferries.com and arriving at least an hour before. You’re able to bring your vehicle, motorcycle or bike on board but we decided to walk on and leave our vehicle at the port with free parking! The cabin crew are a delight to meet when you arrive on board and the whole process was very simple to follow. Remember to get your cameras or phone out – this is the perfect start of capturing your day with memories you’ll remember for a lifetime.
A short 2 minute walk from the dock, make your way over to The Pelee Shop to rent bikes and check out a range of souvenir items to commemorate your visit. There’s plenty to choose from such as t-shirts, sweaters, stickers, postcards! One of my favourite features of their bikes are the baskets attached – no hassle in carrying your bag and/or souvenirs along your journey on Pelee Island. Rest assured, the terrain is an easy, paved, and groomed trail for you to bike on and you won’t get lost!
We enjoyed the Arrive Revive Tour as it was a half an hour educational tour with an amazing beer tasting experience. With its rich history and cultural significance, The Stone House 1891 was built by Freemason Joe Lowe, but took longer than his wife expected. Therefore, if you notice at the front and top of the roof, he carved a pair of praying hands as a tribute to his wife’s devotion and patience. A fan favourite of mine was the Prohibition Lager and my partner’s favourite was the Handmade’s Ale.
As for the food, every single dish we ordered was recommended by our server! These are the most popular dishes, and they did not disappoint. We tried the Prohibition Seafood Dip, the Mushroom and Truffle Wood Fired Pizza, and the Stone House 1891 Burger. The service was impeccable and the food portions were very filling.
Experience the ultimate trifecta of fun by first visiting the One of a Kind Pelee art gallery and gift shop. They have a whole range of items to choose from made by your local artisans! I would recommend purchasing The Birds of Pelee Island, written by Jeff Wiper @culinarychameleon and illustrated by Carolyn Hardy @carolynhardy_surrealistartist ! If you’re lucky, you might be able to get the book autographed by Carolyn Hardy at the store. Secondly, enjoy a delicious ice-cream at Pelee Island Coneheads next door. We shared classic hard scooped cookies and cream ice cream in a cup. Lastly, we competed in a 9 hole course of mini golf. Can you guess who won?
As you’re biking along the path, all whilst enjoying the scenic views of Lake Erie, you’ll eventually spot an interesting sight. You can’t miss it! The Inukshuk Statue or also known as the Stoneman Stature, is a symbol made from stones that is a tribute to island perseverance. It’s also a great pit stop to enjoy the views and a great photo opportunity!
Wish you were here at Pelee Island, Canada! Take a photo and a refreshment break here at @the_filling_station and @theshackpeleeisland after your bike ride from the Inukshuk statue. Go souvenir shopping at Pure Pelee and it is the perfect spot to get matching items! We got matching shirts and tank tops at Pure Pelee and they are of great quality. Couldn’t miss this awesome photo opportunity as well – did you notice the outline is the shape of Pelee island? How cool!
For the history buffs, this lighthouse was originally built in 1833 and is known as the second oldest Canadian lighthouse on Lake Erie. When you arrive, place your bike on the bike rack and start your journey on foot towards the lighthouse. This walkable trail begins as a narrow path surrounded by nature, then becomes a wooden walkway over the marsh, and then expands to the beach. Savor the experience, take in the beautiful shoreline and beach. To fully enjoy this experience, I highly recommend using bug spray to shield you from the black flies! This is definitely one of my favourite places to be.
This birding lookout is known as the Florian Diamante Nature Reserve and it is located on the corner of Dyke Road and Henderson Road. As you park your bike, you can see how it’s made up of a variety of natural habitats from wetlands to deep forests. Fun fact: Pelee Island used to be composed of 3 smaller islands connected by marshes. After the European settlement, the Nature Conservancy of Canada began the largest wetland restoration project in Ontario. A beautiful rest stop for photos, shaded area, and you might be able to see diverse wildlife such as songbirds, hawks, herons, and migrating monarch butterflies.
As you’re cycling down the street, you’ll notice a beautiful building on your right, the Mission Hall Project. This lies in the heart of Pelee Island and used to be a church. With its incredible history, the architecture was restored and preserved. It serves as the place to go for community events, social gatherings, and a “sanctuary for all.” I enjoyed discovering several painted rocks left by others to mark their visit without disturbing this project.
This is definitely one of the places I think is non-negotiable and that you must visit if you ever go to Pelee Island. As a wine connoisseur, the wine tasting tour was one of the best and most enjoyable experiences I’ve had while exploring Windsor-Essex. Did you also know that this is the southernmost estate winery and warmest grape growing region in Canada? With their award winning wines, here are my top 4: Vidal Icewine, Cabernet Franc Icewine, Empress II Sparkling Riesling, and J.S. Hamilton Shiraz Malbec Petit Verdot. Don’t get me wrong, the others are just as enjoyable such as the Vinedressers Chardonnay and Lighthouse Cabernet Franc. A little advice from our tour guide, Troy, he recommends putting a little bit of the Vidal Icewine on top of vanilla ice cream! You know what else is crazy? They also have wine slushies (rose, blueberry, etc.)! You bet I had a great time.
The Suzanne Turnbull Memorial Amphitheatre, also known as The Quarry, is an outdoor cultural center where professional artists and artists’ residences can perform. Despite the rain, the show must go on! I had the opportunity to see Sheniz Janmohamed and the Windsor Classic Chorale perform an incredible show indoors at Pelee Winery Pavilion. The best way to enhance your experience is to have a charcuterie board and the wine slushies (I’d opt in for the rosé!).
Here are the next upcoming performances:
● Sunday, July 28th: Teajai Travis, Amrita Choudhury, Jada Malik Larkin
● Sunday, August 4th: Mike Karloff & Friends, Tina Newlove, Karl Jirgens
● Sunday, August 18th: The Scarab Club, Gord Grisenthwaite
● Sunday, September 1st: Marshall Dragun & Zhaoyi Cai, Andrea Slavik
● Arts Can Teach: September 5th-7th – Maryam, Safarzadeh
● Sunday, September 15th: Flutter Fest Magiquecal; Patricia Fell, Mary Jo Mullins, Pamela Cole, Ray Manzerolle
Don’t worry, you still have plenty of time before you have to return to the ferry. Westview Tavern is THE place to go to as it’s family owned and operated for generations. Since they’re known for their wings and handmade burgers – that’s exactly what we ordered! The wings with extra BBQ sauce and the Westview Whopper with fries. This tavern provides me with such comfort and was a good place to end the trip with! I had to join the regulars and took the classic shot of Phillips Butter Ripple Schnapps before I left. Next time if you choose to stay for another night at Pelee Island, definitely visit the Tavern for their live entertainment as they typically start at 9:00 PM.
This is self explanatory – after a fun filled day, just simply sit back and watch the beautiful sunset, all whilst enjoying your takeout food. One of the highlights of traveling is to reflect and look back on the photos you’ve captured. Rediscover your love of travel by following this guide the next time you’re at Pelee Island. Enjoy and explore the hidden gems as they’re everywhere! There’s more but I can’t reveal all of them until next time.
I’d recommend downloading an offline map before you go! I saved you the trouble and created a map of this itinerary, access it here.
Nina’s Essentials for Pelee Island:
● Sunscreen
● Sunglasses
● Water Bottle
● Camera / Phone
● A sweater
● Bug spray
Travelling to Pelee Island does require a bit of advance planning. Read our Know Before Your Go blog and get ready for an epic Island adventure!
Original Blog Post By: Nina Ngo @_ninango
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