I took advantage of the amazing weather we were having (hello climate change, 15C degrees in November) and visited my family in Ontario, Canada’s Prince Edward County – or as locals and clever marketers affectionately refer to the region as “the County”.
The County is about 2 hours from Toronto from the west, 2 hours from Ottawa from the north-east and 3hrs from Montreal from the east. In simple terms it is south of the 401, between Trenton and Napanee, Ontario.
I have written a few posts about it as I frequent the Sandbanks provincial park as it has been about 25 years now that I have been visiting the County. I have seen it go through immense growth – most of it over the past 2-5 years.
Understandably, there are growing pains for locals but there has been a boost to the economy that has provided a livelihood that support families and is attracting like minded people. These are people who care about their families, their neighbours, their community, the environment and the county life(style).
The County is home to Ontario’s fastest growing wine region (check out the map HERE) due to the peninsula’s foundation of porous limestone that gives its grapes a unique taste. Brewing at a similar pace are county craft beers & breweries. The newest one in the hood is Slake Brewing.
Slake Brewing is super close to my family’s place. Before there was a sign on the road, we used to drive by and guess what we thought it was. Was it an ultra modern home? Was it related to the solar panel farms?
My mom would always refer to it as the house in the movie “Sleeping with the Enemy” with Julia Roberts. You know, that house was all glass? LOL
It took two years for this space to open their doors and it was so cool to finally drive-up the driveway to discover what a great space they had created.
Slate Brewing doesn’t scream ‘brewery’ from the bottom of the long winding road and it doesn’t scream it from inside their taproom either.
It is a modern building, with tons of space for social distancing, simple designs and huge windows, which allow you to take advantage of all of the amazing sunsets over East Lake, Lake Ontario, Cherry Valley, Bloomfield, Wellington and beyond.
There was a bit of a line-up when we arrived but hey – it was a warm November Saturday afternoon and I think everyone was trying to squeeze the last bit of the good weather, so it made logical sense. It was super spacious inside and they even had a walk-up window if you didn’t want to venture indoors.
The whole property takes advantage of the height of the hill that overlooks the most amazing views. The sunsets and can be mostly enjoyed outside by one of the picnic tables and/or fire pits they have sprinkled along the edge.
I love that this place is in our hood! Next time I’ll be sure to try the food!
If you want to visit the County and swing by Slake, check out accommodations in the area
PS My step-dad mentioned what a great name Slake Brewing was – he explained the word “slake” means to quench or satisfy (one’s thirst). #IWasTodayYearsOld
Jasmin Linton, Travel Advisor
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