Before this trip, the only Canadian wine I’d tried was a sweet ice wine from Nova Scotia. But a few days in Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit, opened my eyes—and palate—to so much more.
From sipping local vintages at lakefront wineries to strolling through the marshes at Point Pelée National Park, the Essex County region surprised me with its charm and beauty. I explored vineyards, a quirky farm stand, took a ferry to serene Pelée Island and stayed in a retro-style hotel. Windsor-style pizza, cozy inns, and fascinating history rounded out an unexpected and delightful Canadian escape.
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Here are things we recommend you do in Windsor and Essex County.
Climb a tower, walk on the beach at Point Pelée National Park
Although it’s Canada’s second smallest national park at just 5.8 acres, Point Pelée National Park makes up for it in its ecological diversity. It’s great for bird watching as its on several migratory paths. Other activities include hiking, kayaking, biking and climbing up lots of stairs for amazing views from towers of Lake Erie and the marshland.
For a few days every fall, Monarch butterflies stop here on their long journey to Mexico for the winter. It’s also a Dark Sky Preserve and the park stays open until midnight once a month for fantastic stargazing.
See our related story on Thunder Bay in Ontario: Things to do in Thunder Bay: Canada’s City in the Wild
Take a day to explore Pelée Island
Located in the Western Basin of Lake Erie, Pelée Island has 10,000 acres of farms, forest and beaches. Only about 6 percent is residential or commercial establishments, with around 235 residents. Margaret Atwood is a seasonal resident, and has written many of her books there. But you won’t get anyone to reveal where her home is.
There is a liquor store, an ATM and the Pelée Island Heritage Centre, located inside the Town Hall if you want to learn more about the island.
The only way to get here is by plane or boat, from both the U.S. and Canada. I took a ferry, which holds 399 passengers and has a snack bar, vending machines and several seating areas. I stood outside for most of the ride over, feeling the ocean breeze, hearing the insistent cry of seagulls and watching the gently rolling waves.
We hopped off and drove directly to the Pelée Island Winery Pavilion where we enjoyed lunch and a glass of wine in the outdoor seating area. The winery is owned by an Austrian family and has a huge 302-year-old Austrian wine press on display in the main building.
The mayor of Pelée Island, Cathy Miller, joined us for a lunch and to answer our questions about life on the island. She told us around 130 residents stay through the winters. The lake is frozen so their only access to the mainland is a flight on an 11-seater plane that runs twice a day to Windsor.
While Cathy says she cares deeply about Pelée Island and extolls the virtues of visiting the island, she warns, “Don’t come in the winter. We don’t have the accommodations or open establishments for visitors.”
She and her husband, Kevin, left corporate jobs in 2017 and bought the Wandering Dog Inn, which has the distinction of being Canada’s southernmost inn.
It’s a lovely place to spend a day, grabbing an ice cream cone, walking the beach, browsing in the shops. Be sure to visit the lighthouse and stop at the charming Mission Hall Sanctuary, a small open-air building perfect for a quiet moment of reflection.
Sip and sup at a winery or distillery
It may have been the first time I visited a winery and strolled with a glass of wine to the beach. Sprucewood Shores Winery is located right on the shore of Lake Erie, 30 minutes south of Windsor. I really enjoyed their award-winning wines and especially loved the labels of their Beach Glass wine collection. You can purchase a picnic basket and a bottle of wine for an easy and relaxing picnic on the beach.
Essex County is home to more than 20 wineries and wine has been grown in the region since the 1800s. While it’s hard to believe, Essex County is on the same parallel as Barcelona and northern California.
If you’re planning to visit more than a couple of wineries, get an EPIC Wine Tasting Pass to get discounts on wine tastings.
One night I enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Vines Restaurant at Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards, where the owner Tom O’Brien shared his story of opening the vineyard in 2011. It has 70 acres, a walking trail and a restaurant. Menu items included mushroom gnocchi, prosciutto wrapped chicken and fish.
For another place to enjoy an adult beverage, head to Wolfhead Distillery, where you’ll find a huge outdoor seating area, restaurant and gift shop.
Visit an historic manor and a history museum
If you want to make a lot of money, founding a wildly popular alcohol brand is one way to do it. Hiram Walker established a distillery in 1858 near Windsor, which made Canadian Club whiskey. One of his sons, Edward Chandler Walker, lived in the 36-room home called Willistead Manor, which was built in 1906. The home was left to the town of Walkerville and is available to tour.
My favorite piece of furniture was in the Withdrawing room where there was a tiara rest for the ladies to enjoy a brief respite from carrying around the weighty jewels on their heads.
For a look at a completely different era of Canadian history, visit the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, which tells the story of African Canadians history and contributions. Many African-Americans escaped slavery in the United States by crossing the Detroit River into Amherstburg, a chief crossing point for the Underground Railroad as it’s the narrowest part of the river.
Explore the giant farm stand Colasanti Farms
Four generations have been running Colasanti Farms, which opened in 1942 as a produce stand.
It now has more than 140,000 square feet with retail, tropical gardens, mini golf course, video games, petting farm, goats, playground, pedal cart course, chickens, maze, gift shop and a restaurant. There’s also a huge sandbox where kids can dig up dinosaur bones. It’s a blast for adults and heaven for children.
Where to stay in Essex County
I loved my view of Detroit and the river from my room at Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino, the only casino in Windsor. I also loved that by staying in the Augustus Tower I didn’t have to walk through a casino to get to my room. Gamblers will want to opt for the adults-only Forum Tower where they have easy access to the casino.
The hotel has more than 750 rooms, a 5,000-seat coliseum and a convention center. It attracts close to 5.8 million visitors a year.
I saw the casino on the way to Neros Steakhouse for dinner where I enjoyed a fabulous, decadent meal befitting a restaurant named after an emperor known for his extravagant lifestyle. The massive steaks and delectable side dishes made for a memorable meal. And yes, I did get lost walking through the casino on the way back to my room but eventually found the exit. If you are a gambler, the casino has 85 table games and more than 1,700 slot machines.
We headed out of Windsor to get closer to the wine country, where I experienced a first at the Grove Motel in Colchester. I had a red fire hydrant in my bathroom. Opened two years ago to look retro, the Grove Motel had 27 rooms, each with different theme. I was in dog room with dog toys, a large dog mural behind the bed and several portraits of dogs.
I toured a few other rooms to check out their themes that varied from happy camper to circus to my favorite, the uber-girly room with Tiffany blue walls, chandelier and a poster of Audrey Hepburn.
I grabbed some avocado toast at the coffee shop, JOE. before taking the short walk to Colchester Beach where I warily approached two coyotes standing still on the beach. I approached cautiously and finally determined they were fake, probably to scare off geese and unsuspecting visitors like me.
Dining in Essex County
I was intrigued to find out about Windsor-style pizza and Joe Ciaravino was just the man to educate me about it. Owner of Antonino’s pizza, a restaurant started by his father in 1959, Joe told us that Windsor-style pizza has a thin crust made of cornmeal and flour, shredded pepperoni and canned mushrooms. According to Joe, Windsor sells the most pizza per capita in all of North America.
I tried several varieties of his pizza and give thumbs up to the thin, crispy crust.
After our full day at Pelée Island, I was happy to sit and relax at Banded Goose Brewing Company where the menu included burgers, sandwiches, salads and the totally decadent Irish nachos.
For more information, visit Tourism Windsor Essex and Ontario’s Southwest
– Photos and text by Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief