Ontario Road Trips: Why Leamington is a hot place to be right now

This article is nan 4th successful Global News’ Ontario Road Trips series, offering getaways to immoderate nosy locales crossed nan province. Our first escapade took america to Paris, our second extremity was Elora and our 3rd was Goderich.

A thrust down to Leamington, Ont., will not only return you to a municipality successful Ontario’s warmest county pinch a large, sandy formation and authentic Mexican cuisine but besides to a nationalist parkland that boasts Canada’s southernmost mainland point.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Kingsville offers plentifulness of restaurants and shopping successful an idyllic downtown arsenic good arsenic nan fun-for-the-whole-family Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens.

Unparalleled biodiversity

There’s plentifulness to do astatine Point Pelee National Park, which Parks Canada describes as some Canada’s second-smallest nationalist parkland and its astir biologically divers site, location to complete 60 federally-listed type astatine risk.

The parkland lands see a operation of marsh, forest, fields and beaches, offering a location for a wide assortment of species. It besides serves arsenic an important migration way for birds (a spokesperson said complete 390 type person been recorded successful nan park) and is renowned arsenic a impermanent location for thousands of migrating Monarch butterflies each fall.

The constituent itself marks nan southernmost extremity of mainland Canada and while visitors tin locomotion nan formation to nan very tip, vulnerable currents mean swimming is wholly prohibited there. A shuttle autobus provides speedy carrier from nan Visitor’s Centre to nan tip, moving astir each 20 minutes.

While there’s nary swimming astatine nan tip, nan parkland still offers different locations for swimming arsenic good arsenic areas for kayaking. Information astir safe swimming areas and h2o value tin beryllium recovered connected Parks Canada’s website. The parkland besides offers overnight camping.

Which measurement to nan beach?

Once you time off nan park, a 12-minute thrust northwest on Lake Erie will return you to Seacliff Beach and nan adjoining Seacliff Park.

The formation features aggregate formation volleyball courts, washrooms pinch showers, an accessible boardwalk and a mobility mat that extends astir to nan water’s edge. The section wellness portion tests h2o value on a play basis.

The adjoining Sunset Amphitheatre has free concerts scheduled for the remaining Saturdays successful July.

There are besides 2 hoops courts marking nan modulation from nan formation to Seacliff Park, which besides includes a tomato-themed scatter pad – successful honour of nan historical value of nan harvest to Leamington, known arsenic nan Tomato Capital of Canada. The municipality besides boasts “the largest attraction of greenhouses successful North America.”

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Restaurants and retail

If you’re looking for a wound to eat, Leamington is location to immoderate of nan champion authentic Mexican restaurants successful Ontario, according to nan Culinary Tourism Alliance.

The town’s monolithic greenhouses and fertile fields are mostly supported by migrant workers, a mostly of whom travel from Mexico and nan Caribbean. As nan confederation writes, immoderate of those who person been capable to enactment complete nan years person group up businesses, including galore authentic Mexican restaurants.

A small further westbound successful nan neighbouring municipality of Kingsville, a charming downtown provides a cleanable backdrop for a meal of reservoir perch followed by immoderate unit therapy astatine specialty shops trading everything from yarn to cocoa to handmade equipment from section artists.

Also successful Kingsville, correct astatine nan separator of Leamington, you tin find Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens.

While nan sanction reflects its beginnings arsenic a works retailer, nan 35-acre workplace – 3.5 of which are indoors – now boasts a restaurant, mini golf, arcade, petting workplace and more.

Road tripping

Leamington is simply a less-than-two-hours’ thrust southwest from London and astir a 4 hours’ thrust from Toronto. You tin return Highway 401 for nan mostly of nan journey, aliases return Highway 403 to nan 401.   

After passing done Middlesex, Elgin, and Chatham-Kent counties, motorists tin exit nan 400 bid successful Essex County, turning onto Highway 77 for nan remainder of nan journey.

Those coming from Sarnia tin thrust astir an hr and 45 minutes to Leamington heading southbound connected Highway 40 and past zig-zagging done region roads.

If drivers don’t mind an other 20 minutes – and nan threat of separator delays – they tin caput done nan United States by taking nan Bluewater Bridge to nan I-94 down to Detroit, MI., extremity for immoderate stateside shopping, and past transverse done nan passageway into Windsor and return Highway 3 each nan measurement there.