Exploring the best of Toronto and Southern Ontario.

Happy Monday, all – I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the week! This past weekend I got to spend some time with family and friends, which is always nice. A friend of ours is getting married in a few days, so on Saturday we attended his roce ceremony – a traditional pre-wedding blessing and celebration that is part of the Goan culture. As part of the ceremony, we all got a chance to bless the groom and groomsmen by drawing crosses on their foreheads with coconut milk. People sang, played music, ate, drank and were merry – it was a beautiful day and I’m so glad we got to be a part of it! I hope you all had wonderful weekends too.

I know I’ve been posting a lot of Prince Edward County content lately – I could post about it forever; there are just so many fun things to see and do there. But all good things must come to an end, so I think my next two posts will be the last of my County-related content for a while – but I promise that they’ll be good ones!

Prince Edward County is a region composed of many towns and communities, from Hillier to Wellington to Waupoos. This week I thought I’d give you a mini-tour of two of my favourite County towns: Picton and Bloomfield. Picton is considered by many to be the heart of the County: it’s the largest community in the region, and is home to several incredible shops, restaurants and architecturally significant buildings. Bloomfield is smaller and perhaps less well-known, but I happen to know it well because my aunt and uncle lived there for many years (they’ve since relocated to Picton.) Both are absolutely charming towns, and I can’t wait to take you through them, starting with Picton!

Gilbert & Lighthall Marketplace: The heart of Picton is its bustling main street, which is filled with cozy cafés, contemporary art galleries, and several shops and boutiques selling locally made goods. Housed in a 120-year-old heritage building, Gilbert & Lighthall sells furniture, home décor and unique gifts – including several County-themed pieces, if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind souvenir!

Field Made Goods: I first learned about this store when I saw it featured in House & Home Magazine last year. With its Scandi-chic palette of whites and warm woods, its interior is as impressive as its expertly curated collection of pottery, candlesticks and home fragrances. A favourite find: these hand-poured soy candles from The County Candle Co., each scent named after a place in the County – these would also make great souvenirs!

Coriander Girl: Located right next to Field Made Goods, this flower shop specializes in floral arrangements for weddings and other special events, but they also sell potted plants and home goods in-store. I was immediately drawn to the shop’s dusty pink exterior and rustic, brick-walled interior. It’s a beautiful, minimalistic space that lets the plants do all the talking.

Beacon Bike+Brew: This warm and inviting space is one part coffee shop, one part bike shop. In addition to serving coffee, tea, baked goods and breakfast sandwiches, Beacon sells a selection of accessories and safety gear for cyclists. We stopped by for a couple of oat milk lattes – they were so good!

The Regent Theatre: This may be the most easily recognizable building on Picton’s Main Street. Designed by Toronto architects Warrington & Page in 1918, it’s a rare example of an Edwardian opera house that is still intact and operational. The Regent Theatre continues to screen films and host live shows in its architecturally impressive space – click here to view a list of upcoming events.

Agrarian Market: Housed in a charming heritage building with the wraparound porch of my dreams – and conveniently located right by the Picton LCBO – this grocery store specializes in local foods. From produce, meat and dairy to jams, baking mixes and prepared meals, it’s truly a one-stop shop! I highly recommend their bakery – my aunt went and picked up some blueberry muffins for breakfast, and they were amazing: topped with an delicious crunchy streusel, and absolutely bursting with blueberries.

Hagerman Farms: I have a thing for big red barns, so I fell in love with Hagerman Farms right away! They’re a family-run farm that sells fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and farm-fresh eggs. Kids (and grown-up animal lovers like myself) will enjoy saying hello to the farm’s resident sheep, goats and miniature horses. You may also notice the brightly coloured patterned quilts hanging on the side of the barn facing the road. Hagerman Farms is part of the PEC Barn Quilt Trail, a collection of painted quilts mounted on barns, museums, schools and other businesses throughout the County. The quilt trail is meant to highlight local businesses and celebrate a unique form of folk art – read more about this very interesting initiative here.

I hope you enjoyed my post about Picton! Stay tuned for another post later this week where I’ll show you some of my favourite spots in nearby Bloomfield. If you have a favourite spot in Picton that I missed, please let me know in the comments or send me an email – I’d love to hear your recommendations!