I recently had the pleasure of taking a group of local small business owners and front-of-house staff on a bus tour to learn about some interesting places to visit here in Lennox & Addington.
Why did I do this, you ask?
- Well, it was a great opportunity to get out of the office for the day. But more importantly,
- By experiencing something in-person, it makes it much easier to provide referrals to visitors looking for fun things to see and do in the area.
When I’m away on vacation I often ask restaurant wait staff, shopkeepers or hotel employees for ideas about fun and unique things to do in their local area. I’m always more apt to take their advice when they provide real, heartfelt suggestions.
If they love the experience, chances are I will too.
Our whirlwind, 5-hour trek took us to a number of amazing spots in Lennox & Addington. If you’re looking to visit us for a mini vacation summer, the stops on our tour cover off some great places to stay, attractions to experience, places dine and locations to shop.
We hope you’ll follow in our footsteps (or bus path), however, rather than racing through the stops like we did, we recommend taking your time and making this a two-day visit in L&A.
Below is a brief summary about everywhere we went on a beautiful spring day.
Museum of Lennox & Addington
97 Thomas Street East, Napanee
We began our jam-packed day by assembling at the Museum of Lennox & Addington in Napanee. Joanne Himmelman from the museum spoke about current and upcoming exhibits (you’ll love the new fishing display), themed programming, and details about the fun activities coming to the Macpherson House this summer. There are definitely some exciting things happening at both locations, so be sure to check out their website for all the details.
The Red Brick Suites
194 East Street, Napanee
After leaving the museum, we hopped on the bus for a 45-second trip to The Red Brick Suites. Owner Wade Schell (who joined us on the full tour) showed us his fantastic, newly-renovated luxurious and spacious suites. Two separate spaces area available, The Loft and The Garden Suite.
Babcock Mill
100 Bridge Street, Odessa
For the first time in over 30 years, Babcock Mill will be open to the public for tours and demonstrations beginning in July! Amber Meyer from Loyalist Township provided everyone with an update on this wonderful historic site in Odessa. She also provided an overview of a variety of great events and activities happening at several heritage properties in the Township this spring and summer.
The Piggery Gallery
53 Wartman Road, Newburgh
Proud owner Jaana Parks from The Piggery Gallery in Newburgh greeted us with a big smile, as she always does during all of my visits to this fantastic destination. She a wonderful mix of high-quality artisan-made items. You can explore an assortment of original art, handcrafted & hand painted furniture, rag rugs, quilts, pottery, home decor, apparel and much more. She also let us in on some exciting changes coming soon to the gallery.
Barking Goat Farms
13 McGill Road, Centreville
This agri-tourism experience at Barking Goat Farms was arguably the favourite stop on the tour. It really is quite amusing to see so many people running around the barnyard to catch evasive baby goats. Owner Deborah Gorsky provided a great summary of the origin of her farm. All are welcome to book a tour and snuggle a goat, meet a donkey and learn about chickens at this fun and interactive farm. She also offers a farm stay opportunity on Airbnb.
Devon Cafe
3 Concession Street, Tamworth
When we arrived in Tamworth, Marg and Brian Weese from Devon Cafe served us all a much-needed lunch. In operation for over 30 years, they always provide their customers with a heaping helping of homemade deliciousness. While we didn’t have time to browse their gift store located next door to the cafe, they offer a variety of unique and one-of-a-kind offerings. There’s so much to explore at this lovely destination.
Tamworth Book Shop
Bridge Street East, at the foot of Peel Street
Located in a beautiful Victorian red brick coach house, Robert & Lorie Wright at the Tamworth Book Shop offer two floors of hand-picked, well-organized used books (about 20,000 in total) in a variety of genres – with many rare finds! Whether you’re searching for poetry, Canadian literature, fiction, classics, reference – and many more – chances are that they have it or know where to look. This spot received a lot of favourite points by those on the tour.
L&A Dark Sky Viewing Area
7980 County Road 41, Erinsville
The last stop on our adventure was to the Lennox & Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area. It was a bit strange to be there at around 1pm with a bright blue sky overhead. Even still, it was a great opportunity for everyone to see some of the impressive upgrades that the site has undergone this year. With an expanded platform, a paved accessible walkway, electrical plug-ins and a wall to block headlights from shining on the platform, the site is one of the premiere stargazing destinations in Ontario.
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We hope that this list of L&A destinations inspires you to make a visit to see us. Looking for more? Be sure to browse our website for more amazing things to do here in Lennox & Addington.
A big thank you goes out to our local businesses that joined us the tour… Wynn Farms, Comfort Inn & Suites Napanee, The Lemon Tart Bed & Breakfast, Marlene’s Mayhew Jewellers, Blue Door Bakery & Cafe, Stone Corner, Lavender Queen Lavender Farm, The Waterfront River Pub & Terrace and 4 S Tours. We hope you enjoyed the day and learned about some great L&A destinations that you can refer to your customers.
