What Towns Are in Prince Edward County?
Prince Edward County is made up of 10 wards or sections that include all the towns on our small island.
These areas include:
Picton
The largest town in Prince Edward County. Many great places to stay and eat within town limits.
Wellington
The second largest town in Prince Edward County. High-ending dining and Wellington beach.
Bloomfield
The small village is known for antique and vintage shopping.
Hillier
An Area, not a town that’s thriving with many wineries and craft breweries in the heart of the County.
Hallowell
An area surrounding the towns of Picton and Bloomfield and West Lake area.
Ameliasburgh
Including these small towns in Prince Edward County, Consecon, Rednersville, Rossmore, and Carrying Place.
Athol
Includes the East Lake area and the small village of Cherry Valley.
Sophiasburgh
Includes Demorestville, Northport, and the Big Island.
North Marysburgh
Includes, Waupoos, Lake on the Mountain, Glenora, and Cressy.
South Marysburgh
Includes Black Creek and Milford. The South Marysburgh area is characterized by its gently rolling hills, picturesque farmland, and stunning lakeside vistas. South Marysburgh is a great place to enjoy the outdoors, with plenty of hiking, biking, and swimming opportunities.
Let’s take a look at what you can expect to find in each of the towns in Prince Edward County.
What is in Picton?
Picton Ontario is a small town located in Prince Edward County, Ontario. It is situated in the heart of the county just south of the Bay of Quinte and has a population of about 5200 people and growing.
The town is named after Sir Thomas Picton, a British officer who died at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Picton’s first settlers were Loyalists who came to Canada after the American Revolution.
The first post office opened in 1857 and was called “Picton-on-the-Bay”.
The name was changed to just “Picton” a bit later in 1859.
You will find that the town has a rich history that continues to be celebrated by its residents today.
There are local events like the annual heritage festival, Live music festivals, and car shows.
If you decide to stay in Picton you are close to shopping, craft breweries, and some of the best restaurants in Prince Edward County. Most of everything you want to experience will be within walking distance.
See my post about the ice cream shops here in Prince Edward County.
Picton Harbor is a popular tourist attraction. If you arrive by boat you can stay, eat and shop all within walking distance.
What is in Wellington?
Wellington is the next largest town in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. Located on the north shore of Lake Ontario and established in 1837, Wellington’s history goes back to before the War of 1812.
The Town of Wellington has a population of approximately 2,500 people.
The Town is the second most popular place to visit in Prince Edward County. The area has been blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and recreational opportunities for its residents to enjoy year-round.
Wellington beach is part of the popular Sandbanks Provincial Park and is located on Lake Ontario.
Wellington offers many fine restaurants and shops as well as a public library with free wifi internet access for all visitors.
Many visitors choose to stay in Wellington because the area is growing as a wine region and craft brewery region.
Most of the Prince Edward County Wineries can be found close by.
What is in Bloomfield?
Bloomfield is a smaller town in Prince Edward County, Ontario. It is located about 10 min west of the heart of Picton. The town has a population of approximately 580 and has been experiencing steady growth over recent years with new families moving to the area for its rural charm and natural beauty.
The farmers settled in the area of Bloomfield in the late 1700s, and you will still find many working farms very close by.
There are farm-to-table restaurants and cafés that serve fresh, local ingredients.
What makes Bloomfield popular are the small shops selling very unique items including antiques.
You can rent bicycles in Bloomfield and jump on the Millennium Trail that passes through Bloomfield from Picton onto Wellington.
What is in Hillier?
Hillier is not really a town but instead an area with a population of about 200 people. It has been said that the area was named after two early settlers, George Hill and William Hillier.
This area has the majority of the wineries here in Prince Edward County. There are just over 40 VQA wineries located in this area.
You’re going to find that Hillier Ontario offers an extensive range of high-quality, award-winning wines, and craft breweries as well as locally grown fruits and vegetables, baked goods, meats, cheeses, and more!
The Millennium Trail passes through Hillier coming from Wellington. It proceeds onto Consecon heading out through many of the Prince Edward County wineries.
Take a look at the Self Guided wine tour as most of these are in the Hillier area.
The fact is most people visiting Prince Edward County tour this area the most.
What is Hallowell Township?
This area of Prince Edward County was named after Benjamin Hallowell, a respected Loyalist, who came from Boston USA originally. This area includes Picton, Bloomfield, and a section of the Sandbanks on the West lake section.
The only running airport is found on Prince Edward heights also known as Camp Picton.
You will see hangers that were built during world war II to train bombers’ Squadrons. There is still lots of cool stuff there and certainly worth a stop.
What is in Ameliasburgh?
Consecon, Rossmore, and Carrying Place are three small towns in Prince Edward County found in Ameliasburgh. Rednersville is really an area and not so much a town although you will find some shops in the area.
Rossmore and Carrying Place are the North West, enter and exit sections of Prince Edward county.
The very small village of Ameliasburgh was also known as “Roblin’s Mills” after one of its early settlers and the mill he built; the shallow lake to the south of the village is known as Roblin Lake. Source: wikipedia.org
What is in Athol
You will find Cherry Valley and East Lake in the Athol ward. Also many places for camping including the Sandbanks Provincial Park.
There are many events run by the Athol Ward Recreation Committee throughout the year. Get a taste of the county during one of the many breakfasts, and dinner events.
You can book your own events by contacting the many different Ward Recreation Committees throughout the county.
For booking information please contact our Booking Representative at 613-476-2148 ext 5003 or bookings@pecounty.on.ca.
What is in Sophiasburgh?
The Sophiasburgh area is one of the original townships that formed Prince Edward County in the late 1700s.
The name is pronounced Sof-EYE-ahs-burgh and it’s the north part of Prince Edward County with one of four bridges to and from the Island.
From highway 401 south into Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on highway 49, you will need to take the Skyway Bridge into the county. You will be in the ward of Sophiasburgh.
You will find one of our favorite wineries at that end of the county called Three Dog Winery! Worth a stop as you will be driving close by on your way to Picton.
What is in North Marysburgh?
You will find Waupoos the home of the very first cidery in Prince Edward County called The County Cider Company.
There are many wineries out in this part of the county now! Driving county road 8, will take you right past 3 wineries in the area.
This part of the county was considered the main place to take a “Horn Trip“.
This was the term used by the older generation for taking a drive while drinking alcohol from Picton, through Waupoos and Cressey then back to Picton.
You will also find the very popular Lake On The Mountain Conservation area. The lake is said to be fed from lake Eire but the real source has never been confirmed.
Lake On The Mountain sits a whopping 60 meters above Lake Ontario and has spectacular views over the Bay of Quinte and the Glenora Ferry.
What is in South Marysburgh?
In South Marysburgh you’re going to get a really good taste of the heritage that Prince Edward County has to offer.
There are still many active farms in the area and now more wineries to check out.
You will find the Black River Cheese factory and although it still sells cheese where it no longer makes it at this location.
Milford is a very small town that used to have one general store but it has been closed up now for some time now. You can still stop and buy coffee and treats at the Milford bistro.
You’ll also find the Little Bluff conservation area and the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory. Two places are worth checking out to get the full experience of Lake Ontario.
There are a few really cool wineries out this way as well including, Lighthall winery, Long Dog Winery, and Exultet Estates which are the only winery in Prince Edward County that uses 100% county-grown grapes!
