Top family friendly winery in Prince Edward County (PEC) is Waupoos Estates Winery
Waupoos Estates Winery in Prince Edward County stands out as being the best for family with young kids, as well as for parties about 8 people. I will list all the fun things you can do there as a family!
As you are on your road trip, I did a quick mention of Trail Estate Winery, which should also be on your radar to visit.
With many incredible wineries, I am sure I will discover many more family friendly spots to add to my blog. For now, mark these wineries on your must visit list in the Country.
Plan before you go!
I like to be spontaneous when travelling, but with the pandemic, it is important to research in advance to see what places are opened, if tastings need to be pre-booked, and if there are any other restrictions. Find out what safety measures are in place.
In Prince Edward County, many wineries and restaurants stated “no groups of more than 6” on their website. As we were a party of eight that included my two young kids and seniors (parents and in-laws), it was important that we were not turned away at the wineries. Even one of the restaurants in PEC that I called to inquire about our group size said they would not split our party into two tables to avoid mingling. I researched over 10 wineries before making the selection and I am happy with our trip itinerary.
A family friendly winery includes one that has open space to roam around, feels welcoming, allows our group of 8 to be together , and may include kid specific attractions such as a petting zoo.
To minimize crowds, my suggestion is to visit on a weekday and head out early if you are doing a day trip. Many wineries close around 5 to 6 pm in the summer.
Wineries can be fun for the family too!
Out of our party, only a few of us are drinkers but there is so much to enjoy at a winery including the road trip itself, learning about wine, getting fresh air, and relaxing in a gorgeous setting. And of course, the vineyards are a stunning backdrop for photos. I absolutely LOVE wine, so being able to try wines with the family brings me so much joy.
Family fun at Waupoos Estates Winery!
Waupoos Estates Winery & Restaurant (3016 County Rd. 8, Picton, ON. Canada, K0K 2T0) was worth the drive as there is so much to do there.
This winery is actually the first winery opened at Prince Edward Country (read about the Waupoos Estate Winery founders and winemaker) located on a picturesque 100 acre waterfront property overseeing Lake Ontario.
What Waupoos Estates Winery has to offer:
- Huge property to roam around close to the water, green space, and vineyards all around.
- Outdoor seating on the lawn, under a tent and by the waterfront.
- Farm-to-table gazebo style restaurant.
- Candy and chocolate store, that also has gelato.
- A wine store to grab Waupoos Estates wines!
- A wine tasting area outdoors.
- Clafeld Cider House across the street that that has hard apple ciders using 100% Waupoos Ontario apples.
- A petting zoo with free admission with the feed available for purchase.
- Lots of parking space at the winery and across the street.
- Outhouse style washrooms outside the restaurant and one inside the wine store.
What our family did at Waupoos Winery and enjoyed!
The restaurant patio only allowed for parties of 6 or less at one table so we ordered the food as take out. There were a ton of spots with tables and chairs in their lawn area that allowed for social distancing. We landed the perfect spot by the waterfront!
The food from the farm-to-table restaurant was incredible. We ordered a few apps but the stand out was the light and crispy fish and chips, and juicy burger.
After our meal, we walked around the estate while taking a ton of photos to capture our day, followed by relaxation time on the lawn. Packing picnic blankets are a must!
Of course, we couldn’t leave without doing a wine tasting (based on a first come, first serve basis), and purchasing some bottles. My favourite from all the beverages during my trip was the Waupoos Estate De Chaunac 2019 (red), as well as the Clafeld Ciders Smashed Apple Cider.
We finished our day visiting the petting zoo across the street from the winery where we saw goats, ducks and chickens.
What else is close by the Waupoos Estate Winery?
- Eat at the The Waupoos Pub
- Go blueberry picking at The Blueberry Patch
- Head to the County Cider Company
Another must visit family friendly winery in Prince Edward County
Trail Estate Winery
There are a lot of massive wineries in PEC and it is nice to discover the hidden gems. Trail Estate Winery (416 Benway Road, Hillier Ontario, K0K 2J0 Canada) has incredible wines and has a rustic feel.
The building is really no frills with the backdrop of dried fields in the summer months. This winery is perfect for families as it allows a maximum of eight people into the winery store, and has a large field and patio for the kids to roam around. My parents and I were able to enjoy wine by the glass with no reservations required.
The wines at Trail Estate are phenomenal! Their wines are “small batch, unfiltered and low-intervention”. As their vines are grown as part of the Hilliar Clay Loam, this means that their vines are grown in an area with clay-like-soil and limestone pieces. The vines have delicate aromatics and natural acidity that tend towards flavours of citrus in the whites and strawberry in the reds.
I had the 2017 Trail Estate Chardonnay and 2017 Unfiltered Riesling and loved them both.
If there are other family friendly wineries you recommend, comment below!
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