Long Point Provincial Park
One of southwestern Ontario’s most picturesque beaches extends along the Lake Erie shore for more than 1.5 kilometers (nearly a mile) in Long Point Provincial Park, an hour-and-15-minute drive east of Port Stanley. It’s a hot spot for birders, with more than 300 species migrating through the area every spring and fall.
London
For art and craft beers, head to Ontario’s London, 40 minutes north of Port Stanley. In a distinctive contemporary building, Museum London is known for hosting intriguing exhibits. The gallery has a cool café, too. London is also home to a beloved brewery that offers tours to the public, and the city has several up-and-coming microbreweries. When you’re ready for a snack, browse the food stalls at Covent Garden Market.
Chatham
Many formerly enslaved people who made their way north from the United States via the network of safe houses known as the Underground Railroad settled in Ontario. The Chatham area, about an hour’s drive west of Port Stanley, has several sites related to this heritage. The Buxton National Historic Site and Museum tells the story of the Buxton Settlement, which was once Canada’s largest Black community, and both the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and the Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site provide insights into the region.