Top 3 hotspots to visit on a road trip to Essex County
Ready to make the most of your last few weeks of summer?
The counties outside of London are full of hidden gems, so we're asking the people who know their county best to give their top three list of must-dos.
From a long golfing season to a great place for bird watching, there's lots to do in Essex County.
Gordon Orr is the CEO for Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island. He joined CBC's London Morning to talk about his top three picks for an Essex County road trip.
"We're the southernmost city or region in Canada and as such we have a very desirable climate," he said.
1. Barrels, Bottles & Brews Trail
Get a taste of the craft breweries and distilleries that Essex County has to offer through the Barrels, Bottles & Brews Trail. From ales to lagers and small batch spirits, the trail features 11 breweries and two distilleries through the area with one-day, seven-day or year-long flight log passports.
The trail celebrates the craft brew industry and the fact that we have the North America's oldest distillery, JP Wiser's Distillery. Windsor is also "the birthplace of Canadian whisky," said Orr.
"We have a climate that is certainly very, very advantageous to us," he said, "We've 18 award-winning wineries."
There is also an Epic Wine Country Tasting Pass to taste our way through 12 wineries through out Windsor, Essex and Pelee Island for easy self-guided tours, he said.
2. Follow the Flavours
For a taste of food about the world, Follow the Flavours is a multicultural food trail for a self-guided food tour experiencing the history, and traditions of global cuisine.
"It's basically a world of new tastes and new sensations and new delights. And there's a self-guided, experiential, self-guided tour that you can take," Orr said. "It's got Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian, German, American, Caribbean and Mexican."
After a savoury of diversity of dishes, it could be time for a slice of pizza.
"We have arguably the best pizza in Canada. We are the pizza capital of Canada, and you can certainly enjoy that as well," he said.
3. World Class Entertainment
Windsor is also a destination for world-class entertainment.
The 5,000 seat Colosseum at Caesars Windsor brings big names to the city with upcoming acts like the legendary Diana Ross, Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden, and rap superstar Nelly, Orr said.
"There's a host of different folks coming and gracing the Colosseum stage."
Sharing an international border with Detroit, Windsor also has "all of the major amenities of a major metropolitan city," he said.
There's also a number of festivals and events across the region, he said, including Last Call Before Fall, which celebrates the region's food and wine September 8 and 9, and the Windsor Craft Beer Festival coming up on October 14.
"We have so much to see and do," he said.