From historical sites to shops, nature walks, and night life, Pelee Island provides visitors with a myriad of opportunities. Whether taking a bike ride, going for a swim, browsing through the local shops or indulging in the food and drink that the Island has to offer,g Pelee Island can satisfy your desire for calm and quiet or for new sights and sounds. Come and experience all that the Island has to offer!
Some establishments and activities on Pelee Island are seasonal. To avoid disappointment, please contact establishments that you would like to visit before May or after October. You may also call the Township of Pelee Municipal Office at 519-724-2931. It is important to us that you have a wonderful visit to Pelee Island.
Erected with stones from a local limestone quarry, this church was originally built by a Methodist congregation. Located on North Shore Road at Victoria Road, Calvary Anglican Church was dedicated in 1898.
St. Mary’s Church
This is the oldest church on the island, with the first baptism recorded in 1863. Today the parish is part of the Anglican church of Canada, it is located on East West Road beside the Summer Theatre and not far from Our Lady Star of the Sea Church.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church
Originally built for a congregation of 13 families in 1887, materials for its construction had to be transported from Windsor, Ontario. It is located on East West Road east of Stewart Road.
Weekly Mass/Communion Service: (summer months) Sundays at noon
Contact Information: Phone: (519) 733-6591 Website: www.johnanthony.dol.ca
Anglican Chuch Services:
June-September: 1st & 3rd Sunday at St. Mary’s 10:00 a.m.
July-August: Every Sunday at St. Mary’s at 10:00 a.m.
October-May: 1st & 3rd Sunday at The Calvary Anglican Church at 10a.m
Please call (519) 724-2022 for questions.
From painters to poets, authors, wood workers, and photographers, nature and community are viewed through a multitude of lenses. Pelee Island welcomes and encourages artists of all kinds to explore the Island and bring their own interpretation of the Island to life.
To find the works of many local artists and other crafts and gifts you can visit any of the establishments listed below.
| The Bakery
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| Selling unique, handmade Island arts and crafts. |
| Address: 5 North Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2321 |
| Email: thebakeryPI@gmail.com |
| Hours of Operation: Spring-Closed Wednesday; Summer-Daily; Fall-Closed Wednesday |
| Season: April 26 – October 20 |
| Comfortech Bicycle Rentals |
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| At Comfortech Bike Rentals and Retail Store we know your free time and leisure activities are important. We offer a diverse range of services to meet the entertainment and recreational interests of our customers on Pelee Island. Whether you are looking to meet new friends or just get away from it all Comfortech Bike Rentals and Retail Store can help. Comfortech supplies free biking maps even if you bring your own bikes, for self guided tours and will be happy to help you map out your day to suit the time frame you have available to you. Our rental fleet includes Comfortech bikes, Norco bikes, beach cruisers, basket bikes, mountain bikes as well as child carts and child bikes. We also have e-bikes and tandems available for day rentals. Helmets are also included with each rental at no additional charge. |
| Address: 1023 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2828 |
| Email: peleebikerental@hotmail.com |
| Website: www.peleebikerental.com |
| Hours of Operation: Spring 10am-4pm; Summer 10am-7pm |
| Season: April 1 – November 1 |
| Down the Lane Boutique
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| Down the Lane Boutique is a family owned business. We strive to offer the best service possible. Please contact by email or phone if you have questions. We are located across from the ferry dock. Looking forward to serving you! |
| Address: 1043 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-1121 |
| Email: aurellamoritz@gmail.com |
| Hours of Operation: 10am-4pm Daily |
| East Park Campground |
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| The East Park Campground Store has a great variety of camping essentials, basic groceries, firewood, and most importantly, unique Island T-Shirts, sweatshirts and kids wear. |
| Address: 1023 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2200 |
| Hours of Operation: 11am – 7pm daily |
| Season: May 1 – November 9 |
| Pelee Island Artworks
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| Pelee Art Works is a non-profit organization that strives to create a centre for arts and culture on Pelee Island. Art Works not only offers a retail store featuring many local artists and artisans, but also provides a variety of classes open to the public for a small fee. Throughout the year Art Works hosts Bingo Nights, seasonal potlucks, and special events to help support their organization while bringing together the community for nights filled with laughter shared between friends, new and old. |
| Address: 82 East West Rd |
| Phone: 226-783-9461 |
| Email: peleeartworks@gmail.com |
| Website: www.peleeartworks.org |
| Hours of Operation: 10am – 7pm Daily |
| Season: April 30 – October 8 |
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| Scudder Marina |
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| Scudder Marina Store has a great variety of snacks, boating essentials, and unique Island T-Shirts, sweatshirts and kids wear. We also sell fishing licences and worms!! |
| Address: 361 North Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2377 |
| The Treasure Emporium |
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| Pelee’s “Original Hippie Shop”, open since 1991 in the old red barn. Inventory refelcts our vaired interests of New Age and Native items, Rock T’s, vintage collectables, Pelee souvenirs, candles, Boho clothing and accessories, and a kids’ corner! Come by and visit our farm animals too. Hope to see you soon! 🙂 Candy, drinks and snacks are also available. |
| Address: 441 Parson’s Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2273 |
| Email: lovepelee@gmail.com |
| Website: www.facebook.com/thetreasureemporium |
| Hours of Operation: Most afternoons, look for the “Open” flag! |
| Anchor & Wheel Island Restaurant |
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| The Anchor & Wheel’s Island Restaurant is an Island staple, with two outside decks to enjoy the Island sun and indoor restaurant full of character. The Ahi Tuna is a signature dish that will not disappoint. Come visit and enjoy an iced cold drink on the deck while listening to the Island tunes! |
| Address: 11 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2195 |
| Season: April 27 – November 2 |
| The Bakery
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| Serving freshly baked goods, hot breakfast items, specialty coffees and drinks, lunch items (generous wraps, soups and salads). Pizza is available from 4:30-close Thursday-Saturday. |
| Address: 5 North Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2321 |
| Email: thebakeryPI@gmail.com |
| Hours of Operation: Spring-Closed Wednesday; Summer-Daily; Fall-Closed Wednesday |
| Season: April 26 – October 20 |
| Pelee Island Winery Pavilion
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| Address: 20 East West Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2469 |
| Email: pavilion@peleeisland.com |
| Website: www.peleeisland.com/ |
| Hours of Operation: Spring: Sunday – Thursday, 11am-4pm Friday – Saturday, 11am – 7pm Summer: Fall: |
| Season: May 10 – October 13 |
| Pelee Island Coneheads
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| Hand scooped ice cream, daily food specials, coffee and more! |
| Address: 1043 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-1121 |
| Email: aurellamoritz@gmail.com |
| Hours of Operation: Spring, 7am – 4pm; Summer, 7am-Sunset |
| Season: April 1 – December 2 |
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| Stone House 1891
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| Serving freshly baked goods, hot breakfast items, specialty coffees and drinks, lunch items (generous wraps, soups and salads). Pizza is available from 4:30-close Thursday-Saturday. |
| Address: 5 North Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-1100 |
| Email: admin@stonehouse1891.com |
| Website: www.stonehouse1891.com |
| Hours of Operation: Spring-Closed Wednesday; Summer-Daily; Fall-Closed Wednesday |
| Season: May – October |
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Photos: 
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| Westview Tavern |
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| Step off the boat and join us at the Tavern, located right across from the ferry dock, with great food, cold drinks and weekend entertainment. Don’t miss out on the spectacular sunsets from our deck! |
| Address: 1065 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2500 |
| Email: westviewmotelpelee@gmail.com |
| Hours of Operation: Bar-11am-2am; Restaurant-11am-9pm |
| Season: Mid-May – November 4 |
Pelee Island Nature Reserves: The Lighthouse Point and Fish Point Nature Reserves cover over 170 hectares of the Island and are home to some of the most provincially rare plants and animals. It is one of the few places in Ontario where the Prickly Pear Cactus will grow. If you follow the five km’s of sandy and forested walkways, you may find yourself at the most southern inhabited point in Canada or find the restored 1833 Lighthouse that was used to guide sailors through the rocky Pelee Passage. The Nature Reserves are home to many animals including the Fox Snake, Swallowtail Butterfly, Small-mouth Salamander and Blue Racer Snake. If you are lucky you can find the rare Eastern Spiny Soft-Shelled Turtle sunning itself in the marshlands. Pelee Island is an important stopover for migrating birds and butterflies which makes the Nature Reserves a perfect place for bird-watchers to find the Black Crowned Night Heron along with many other migratory birds while they are resting on Pelee Island. These are preserved areas with nearly untouched forests, please travel lightly and enjoy!
Stone Road and Brown’s Road Alvars: These alvars are very unique ecological areas that have a great deal of important plant and wildlife living amongst the natural habitat. Stone Road Alvar has almost 200 hectares of wooded and limestone plain (alvar) that is unlike anywhere else in Canada. Over 50 provincially rare plant species have been recorded at Stone Road Alvar, making it one of the most botanically significant sites in Ontario. As well as home to rare species such as the Blue Racer snake, the Tawny emperor butterfly and the Yellow-breasted Chat. Brown’s Road Alvar, owned and maintained by the Nature Conservancy of Canada is a nearly 300 hectare natural area, with a mosaic of savanna, open woodlands, meadows and thickets, this area is a perfect combination for habitats that are crucial to many species at risk. This natural area also surrounds the beautiful Noah Garno Trail from Brown’s Road to Harris Garno Road.
For a detailed map of the trails around the island please click on the thumbnail below:
Geocaching is a great way to get outdoors and explore all that nature has to offer on the Island. For all those outdoor enthusiasts, nature lovers & treasure hunters, this is a great way to get the family together or go on a solo tracking mission.
Below are some tips on how to geocache and where to find information on cache locations.
*Geocaching Apps are also available on Iphones and Android Phones to help you along the way!
Have fun and happy hunting!
You Tube
*Geocache Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YTqitVK-Ts
Tracking Caches:
The Pelee Island Waterfront Trail is a 28km circular route, following close to the Lake Erie shoreline all around the island. The route travels quiet country roads, through small hamlets, farmland, vineyards and natural areas, and has equal sections that are paved and unpaved. The Waterfront Trail also connects to the islands’ Ecological Trail System, providing access to beaches, forests, sand dunes, marshes and alvars found nowhere else in Canada.
Pelee Island is located 32 kilometres south of the Ontario mainland and is part of an archipelago of islands in the western Lake Erie basin. This location of Canada’s southernmost inhabited land area (Middle Island is the southernmost) creates an environment of unique plants and animals and is on major migratory bird and butterfly routes.
The Fish Point Nature Reserve and the Lighthouse Point Nature Reserve provides habitat for rare species including the Blue Racer Snake, Lake Erie Water Snake, Smallmouth Salamander and Spotted Turtle. In addition, 31 provincially rare and 19 regionally rare plant species are located in the reserves. Another unique feature is the Stone Road Alvar, a globally significant area, where rare plant and animal life only occurs here and nowhere else in the world. The physical presence of limestone combined with a southerly climate has created a unique Canadian Savannah environment.
In addition to the natural heritage features, there are significant cultural heritage features including the Pelee Island Heritage Centre, the Pelee Island Lighthouse, Pelee Island Art Works, the Pelee Island Winery and local limestone architecture.
The Pelee Island Waterfront Trail is open all year. The most interesting times to enjoy the trails will be during the spring and fall bird and butterfly migrations. Visitors should be cautioned, there is an annual fall pheasant hunt on the Island occurring in part of October and November.
MAIN ACCESS POINTS:
Ferry service to Pelee Island is from Kingsville and Leamington Ontario (approximately 1 ½ hours), and from Sandusky Ohio (approximately 1 ¾ hours). For schedules contact Pelee Island Transportation Company (1-800-661-2220) or check the website at www.ontarioferries.com and click MV Jiiaman.
The Stone & Sky Music & Arts Series is a growing & eclectic series of concerts and other artistic events containing spoken word, live performance, & visual arts. It takes place every weekend from June 30th to August 25th in a disused, fossilized, limestone quarry & rehabilitated former landfill. This gem of a venue boasts remarkable acoustics and flourishes with indigenous and endangered species of plants and animals, some of which are native only to Pelee Island in all of Canada. All artists (approximately 65) participate in week long residencies that culminate with the delivery of weekend workshops at no cost. Stone & Sky is recognized by Heritage Canada and The Ontario Arts Council. Venue opens Sundays at 5:30, performances end in time to catch the last ferry to the mainland!
Email: onefellswoopproductions@yahoo.ca
Website: www.stoneandsky.org
Scudder Marina
N 41 49.00 W 82 39.40
Monitors VHF 68
Telephone: 519-724-2377
Email: Scudder@pelee.ca
Located in the North Bay of Pelee Island, Scudder Marina offers all the essentials and more for day or overnight stays. Safe, sandy beaches, great fishing and diving are all in the area or just enjoy the solitude and amazing sunsets.
- can accommodate up to 65 ft. vessel
- 7-9 ft. depth at most docks
- docks have 30 amp & 50 amp service and water
- restrooms and showers open for public use during office hours and code locked after hours for marina guests only
- picnic tables, BBQ’s and open air gazebo in large shaded yard
- gas dock
- pets are welcome
- ice, beverages, t-shirts, and bait available
- Fishing and hunting licenses are available online. Click icon
- Accept Visa, MasterCard, and Debit
Reservations are not a must but are recommended for weekends.
Open Daily through the summer season.
For our American guests, you will need a valid passport. Upon arrival in Canada, the master of the boat must report to the CBSA by calling 1-888-226-7277. The master of the boat will provide details of the voyage, the passengers and their declaration.
As proof of presentation, masters will be provided with a report number for their records.
| Pelee Island Heritage Centre |
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| The Pelee Island Heritage Centre aspires to research, collect and preserve the evidence of the Island’s (and neighbours’) human history, to protect the community’s natural heritage, and to educate the public about our combined heritage through exhibits, publications, special presentations and our extended stay education program. It is understood, moreover, that the Heritage Centre, through the benefit of hindsight, should play a role in informing current community planning issues. |
| Address: 1073 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2291 |
| Email: peleeislandhc@gmail.com |
| Website: www.peleeislandmuseum.ca |
| Hours of Operation: 10am – 4 pm Daily |
| Season: May 1 – October 13 |
| Pelee Island Charters |
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| Sightseeing tours and water taxi services. |
| Address: 361 North Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-428-6680 |
| Email: info@peleeislandcharters.com |
| Website: www.peleeislandcharters.com |
| Hours of Operation: 10am – 7pm Daily |
| Season: June 22 – October 14 |
| Pelee Island Tours |
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| Offering full day Pelee Island Tours for groups of 25-48 people. Travel arraignments may be made from Essex County. Prices will vary, but are reasonable. |
| Phone: 519-919-9477 |
| Email: ect@essexcountytours.com |
| Website: www.peleeislandtour.com |
| Hours of Operation: By arraignment |
| Season: May 1 – December 8 |
| Pelee Island Information Centre |
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| The Pelee Island Heritage Centre aspires to research, collect and preserve the evidence of the Island’s (and neighbours’) human history, to protect the community’s natural heritage, and to educate the public about our combined heritage through exhibits, publications, special presentations and our extended stay education program. It is understood, moreover, that the Heritage Centre, through the benefit of hindsight, should play a role in informing current community planning issues. |
| Address: 1073 West Shore Rd |
| Phone: 519-724-2291 |
| Email: peleeislandhc@gmail.com |
| Website: www.peleeislandmuseum.ca |
| Hours of Operation: 10am – 4 pm Daily |
| Season: May 1 – October 13 |
As home to the oldest estate winery in Canada, Pelee Island has a tradition richly steeped in winemaking. Beginning in 1866 with Vin Villa Winery, an industry was born on the Island that would flourish until the early 1900’s. While the wine industry decreased through the early 19th century, rum runners thrived as Prohibition was introduced into the United States. Using Pelee Island as a stopping point as they traveled across the lake, the Island was an important port during these years of contraband activity.
When agricultural interest turned to tobacco and later soybeans, grape growing and winemaking disappeared for over half of a century until 1979 when grapes were reintroduced to the Island. The Pelee Island Winery was established, and with over 600 acres of grapes, it is the largest estate winery in Canada today. The Wine Pavilion opened in 1992 and operates from mid-May until mid-October, offering tastings, tours, and live weekend entertainment in the wine garden.
Season: May 10 – October 13
Hours of Operation:
Spring:
Sunday – Thursday, 11am-4pm
Friday – Saturday, 11am – 7pm
Summer:
Monday – Sunday, 11am – 8pm
Fall:
Monday – Sunday, 11am – 4pm
Call the Wine Pavilion at (519) 724-2469 or visit www.peleeisland.com or contact the pavilion manager at pavilion@peleeisland.com for more information.
