On the 42

It’s hard to know where to begin when you’re “On the 42.”

Boaters in the know can’t help but smile any time they hear that curious expression, which refers to the location of Leamington, Ontario — a charming port of call on western Lake Erie’s Canadian shoreline, which just happens to lie smack-dab on the 42nd parallel. Find yourself “On the 42” and you’re having a very good day, since the Leamington area just happens to be among the most fascinating destinations on the Great Lakes.

Located at the base of Point Pelee, the enchanting town of Leamington sits at the same approximate latitude as Chicago, Boston, Rome and Barcelona. While Leamington may not match its latitude line neighbors in terms of population, with just under 28,000 full-time residents, it does emulate the big towns in drawing visitors from all over the map on the strength of its own magical charms. That includes laying claim to having the southernmost point of mainland Canada within its boundaries, as the municipality of Leamington includes adjacent Point Pelee and its namesake National Park.

First settled around 1835, Leamington prospered as a commercial center on the strength of a bustling logging industry, shipping prime timber from mighty oaks, maples and beech trees to buyers all over the Great Lakes. The community grew quickly, opening its first post office in 1854, established a stagecoach service to Windsor in 1860, and incorporating as a village in 1874. A number of commercial docks sprung up all across the Leamington waterfront, allowing lumber companies to more easily transport their goods to market. Other ships hauled away cargoes of fish, including large quantities of sturgeon, which were, as often as not, speared from the very same docks at night.

Farming soon came to displace forestry as the region’s dominant industry, with the mild climate proving ideal for growing fruit — tomatoes in particular. By 1908, tomatoes had become such an important crop that the Highbury-Canco company established a processing factory and cannery in Leamington. The plant — which gave the town its pleasant and distinct tomato smell — was subsequently acquired by H. J. Heinz to produce ketchup and baby food. Heinz remained the largest employer in town for decades, until shifting business priorities led the company to consider closing the plant in 2014. In the end, the plant was sold rather than closed — ironically, right back to its original owner, Highbury-Canco. Today it still produces tomato juice and other tomato products for a number of buyers, Heinz included.

The French have a saying — Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose — which roughly translates as, “The more that things change, the more they stay the same.” That’s a fairly adept description for Leamington, since for all of the change that this town has seen over the generations, at its core it has always remained the same — a wonderful, vibrant community with all sorts of amazing things to do.

Bon appetite

After working up an appetite touring about town, you’ll be pleased to learn that Leamington is also home to a burgeoning culinary scene. For a smaller town, the variety of outstanding restaurants here is surprising, to say the least, in both number and style. Whether your tastes run to Italian, Mexican, Salvadorian, Portuguese, Caribbean, Lebanese, Greek, Mennonite, Vietnamese or American, you’ll find something to tempt your palate and leave you feeling positively stuffed. October 2019 saw the launch of the inaugural Flavours on the 42 Food Festival, which proved so popular that there is already talk of not only making it an annual event, but also of possibly adding a spring fling.

Not surprisingly, most of the restaurants focus on locally sourced natural ingredients. Leamington has always been blessed with an abundance of incredible produce — and not just tomatoes. Today, local farms grow peppers, cucumbers, roses and flowers for eager buyers throughout North America. Most of these crops are now grown in greenhouses rather than in open fields, allowing a year-round harvest. You see greenhouses everywhere; Leamington actually boasts the largest concentration of commercial greenhouses in all of North America, with nearly 2,000 acres under glass. That’s more than half of the total greenhouse capacity of the entire U.S. and Canada combined. You have to give credit to the farmers here who have figured out that being able to grow top-notch produce year-round isn’t just good business sense, it ensures that their own restaurant visits will be rewarding regardless of the season.

Of course, good food is nothing without good wine, and the combination of the mild climate moderated by Lake Erie and the rich soils around Leamington creates excellent growing conditions for grapes. Nearly 20 wineries in the area — officially designated as the Lake Erie North Shore appellation by the Ontario Wine Appellation Authority — produce excellent cool-climate varietals based on French and German grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Riesling. This includes the world-renowned Pelee Island Winery, Canada’s most southerly estate winery and winner of multiple international awards in blind tastings.

By far, the best way to sample some of the local wines is to take a wine tour. Grape Vine Tours (grapevinetours.ca) will pick you up right at the marina and take care of the driving, leaving you to taste and enjoy to your heart’s content. Because some of the wineries are located farther away from the docks than what some might consider reasonable cycling range, this is a terrific option — plus it makes it a whole lot easier to bring a few bottles back to the boat. For those who prefer craft beer or whiskey, Grape Vine also offers brewery and distillery tours as well.

The festive spirit

Because Canadians hold summer precious, there’s always some sort of festival or special event throughout the warmer months.

One event you won’t want to miss is the Artisan’s Market held on the first weekend of each month at the Mill Street Market. It’s a lot of fun, with some truly impressive crafts for sale. But don’t think for a second that this is just another small-town flea market; on summer holiday weekends, the Leamington Artisan’s Market has been known to attract as many as 10,000 visitors — and that’s not a typo. This is an artisan’s market on a grand scale, with quality to match.

For more than 170 years, the Leamington District Agricultural Society Fair, typically held over the third week of June, presents a dazzling array of arts, crafts, livestock and food in classic County Fair style. The midway is particularly impressive, with a full complement of rides and games, including a wildly popular demolition derby.

Arts @ The Marina, presented by the South Essex Arts Association in collaboration with the Leamington Arts Centre, is a delightful outdoor arts and crafts show held in late June, conveniently right at the Leamington Marina. Celebrating its 28th anniversary in 2020, the event runs on an “admission by donation” policy with dozens of arts and crafts exhibitors, live local music, food, local wine and spirits.

For the birds

While its agricultural heritage remains an integral part of Leamington’s fabric today, without question the town’s biggest attraction is Point Pelee and its namesake Point Pelee National Park — the smallest yet most ecologically diverse national park in Canada.

Point Pelee is a cone-shaped peninsula of land, consisting mainly of marsh and woodlands, that tapers to a sharp point as it extends a little over nine miles into Lake Erie. Established in 1918, Point Pelee was the first national park in Canada to be established specifically for wildlife conservation.

Today, Pelee enjoys an international reputation as one of the greatest places on earth to watch migrating birds, with more than 300 different species passing through the area each spring and fall thanks to its position at the confluence of two key migration routes: The Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. In spring, from May 1 to 20, the annual Festival of Birds provides an excellent opportunity to see more than 100 species of migrating birds in a single day. Autumn is even busier, as the birds are joined by swarms of monarch butterflies on their way to Mexico.

Getting to the park couldn’t be easier, as a waterfront cycle path runs from downtown Leamington right to the entry gate, passing the marina on its way. From downtown to the park gate is just a 10-minute bike ride. There is an excellent cycling trail in the park itself, making it possible to ride from your dock all the way to the tip of the point.

You can also simply take a cab or Uber from the marina docks. Park staff operate a vehicle train that takes passengers from the visitor center all the way to the tip, allowing even those with mobility challenges to enjoy all the park has to offer.

For those looking to stretch their legs after a few days on the boat, Point Pelee National Park also offers excellent hiking trails, including an iconic wooden boardwalk that provides the best views of the marsh while protecting it from ecological damage. To explore the vast marshes from the water, you can rent a kayak from May through October, or take a guided tour with a park naturalist in a huge warrior canoe appropriately named the Cattail Cruiser.

Visit in spring and you’ll be in for a visual and fragrant treat in the form of millions of blooming wildflowers. Wildflower Walks led by park interpreters explore this unique expanse of Carolinian forest and help visitors learn to identify the different blossoming wildflowers.

Looking for something more sparkly? Its position jutting nine miles into Lake Erie makes Point Pelee equally popular with astronomers, providing exceptionally clear views devoid of ancillary light pollution. Whether you’re a serious star-gazer or just someone who likes to ponder the universe as the sun sets on the horizon, Point Pelee offers some of the grandest views anywhere.

Prefer to go for a swim? The park is also home to some of the longest continuous natural beaches on Lake Erie, some with change rooms, washrooms and picnic areas.

If you’re more into diving than swimming, the Pelee Passage between the Point and Pelee Island offshore boasts the highest density of shipwrecks in all the Great Lakes — an unhappy statistic attributed to treacherous reefs, unforgiving late-season storms and once-heavy ship traffic. Many wrecks feature unique and remarkable archaeological features that are largely undiscovered.

That’s just a tiny sample of what lies in wait On the 42. With its exceptional shopping, dining, events and natural attractions, the toughest part about any trip to Leamington has always been — and remains — deciding just where to begin.