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Port Burwell Beach is located on the shore of Lake Erie and is a beautiful sandy beach in Ontario, Canada. It falls in the Bayham Municipality and is located in Elgin County, Ontario. It can be found at the Big Otter Creek’s mouth, which is approximately forty miles long. The harbour at Port Burwell is an important historical aspect of Oxford Country.
Another interesting thing about Port Burwell -Beach is the fact that it is a nudist beach; clothes are optional here, and a walk from the parking lot will get you access to the nude private island.
1) 7 Great Spots at Port Burwell- Beach
Port Burwell is in Ontario, Canada, and is full of famous tourist spots, like, East Beach, Trinity Anglican Church, and more. It has places for swimming in the summer, quiet in the winter, and relaxation throughout the year!
Here are 7 of the best spots Port Burwell has to offer.
1.1) Port Burwell Provincial Park
Port Burwell Provincial Park is a great spot for families, especially ones with dogs. Port Burwell Provincial Park is a dog-friendly park with a lot of areas for recreation and exercise.
Now, the park has two entrances; Libby Avenue and Chatham Street, and if you’re looking for the best time to visit, you should leave as early as possible to avoid the rush and crowds which lead to the closing of entry gates.
The park is also accessible for wheelchair use. If you run out of a beach area to hang out at, check out the recreational fields reserved for soccer, volleyball, basketball, and picnicking. You can also find over 232 bird species at the park.
At this park, you can enjoy the warm water, a buoyed swimming area, and changing facilities. You can also explore recreational activities, like a 9-hole frisbee golf course.
However, the park doesn’t have lifeguards, but a life-jacket lending program is available. There is a rock pier outside the boundary of the Port Burwell Provincial Park, but it isn’t open to visitors and is owned by Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans.
This beach is a beautiful treasure of Lake Erie. You can also get your dogs to come exercise here and can have camping events with big groups of people. During migration season, the park becomes an excellent spot for nature lovers.
1.2) Periscope Playhouse Cultural Centre
Periscope Playhouse is a charitable organization in Port Burwell that promotes local theatre to enrich and liven the community. It also supports community engagement and inclusivity. The Port Burwell Periscope Playhouse is a Not-for-Profit company with a lot of success. Their first play was held at the Vienna Community Centre and was scripted by Patrick Harding.
From 2013 onwards, Periscope rented many venues and staged a lot of plays and musical events. Periscope Playhouse offers a great place for quality plays and events that are full of life. If you are someone who enjoys plays and musicals, Periscope Playhouse Cultural Centre is an essential place for you to watch out for.
The general rental rate is $50 per hour, with a base rate of 4 hours minimum. Musical events are also $50 per hour, but with a base rate of 6 hours. You will also need to pay additionally for lighting and sound technology access.
You can also become a member here with only $10.00 per calendar year. As a member, you’ll be able to get priority for tickets, and will be invited to volunteer and participate in events.
1.3) The Museum of Naval History
The museum of Naval History is a great place to learn about Port Burwell and its navy. It is located in Port Burwell, alongside one of the best Ontario beaches. The administration of the Elgin Military museum manages this museum. This hidden gem is a great source of information and has a long stretch of material related to the navy.
The largest artifact here is the HMCS Ojibwa submarine. This submarine is open for tours and is the only submarine in Ontario that is available for the public to view from the inside. It is from the Cold War era, and it served for the Royal Canadian Army and the Maritime Command, as well.
The Museum was officially established in 2013, and many submariners attended the event including the first crew of the submarine. The groundbreaking was held in May 2012.
Other than the HMCS Ojibwa submarine, here are some other points of interest include:
- An outside guided tour: The Fish Eye View, a 45 minutes tour.
- An inside guided tour: The Submariner’s Tour, a one-hour tour.
- An intensive guided inside tour called ‘The Greater Depths Tour’. It’s a 3 hours tour which can be booked only by appointment.
1.4) Port Stanley
Port Stanley is situated on Lake Erie’s north. Here, you will also get to visit Port Burwell and Port Bruce. Port Stanley excels in being an awesome and beautiful sandy beach with great restaurants, live entertainment, and cute boutique shops to buy at. This is the best destination to relax after a week full of work.
Port Stanley Main beach has the Blue Flag beach status, indicating that it meets higher standards of safety and water quality. It shares this status with Port Burwell East Beach. Port Stanley also has Little Beach, which is an excellent spot for families who want to enjoy calm waters.
While you’re at Port Stanley, you should also visit the Pier and lighthouse to get magnificent views of the beach and the waters. Port Stanley Terminal rail is another tourist ride that is loved and has been known as Elgin’s longest-running attraction.
For people looking for youth programs and lively plays, Port Stanley Festival Theatre has a different crowd than beach-goers. These are just some of the most interesting things to do in Port Stanley.
1.5) Edison Museum of Vienna, Ontario
Six kilometres away from the north shore of Port Burwell, Lake Erie, the Edison Museum of Vienna boasts about the legendary inventor, Thomas Alva Edison.
It was built by Thomas Edison’s grandparents, they used to live there. Edison, as a young boy liked visiting the farm, having fun in the barn, going swimming, and fishing in the river nearby. In 1933, Henry Ford moved this location to Greenfield Village. This is the Outdoor Museum in Michigan.
A two-story farmhouse of 1853 renovated into the museum, this place offers artifacts, services, and devices related to the great personality. There are display cases holding bulbs, needles, books, and sparkplugs.
1.6) Trinity Anglican Church
If you are looking for a place that is away from the chaos of the town and is full of quiet vibes, Trinity Anglican Church is the place to be. This church with excellent reviews is always open to accepting people who believe in Christianity and practice it.
While this church may not have an official website and works mainly through social media pages, if you are a family that believes in the power of worship, and wants to visit a church that practices physical distancing and also has services during the week, there’s no other destination that will suit you better.
1.7) Port Burwell East Beach
Last on the list of reasons to visit Port Burwell is the Port Burwell East Beach. This beautiful beach full of sand should be the main excursion on your trip to Port Burwell. The water quality and intensity of Lake Erie make it the best spot for swimming. The ample space at the beach ensures social distancing, and the free parking allows people to be carefree about their vehicles.
Alongside the east beach, there are washrooms at the beach, Marine Museum, and the Memorial Park. However, your dogs aren’t allowed on the beach for a tune to October. Water quality testing takes place from June to August.
This beautiful sandy beach has a long shoreline with a lot of facilities available. Volleyball nets. ample space to get some vitamin D from the rays of the sun, and excellent places to visit nearby, this beach is a hub for tourists.
It is close to Big Otter Creek, Lake Erie, and the Port mentioned above Burwell Provincial Park. Additionally, during your visit here, you can also check out one of Canada’s oldest wooden lighthouses, the Port Burwell Lighthouse. The lighthouse came into existence in 1840, and visitors are allowed to access it.
2) In Conclusion
There are many places to visit in Port Burwell, and the above-mentioned ones are just a few of the best.
Some other famous locations here are:
- Baptist Church – This church has a wide history spanning more than 100 years.
- St Paul’s United Church – The first Methodist church of Port Burwell.
- John Paul II Cultural Center – Hosts summer camps and retreats.
If you’re wondering about places to eat, Port Burwell has a lot of options for you to choose from:
- Simply Scoops is an excellent spot for ice cream lovers who enjoy having ice cream in large cones and various flavours.
- Izzy’s Schooners: One of the many restaurants in Port Burwell serving Seafood, Canadian, and vegan-friendly options.
- The Lighthouse Restaurant & Pub: A restaurant that serves Seafood and special dishes of Canada that can be enjoyed in outdoor seating.
Last Updated on by Suchi
