Adventure Aplenty in Windsor Essex, Ontario

Published April 18th, 2025

Photos by Jay Kana unless otherwise noted.

Before this trip, I’d been to Windsor Essex twice. Once in 2005 for a friends wedding in Leamington and in 2024 for a cottage weekend that included kayaking in Point Pelee and Lake Erie. It was time for me to spend more time here since there’s so much happening. If you’re asking “Jay, what’s there to do in Windsor Essex?” my answer is simply; there’s adventure aplenty here between the excellent outdoor adventures and thriving food and drink scene.
Here’s what I did and I invite you to either follow it or add it to your list of things to do in Windsor Essex, Ontario’s outdoor adventure gem. 

Kayaking

As someone who’s kayaked all five Great Lakes in one day, I’m always looking for new waters to kayak in.
Of the several kayaking options in Windsor Essex, I launched into three, with each offering distinctly different experiences to enjoy for all experience levels.

First up is Point Pelee National Park, where there’s a dedicated kayak and canoe launching station. You can bring your own vessel or enjoy the on-site rentals from Pelee Wings Outfitters. 
Enjoy a leisurely paddle on the south side of the marsh boardwalk in sheltered, calm waters.
Extend your time on the water by exploring Pond Lake, West Cranberry Pond and East Cranberry Pond.

Drone photo by Steph Wallcraft

In Essex, you’ll find Cedar Creek Conservation Area, where it’s about one minute from the parking lot to the put-in spot. As you explore the Cedar Creek Basin, your soundtrack will be a variety of birds and wildlife and of course, the gentle splashes of your paddle.
You can paddle all the way to Cedar Beach Conservation Area on the shores of Lake Erie if you want to make a day of it.

Windsor’s Peche Island on the Detroit River is a very short paddle from land; it took me under four minutes at a slower pace. Launch from the aptly named Kayak Cove Beach and once you reach the island, paddle in and around the area or get on land and do some exploring of this famous 86-acre island.
When I went in mid-April, there was an oh-so slight wind that created slight movement in the water. As this is the most open of the three, carefully and often check the weather and wind conditions to ensure the most enjoyable paddling experience.

Additionally, Pelee Wings Outfitters, located just outside Point Pelee National Park, is an excellent resource for kayak rentals, lessons, apparel and impressively, they’re the largest stocking dealer of binoculars in Canada! So if you want to do some birding and or wildlife watching from the water, they’re your best resource.
They also host a relaxed evening group paddle at various points throughout the season, which is absolutely worth checking out. 

Point Pelee National Park

Maybe it’s me being a Pisces but I sure do love the water, in case it wasn’t obvious yet.
Point Pelee National Park has plenty of it being on the shores of Lake Erie.

To get to the point, park your car at the Visitors Centre and either take the short shuttle ride or walk the two-ish kilometres (approximately 30 minutes) to reach the newly opened and spectacular and freshly renovated for 2025 Tip Tower. It’s 78.7 feet high and you’ll climb 144 steps to reach the top. First opened in 2019, you’ll enjoy 360 degree views of both the lake and the park itself. 

Once you descend, it’s a short walk first on pavement then on sand to reach the tip, which is simply serene. Watching and hearing the water meet the shoreline is nature at its finest. Please be mindful of how far you go as safety must be the top priority. 

Parks Canada offers a unique lodging option via their A-frame style cabins called oTENTik’s. It sleeps up to six people, is heated, has a gas BBQ, picnic table, four kitchen chairs and a table and two Muskoka chairs. Plus, there are showers, proper toilets and a room to wash your dishes on site, along with an animal-resistant large metal bin with a heavy lid on hydraulics to keep your food in.
And yes, there’s a fire pit with firewood and kindling sold at the campground office.
Now that I’ve experienced it once, I’m going to do it more often!

Inn 31 in Kingsville

A quaint inn with three charming rooms on the upper floor of the famous Goose & Kitchen Bar house, Inn 31 blends historic with modern for a truly memorable experience.

My room, #2, was Canadian themed from a shiny red fridge to an image of a Canadian nickel as a table top and the throw pillows having “Canada is Home” printed on them. The bed is comfy, there are both power outlets and USB ports bookending the bed and  while I’m fairly sure the other two rooms are nice, I’m kinda attached to this one. 

Where to Eat & Drink in Windsor Essex

Lee and Maria’s isn’t a restaurant but this family farm in Kingsville has oh-so much good stuff from fresh vegetables and fruits to cheese to meats and more. Definitely worth a visit or few. Fun fact; the farm and I share a birth year!

The Goose Bar & Kitchen, on the main floor of the aforementioned Inn 31, serves up some of the best wings, which are there because the owner, like me, has a fondness for chicken wings. The upscale yet approachable menu has just enough variety without being overwhelming, there are vegetarian and gluten-free options and the vibe is fun, relaxed and I’ll certainly be back. 

Banded Goose Brewing, also in Kingsville, serves up excellent craft beer with five selections brewed in-house and a host of others via their “Guest Taps.” I went there after my wings so I can’t say how good the food is (I’m sure it’s great!) but I can say that their beers are quite good. Add in an energetic atmosphere and this locally-owned brewery is a cool local hotspot.

Wrapping up the Kingsville quartet is Red Lantern Coffee, where the smiles are plentiful, the coffee hot and the peach scones delicious. Interestingly, I met someone from Toronto (next to where I’m at in Mississauga) and we hit it off and had a delightful chat! The people you meet in a small-town coffee shop! 

Cured Craft Brewing in Leamington lives in a renovated heritage building, has perfect Bavarian pretzels and a mouthwatering bacon cheddar burger. And yes, the beer is excellent as well! Another interesting note; I was kayaking the day after at Point Pelee and my server recognized me and we had a quick chat. Again, the people you meet in a small-town!

Staying in Leamington, complete with it’s vibrant dining scene, includes Cancunsito. They describe themselves as “We came to this country with a dream to bring a little bit of my culture and Mexican food to you” and they’ve certainly done just that. The flavours, the warmth and friendliness, the variety…did I mention the flavours? 

My burrito looked like, well, a regular burrito. The perfect balance of flavours, heat and fillings is where it stands out. Great. Now I want another one. Right now.

Cooper’s Hawk Vineyard is only 45 minutes south of Windsor and 10 minutes west of Kingsville, is, for good reason, a multi-award winning vineyard. They’ve got 29 different wines to choose from, an on-site restaurant called The Vines, offer tours and in a smart move, offer a self-guided tour of the grounds via their Hawk Trail that’s a bit over one kilometre. Keep an eye out for the beehives and keep your distance.
Enjoy your tastings either inside or outside on their beautiful patio area. 

Follow in my footsteps and paddle strokes and to expand upon this adventure, visit visitwindsoressex.com

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

You’ll have noticed a few pictures of the 2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid in this article and that’s because Toyota Canada provided this as the road trip chariot for Steph Wallcraft from RoadTripper.ca and me for this adventure.
The hybrid is rated for a remarkably low 6.0 L/100 km, which equates to nearly 1,000 km driven per full 55 L tank of 87 octane. Which means you could, in theory, do what we did on a single tank of fuel, minus the kayak strapped to the roof. Said kayak reduced our fuel efficiency and we averaged 7.0 L/100 km but it was absolutely worth it.
Standard features include a wealth of active safety systems, including Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and more.
Heated front seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, five USB ports and an eight-inch infotainment system come standard.
There’s a cavernous 1,059 litres of cargo space behind the second row of seats for all your road trip gear and that balloons to 1,977 litres with the second row folded.
There’s a reason this was Canada’s best-selling SUV in 2024 and second best-selling vehicle in Canada overall in 2024 behind the Ford F-150.
The entire drive was comfortable, relaxing, safe and the upgraded JBL audio system kept the tunes sounding crisp and clear.
For more expert new vehicle reviews, enjoy the Modern Motoring YouTube channel.