iPhoto caption: The Studio Theatre. Photo provided by Festival Players.

Insider Intel

/By Mariam Ahmed / Jul 11, 2019

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What makes an evening at the theatre better? Nothing. Except an evening at the theatre preceded or followed by dinner and/or drinks.

This week: Prince Edward County is filled with amazing restaurants, breweries, vineyards, and shops that are worth the visit. They’ll make your trip worth it and most of these places are within walking or reasonable driving distance from the Festival Players Studio Theatre. The areas in which the events that are planned to take place for Wellington Water Week are astounding, making the experience of dinner and theatre an unforgettable one.

Dining & Drinks

Wellington:

Drake Devonshire

• • The Drake Devonshire is a 13-room boutique hotel complete with a restaurant, bar, and many beautiful event spaces. The hotel is bursting at the seams with stunning art installations, cultural programs, events, food and beverage menus that represent the abundance of nearby farmers and vintners. This lakeside retreat is one of the best places to go in the County and they will be hosting a Wellington Water Week event with Stephen Hargreaves here called Harpsic*Horror*d.

    • Address & Hours: 24 Wharf St, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 3 minutes. Hotel -Open all day, every day (+ night). Restaurant + Bar – Sunday – Thursday 8a.m.-10p.m. | Friday – Saturday 8a.m.-12a.m.

Idle Wilde

• • Created by Paul Tobias and Melissa Cannons, Idle Wilde is an Asian Takeout shop that features an Asian-influenced menu featuring only the freshest local ingredients. Paul and Melissa cook authentic, adventurous ethnic dishes that you won’t know you need until you try them.

  • Address & Hours: 305 Main Street, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 1 minute. Wednesdays 12p.m – 4p.m. | Thursday – Sunday 12p.m. -6p.m.

La Condesa

• • La Condesa, in the heart of Wellington, offers a full, authentic Mexican cuisine along with fun drinks and beverages. Samantha Valdivia, chef; Rizal Adam, sous chef; and Matthew Gilsenan, Beverage Director, work extremely hard to offer the best dining experience you’ve ever had!

  • Address & Hours: 298 Wellington Main Street, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 1 minute. Thursday – Tuesday 12p.m. – 9p.m.

East & Main

• • East & Main is the best place to go for comfort food! For an introduction to the County’s finest food and wine and if you feel like staying, they have two artisan suites and can even offer a house depending on how elaborate you want your stay to be. East & Main offer a great menu of comfort food like hand-cut friends, applewood bacon wrapped chicken suprème and more!

  • Address & Hours: 270 Wellington Main St, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 2 minutes. Lunch: Wednesday – Friday + Weekends 11:30a.m. – 2p.m. (3p.m. on Weekends) | Dinner: Wednesday – Sunday 5:30p.m. – 9p.m. (8p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays)

The Good Place

• • The Good Place is a bit of a longer walk from the Theatre but the central hub for vegetarian, gluten-free and fresh options for as well as fresh made juices, organic smoothies, and superfood smoothie bowls. All these options are specially procured and wrapped with your needs and the planet in mind. They also carry the Nature’s Aid Skincare line that offer best quality products with ingredients guaranteed to nourish your skin.

  • Address & Hours: 153 Main Street, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 12 minutes. May through September: 8a.m. – 6p.m. 7 days a week | October through April: Sunday – Thursday 8a.m. – 3p.m. and Friday and Saturday 8a.m. – 6p.m.

Bloomfield (10-minute drive from Wellington):

Flame and Smith

• • Flame and Smith just opened up last year and is already a very popular choice! It’s a sustainably-minded restaurant that excels in the art of woodfire cooking while also supporting the community that surrounds it. They think food cooked over fire is the best-tasting kind of food and their menu truly reflects that. Flame and Smith offers a wide variety of snacks, seafood, starters, mains, and desserts for lunch or dinner and also offer a wide variety of wine. Offering a rustic but homey feel, Flame and Smith truly has found their home in the County while helping to shape a community’s culture.

    • Address & Hours: 106 Bloomfield Main Street, Bloomfield, ON, K0K 1G0. Driving distance to theatre: 11 minutes. Wednesday – Monday (closed Tuesdays). Lunch: 11:30a.m. – 2:30p.m. | Dinner 5:00p.m. – 9:30p.m. Bar open until late. Patio is open for both lunch and dinner, weather permitting.

Bloomfield Public House

• • A friendly neighbourhood spot in Bloomfield that works hard to bring you the best of the best from local farmers. Their seasonal market cuisine features summer lunch and dinner as well as brunch so there’s something here for everyone! They also offer a “Room Upstairs” which is a private event venue and a pop-up space that you can use for any event you’d like and they also provide lunch and dinner/family style dining catering packages to suit your needs.

    • Address & Hours: 257 Bloomfield Main Street, Bloomfield, ON K0K 1G0. Driving distance to theatre: 11 minutes. Tuesday – Saturday: Coffee 9a.m. | Lunch 11a.m. – 5p.m. | Dinner 5p.m – 9p.m. | Brunch: Sunday 10a.m. – 3p.m. *Closed on Mondays*

Wineries/Distilleries and Breweries

Midtown Brewery

• • • Founded by Paul Lees and Mark Andrewsky, Midtown Brewery features a taproom, restaurant and retail store, as well as a shop that sells fresh produce and other items from local farmers and producers called The Shop at Midtown

    • Address & Hours: 266 Wellington Main St. Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 3 minutes. Sunday – Thursday 9a.m.-10p.m. | Friday & Saturday 9a.m.-11p.m.
      

Karlos Estates

• • Karlos Estates is a vineyard that was built on a land with a rich history dating back to the 1700’s. The vineyard was built in the fall of 2005 with wine production beginning in 2008. The winery was opened in 2010 as well as a tasting room within the centre of the barn (1880) with renovations that include a Loft art gallery and a covered outdoor deck. If you want history with a modern twist, this vineyard is the place to go!

    • Address & Hours: 561 Danforth Road, Wellington, Ontario, Canada, K0K 3L0. Driving distance to theatre: 4 minutes. Monday-Wednesday 7a.m.-11p.m., Thursday-Friday 7a.m.-1a.m., Saturday 8a.m.-1a.m., Sunday 8a.m.-10p.m.

The Old Third

• • A small vineyard in the heart of Prince Edward County with a lot of density. Unfined and unfiltered pinot noir, cabernet franc and Chardonnay are produced here as well as a traditional sparkling cider from local, fresh, russet apples. In 2017, they released their first Chardonnay and the proceeds from every bottle go to the Princess Margaret Hospital – definitely worth the visit!

    • Address & Hours: 153 Wellington Main St, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 12 minutes. Open 7 days a week | December to April: Sunday to Thursday 11a.m. – 5p.m. and Friday to Saturday 11a.m – 11p.m. | May to November: Sunday to Thursday 11a.m. – 6p.m. and Friday to Saturday 11a.m. – 11p.m.

Shops/Galleries

Studio Theatre Shop

• • • An intimate space curated with theatre-goers in mind, the Studio Theatre shop is located to the entrance of the Festival Players Studio Theatre in downtown Wellington. Metal arts, textiles, glass, ceramics, hand-made greeting cards, gifts for children are all showcased along with a small assortment of honey, local preserves, maple syrup and lots more within the vestibule adjoining the bar and lobby so you won’t miss it! Proceeds from all craft sales go to support Festival Players and professional theatre in Prince Edward County.

    • Address & Hours: 310 Wellington Main St, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 1 minute. Regular Hours: Tuesday – Sunday from 12p.m. – 4p.m. | During Show Weeks: Tuesday – Sunday from 2p.m. – 8p.m.

Sybil Frank Gallery

• • • The Sybil Frank Gallery offers a wide range of fine art that ranges from landscapes and whimsical pieces to contemporary modern and bold sculptural pieces. Named after Craig Alexander’s grandmother’s Sybil and Frances, the exhibits and pieces of art that honour and emulate the memory of both women; one, bold and daring and the other graceful and elegant. Visiting this art gallery will guarantee you’ll find unique talent, vision, and artistry that will delight you in the best way!

    • Address & Hours: 305 Main Street (at West Street), Wellington, ON K0K 3L0. Walking distance to theatre: 1 minute. Summer: Open 7 days a week – Monday to Thursday 11a.m. – 5p.m, Friday 11a.m.- 5p.m. and 6:30p.m. until 9p.m., Saturday 10a.m -5p.m and 6:30p.m. until 9p.m., Sunday 10a.m. – 5p.m

SHED Chetwyn Farms

• • • A modern-day farm located in Prince Edward County that specializes in alpaca yarns and related products. The SHED is a pop-up shop where you can visit and watch alpaca graze in nearby pastures while shopping for locally spun yarns, alpaca accessories, hand-made felted soaps, and throws. The talented people working on this farm design, make and purvey gifts crafted from alpaca fleece, yarn, and related products with character and genuineness.

    • Address & Hours: 500 Closson Road, Hillier ON K0K 2J0. Driving distance to theatre: 10 minutes. Open daily 11a.m. – 4p.m.

Prince Edward County Lavender Farm

• • • The Prince Edward County Lavendar Farms is in the heart of Hillier wine country in Prince Edward County and offers many types of lavender. The cultivars are of many colours, scents and tastes and are praised for essential oil quality, culinary creations, and crafts. You can even shop online, in case you regret not buying something and can’t go in person to purchase it.

    • Address & Hours: 732 Closson Road, Hillier, ON K0K 2J0. Driving distance to theatre: 11 minutes. Store and Boutique open daily 10a.m. – 5p.m.

Transit & Parking

 

Location: 310 Wellington Main St, Wellington, ON K0K 3L0

• Festival Players of Prince Edward County is located at 310 Wellington Main Street in the heart of Wellington, Prince Edward County.

Parking

• The Studio Theatre: 310 Main Street, Wellington – the entrance is at 312 Main Street. Parking is available in the lot behind 312 Main Street (accessible from West Street) or behind 302 Main Street which is located behind. Enid Grace Cafe. This venue is accessible – details can be found here.
• Wellington United Church: 243 Main Street, Wellington. Parking is available onsite. Overflow parking at CML Snider School, accessible from Oak Street. This venue is accessible.

 

WRITTEN BY

Mariam Ahmed

Mariam is Associate Editor at Intermission. Mariam earned her Honours BA in English literature from York University and recently completed a Graduate Certificate program from Centennial College in Book and Magazine Publishing. When she's not busy reading books and plays, she takes pictures of books for her "Bookstagram", watches as many movies and shows as she can, and is a self-proclaimed Chocoholic.

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