Prince Edward County in the Off Season

I love road trips - I really do. There's something about just packing up as much or as little as you want, without restriction, into a vehicle and just taking off. Living in Toronto we're very lucky that there are so many beautiful destinations nearby, all within a few hours drive from the city. I've never turned down the opportunity to explore our beautiful province of Ontario, and I was hoping that the addition of a baby to our little family wouldn't change that.

For that reason, when we were getting a little cabin crazy from the time necessary to spend at home with a newborn, Brian and I decided to check out Prince Edward County in the fall. It would be our first road trip with Benny - our first trip at all! I have always loved Prince Edward County (in fact I have previously been on a girly brand trip, as well as with friends)  but had never visited in the off season. I knew it would be a slower pace, which would be welcome as we explored our first experience traveling with a baby. All in all, I couldn't wait to take off as a family of three and check out what The County had to offer in the Fall.

Where We Stayed

Because I had such fond memories of my last trip to PEC, and I desperately wanted to show Brian what I think is one of the nicest Airbnbs in the province, we decided on The Meadow House.  My goodness, do I ever love this light-filled, beautifully decorated space. Located in Hillier, which is a great starting point to visit all of our planned destinations in The County, The Meadow House is a literal oasis of style and sanctuary.

One of the reasons I love staying at The Meadow House is that while gorgeous, it's actually a very comfortable and practical space for a weekend's stay - or longer, if your itinerary calls for it. Traveling with a baby, I knew that we would appreciate the comforts that come along with staying in a proper house; a kitchen for meals, a second bedroom for optimal baby sleep and even laundry should we need it.

Visiting Prince Edward County in the off season means that your trip will have a slower pace as the hustle and bustle of seasonal shops and restaurants are closed until Spring. Making sure that the space that you choose to stay during the off season can make or break your trip. Besides, gone are the days of running from destination to destination - traveling with a baby forces you to slow down and spend more time enjoying your accommodations. I'm very happy that we ultimately chose The Meadow House.

*Check out my previous post on Prince Edward County for more photos and details on The Meadow House.

Where We Ate

While Brian and I knew that we would be taking a slower pace while visiting Prince Edward County in the Fall, so there would be lots of relaxing at the Airbnb involved, we did want to take advantage of the amazing restaurant scene that can be found in The County.

La Condesa

Right in the heart of Wellington, La Condesa blew our socks off with authentic Mexican cuisine and absolutely delicious cocktails. The restaurant just opened in the spring of 2019, so it was still fairly new when we visited, but WOW - what an incredible addition to Prince Edward County!

Brian and I started with hearty guacamole with home-made corn chips and tostones, which are fried green plantains with lemon aioli. Followed by nearly every taco they had on the menu and washed down with expertly crafted cocktails, we finished the meal wondering if maybe we should consider moving to The County if this is how they're eating (then we got the bill - still Toronto prices, you can't escape it!) The best part is that the staff were incredibly accommodating with Benny and his car seat, making sure that we had a table that would be able to accommodate and didn't make us feel as though we were an imposition.  

Ten out of ten. And the best part is that because we were visiting in the off-season, this hotspot was able to accommodate us for a table right away. We will be back

Bloomfield Public House

While we only stopped in for a quick coffee, Bloomfield Public House offers deliciously rich espresso-based drinks and looked to be a beautiful spot for brunch in The County and still very lively even in the off-season. The coffee was strong, and necessary after a morning of driving. So happy to see more options for espresso-based drinks in The County.

Drake Devonshire Inn

I couldn't visit Prince Edward County without stopping by Drake Devonshire Inn for brunch. The Drake is a beautiful spot to visit in the summer and proved to be just as busy during the off-season - I'm glad that we made reservations! 

Although I missed dinning on The Drake's lakeside patio, it was beautiful to have that same view while being toasty and warm indoors in the off-season. We enjoyed classic brunch fare and strong coffee to fuel us before we left The County.

Another family-friendly spot, the Drake Devonshire Inn not only accommodated Benny and his carseat without hesitation, but they also had a great washroom with a change table and offered me a quiet spot to nurse before we hit the road back to Toronto. 

Road Trip With A Baby: What We Packed

Seeing as though this was our first trip ever with Benny, we were a little clueless on what to pack. I'm someone who gets very overwhelmed with a lot of stuff, so we tried to pack as light as possible and make due with what was available to us at The Meadow House. Here's everything that we packed for a road trip with one overnight with a 4 month old baby:

• Our Uppababy VISTA stroller
• MESA car seat (can be clipped into the stroller base)
• 2 sleepers
• 2 baby outfits
• 1 sleep sack
• 1 swaddle
• 1 toy keyboard
• 1 book
• Enough diapers and wipes for 3 days (just in case) with a portable change mat

..and that's it. Honestly I was happy to see that we really didn't need all that much stuff, considering that Benny is exclusively breast fed and was too young to walk or crawl at the time of travel. 

The one grey area for us came down to sleep. We were driving up in our compact car, so bringing a pack-and-play or any type of travel crib along with Benny's stroller wasn't possible. We ended up just co-sleeping for the night which, while it worked, proved to be quite stressful as it was something that we had never done before. If I were to change anything, I would have brought either something to facilitate co-sleeping (like our Snuggle Me Organic) or researched a compact travel bed. 

After a blissful weekend getaway (or as close to blissful as traveling with a baby will allow) we were back on the road to make the short trip to Toronto. I absolutely loved spending a quiet weekend away with our little family, and saw Prince Edward County in a totally different light. While you miss out on the hustle-and-bustle of the busy summer, visiting Prince Edward County in the off-season offers a beauty and tranquility that you wouldn't necessarily experience in the warmer weather. I'm so happy that we chose Prince Edward County in the Fall as our first family road trip, and I can't wait to see where else our little trio will visit next.

What do you guys think? Have you ever traveled with a baby on a road trip? Have you visited Prince Edward County in the Fall? Let me know!

xo Joëlle

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