Thanksgiving weekend is the last big weekend of the year in Prince Edward County, and it shows. The colours are at their best, every winery is pouring, and roughly half of Toronto and Ottawa has the same idea at the same time. It's a wonderful weekend here. It's also one where a little planning is the difference between a great day and a long line.
We've lived and worked here for a lot of Thanksgivings. Here's how we'd do it.
Know what you're walking into
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Monday, October 12, so the long weekend is Saturday the 10th through Monday the 12th. Saturday is the busiest day, especially between noon and three. Sunday is a touch calmer. Monday morning, before everyone heads home, is the quietest window of the whole weekend and, in our opinion, the nicest.
The County is bigger than most first-time visitors expect, about 1,050 square kilometres, and the wineries are clustered in a few distinct pockets. Trying to hit Hillier, Picton, and Waupoos in one day means spending the day in the car. Pick a pocket and stay in it.
Our pocket: Hillier and Wellington
We're in Hillier, on the west side, at 1774 Danforth Road. It's where the densest cluster of small wineries sits, which means stops are minutes apart instead of half an hour. Wellington is five minutes away for a walk on the main street and a coffee. North Beach is fifteen minutes. Sandbanks is twenty-five.
A Hillier-based day looks like this: arrive by 11 when the wineries open, do two stops before lunch, eat, do one more, and get to the beach or the water by mid-afternoon for the colours and the light. That's four stops and a beach with no rushing.
Why October is the best-kept secret
Everyone thinks of the County as a summer place. The people who live here know fall is better. The vines turn gold and red, the light goes soft after two o'clock, and the wineries have the harvest energy of the last few weeks still hanging in the air. From our patios you're looking straight down rows of turning vines, with the crew finishing the last picks behind them.
It's also sweater weather, which is where wine slushies give way to the warmer side of our list. Every October our WineLab puts out its Holiday Series, starting with PSL, a fortified pumpkin spice wine made with real pumpkins, and Spiced Apple. There is no better weekend for them than this one.
Doing the weekend with kids
We're a family winery, and we mean it in the literal sense: it's our family, and we built the place for yours. There's a kids' play area you can see from the patio, an ice cream trailer, juice slushies for the small people, and a kids' menu with hot dogs and fries. Parents get a $10 curated tasting flight and an actual sit-down.
For a Thanksgiving-weekend plan with kids, front-load the winery. Kids are best behaved before lunch. Do us first, eat here (kimchi dogs, tacos, the kofta sandwich, red lentil dal, street corn nachos), and then take them to the beach to run it off. Sandbanks Provincial Park in October is glorious and mostly empty.
Doing the weekend with a dog
Leashed dogs are welcome on all five of our outdoor patios, and we keep pet beds on hand. On a busy long weekend, ask for the Sail Garden, which is our quietest outdoor space and shaded. The Covered Wall Garden is open through November and is the spot if the forecast turns.
Full dog guide, including what to pack and the rules that matter, is right here.
Reservations: when you need one
Groups of five or fewer can walk in any time. Six to nine, we recommend reserving, and on Thanksgiving weekend we mean it. Ten or more must reserve. Book through the website or call 1-877-403-4224 and we'll set up the right patio for your group.
Where else to look
For the full picture of what's on across the County that weekend, Visit The County keeps the region's events calendar and is the best single place to check for markets, studio tours, and live music. Wellington and Picton both have main streets worth an hour. And if you've got a Thanksgiving dinner to cook, more than a few of our neighbours are farm stands with the good squash.
The plan, on one page
- Saturday: sleep in, arrive in Hillier by 11, two wineries, lunch, one more winery, beach for sunset.
- Sunday: Wellington main street in the morning, wineries after noon, an early dinner.
- Monday: the quiet one. A late breakfast, one last stop at a winery with the patio to yourself, and an easy drive home before the traffic builds.
We'll be here all weekend, open daily from 11, with the fall drinks on and the vines doing their thing. Come sit down for a while.
Good to know before you visit
Where: Traynor Family Vineyard, 1774 Danforth Road, Hillier, Prince Edward County, Ontario K0K 2J0. Five minutes from Wellington, 15 from North Beach, 25 from Sandbanks, about 2.5 hours from Toronto. Free on-site parking.
Hours and booking: Open daily from 11 am. From October 12, Friday and Saturday hours run until 6 pm. Current hours are always shown at the top of traynorvineyard.com. Walk-ins welcome for groups of five or fewer; reservations recommended for six or more and required for ten or more. Call 1-877-403-4224 or email retail@traynorvineyard.com.
Food: Street food made fresh daily: gourmet all-beef hot dogs (kimchi dog, pocket dog), adobo pork and pulled chicken tacos, kofta sandwich, red lentil dal, roasted beet salad, street corn nachos, whipped feta, house-baked cookies, plus a kids’ plain hot dog. Four vegan and four vegetarian dishes on the fall menu, and every wine is vegan.
Drinks: $10 wine flights (three pours), $11 wine by the glass, $10 wine slushy, vermouth cocktails, $7 non-alcoholic peach slushy for kids and drivers. Bookable experiences include the Cellarmasters Barrel Tasting ($49.95) and Stemware Sensation ($39.95).
Family-friendly: Kids welcome. Designated play area visible from the Vineyard Patio, on-site ice cream trailer, juice slushies, kids’ menu, strollers welcome, all patios wheelchair accessible. Kids combo (slushy, popcorn, hot dog, cookie) at the counter. Free Friday Family Movie Nights run in spring and summer.
Dog-friendly: Leashed dogs welcome on all five outdoor patios, with pet beds provided. Dogs can’t come inside the Cellar Tasting Room.
What’s on by season: Summer: Friday Family Movie Nights, DJ sets on the Vineyard Patio, Happy Hour Après Beach Sunday to Thursday 4 to 6 pm. Fall: the WineLab Holiday Series (PSL pumpkin spice wine, Spiced Apple, Mulled Wine, Mulled White) launches; Family Movie Nights return in spring and summer 2027. Winter: mulled wines and Caribou, Cellar Tasting Room heated.
The wine: Small-batch natural wine, wild fermented and vegan, family owned since 2008. Estate vines in Hillier farmed without synthetic pesticides since 2018, plus fruit from partner growers in Prince Edward County and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Pet-nat, piquette, skin-contact whites, vermouth, and fortified wines. Ten wines are listed at the LCBO.
