Volume 3: A Lake Erie afternoon in Port Burwell

What led us to Port Burwell on an unseasonably warm fall weekend is a story with a few twists and turns. As a casual golfer, I sometimes find myself going down internet rabbit holes of increasingly obscure golf related content. On one such internet journey, I noticed that our favourite golf facility, TPC Toronto, is building a putting course. While looking at other projects done by the putting course design company, I noticed a mysteriously named “Port Burwell Mini-Putt”. Not only did a Google search then lead me to Patee’s Mini-Putt, but also to the cute beach town of Port Burwell. Here is a look at what’s on offer on the shores of Lake Erie.

Our first stop was obviously Patee’s Mini-Putt (the official name for “Port Burwell Mini Putt”) located right on the town’s main street. We came relatively early and had the place to ourselves. As a new business, everything was pristine and the carpeted greens rolled true. We appreciated that Patee’s has well thought out holes, where the right line can lead to a hole in one. We also enjoyed the extra challenge of the holes being lined with thicker fake grass to simulate the rough of a real course. On top of the holes themselves, each hole included interesting facts about the area and there was a large replica of the famous Port Burwell lighthouse in the middle of the course that fit the landscaping nicely. 

After our round, our next stop was the famous Simply Scoop’s ice cream. Scoops has a decent sized selection of tasty flavours and a couple of sherberts for those looking for something a little less creamy. We decided on “Peanut Butter Boss” and the very unique “Port Burwell Sunken Treasure”. The service was friendly and the size of the scoops generous. I just wish I was a little better at eating from a waffle cone. It comes as no surprise that some ended up on my after_t-shirt!

Ice cream in hand we walked down to Port Burwell’s municipally owned beach. Although, I am sure the town is packed during the summer months, we were pleasantly surprised to see the beach populated but not crowded on a beautiful fall weekend. The beach was clean and there seemed to be a decent amount of parking. The view of the blue waters of Lake Erie and the surrounding bluffs was postcard perfect.

Port Burwell is lucky to have two beautiful beaches. The second beach we visited on the day is located in Port Burwell Provincial Park. $18 gets your car into the park for the day but you do have the option of camping. The park has a couple of short trails, but the main attraction is the 2.5 kilometre sandy beach. Once again the beach was not crowded and we were able to park ourselves in a great spot with easy access to the refreshing water. The beach was once again clean with some great views of Lake Erie. We were able to have a small picnic under some canopied tables near the entrance, however we did notice a large pavilion in the middle of one of the parking lots, providing lots of shade for you and your family. We ended our day by visiting the main park store at the campsite, to get one of the Port Burwell park stickers for our collection. 

With our after_ collection hoodies on as the evening brought cooler weather, we drove off into the sunset thinking about Lake Erie’s blue waters, and the small town charm of Port Burwell. We would love to go back for another round of mini-putt and day at the beach during the summer.

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Dale Hoyano

Co-Founder

Toronto based educator, entrepreneur and writer. Obsessed with everything local, interesting and different (and golf). Starting to realize that what I’m looking for is usually closer than I think.