TILLSON BURG & DELHI
These two small towns are in the centre of a flat, sandy, tobacco-growing region. The number of smokers has been declining rapidly in Canada so various crop alternatives are being sought to keep the area productive. One of them is hemp. On Hwy 3 west of Delhi, there is the Ontario Tobacco Museum, with displays on the history and production of tobacco. It's open daily through summer, and on weekdays only the rest of the year. For males, casual work picking tobacco starts in mid-August. Ask at the Canada Manpower offices in these towns. Jobs last roughly a month. It's hard work, but room and board are often thrown in with the wage and you can have a good time. Watch your valuables in the bunkhouse.
LAKE ERIE SHORELINE WEST
As the shallowest of the five Great Lakes, Erie long suffered the most with pollution. However, continuing environmental work has brought the waters back from the brink. Scattered along the lake's Canadian northern shoreline, from Windsor to Fort Erie, there are government parks, some with camping, some for day-use only for the tourists and travellers from across the world. Most are busy on summer weekends. Port Dover is a busy little summer resort with a beach, riverboat tours, numerous tourist shops, a lighthouse and the large, attractive Erie Beach Hotel, with popular dining rooms, right in the heart of town.
This is also a centre for commercial lake fishing. Local restaurants specialise in Erie perch and walleye although some people are leery of eating any - Tillsonburg & Delhi of the lower Great' Lakes catch due to possible chemical contamination. The Harbour Museum details the lake's fishing industry for Canada travellers. Turkey Point Provincial Park, and even more so, Long Point are good and popular. Despite an excellent beach at Long Point, the parks along the Lake Huron shoreline are superior for swimming. Also, beware of deer ticks at Long Point; be sure to read the available information on these serious pests.
Apart from these Lake Erie recreational orcas, the region is mainly summer cottages, small towns and farmland. The shoreline itself is surprisingly scenic at points with cliffs edging turquoise waters. Port Stanley has the agreeable atmosphere or an old, second-rate summer tourist town that doesn't care to be overly pretentious. It also has enough happening to not need to pander obsequiously to its visitors. It has a fine summer programme at the Port Stanley Theatre, 302 Bridge St, several low key restaurants, cafes and a pleasing waterfront location.
