It's time to take the kids on a Saturday spring drive through Northumberland County.
We referenced our "Top 5 Road Trips" map from Northumberland Tourism, and my husband and I both agreed that the "Trent Hills Chocolate, Cheese & Craft Beer" route would make a great family road trip. With the promise of a restaurant brunch, the kids quickly changed out of their pj's, and we all piled into the car and headed off to Banjo's Grill in Hastings. What a perfect place to start! We hadn't been before and we were pleased - it was cozy and welcoming and the food smelled great. We enjoyed a creative game of tic-tac-toe while we waited patiently for our food to arrive but all game supplies were quickly cleared away when our friendly server brought heaping plates of breakfast. It was delicious and covered the vegetarian and gluten-free requirements our family has.
With full stomachs, we set off to experience the rest of the 75km driving route - next stop, Curle's Maple Products & Museum. Proprietor, Diane Curle, was excited to tell us the sap was running early, and gave us lots of great information on maple syrup and the products they create. She invited us to tour the evaporator room and also encouraged us to visit the well-curated museum, the sugar shanty and the miniature-scale schoolhouse where the kids had fun role-playing, drawing on slates and ringing the bell. I'm pretty sure we could have stayed there all day.
There was more to do on the route though so we headed back to the car and off to Campbellford for a visit to Dooher's Bakery. It was busy - and there are plenty of reasons why. Fresh breads, butter tarts, pies, muffins and, of course, irresistible donuts make this bakery a location you can't skip. Even with a full stomach from breakfast, the kids were begging to eat their donuts right away. We held them off - for a little while anyway.
The sun kept shining as the route looped around and headed back into Campbellford for a visit to World's Finest Chocolate. My children had now officially had an awesome day! Breakfast, donuts, cheese and now chocolate! We checked out all the options and bought ourselves some caramel whirls and chocolate malt balls because there is no way you can leave there empty-handed.
After Dooher's, our adventure led us to Empire Cheese. The store carries fresh cheeses made on site along with other locally-sourced items such as maple syrup, jams and goat's milk products. We couldn't leave the store without some fresh (and squeaky!) cheese curds and we didn't even make it out of the parking lot before they were open and being enjoyed.
Our last stop before heading home was just east of Warkworth at Robin's Nest Farm Market. This was another first-time stop for us and we were not disappointed. With more locally-sourced food as well as beautiful giftware and home goods, there was something that we all wanted! We left with a mixed bag that included soup, pie, and some new drinking glasses for home. We couldn't resist checking out the old-fashioned sleigh for a quick photo opportunity on the way out.
The route also includes Church-Key Brewing, the Church-Key Pub and Grindhouse, and Capers Restaurant as well as access to the Trans Canada Trail.
by Angela Johnson
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