Code’s Mill on the Park, is a perfect starting point for exploring Perth, before sampling the vodka and gin selection of Top Shelf Distillers.
How many towns of 6,000 do you know where you can do stand-up paddleboard yoga and then sip locally made vodka (preferably in that order)?
There's a lot going on these days in Perth, a pretty community an hour southwest of Ottawa. Perth Outfitters, which organizes the SUP yoga sessions, also rents out everything from canoes and kayaks to pedal go-karts and kick bikes. In early 2017, owners Jeanie Brummitt and Ian Pearson added a winter skate trail through a forest, which was an instant hit.
Another local couple, Julie Brunelle and Pete Wood, opened Heritage Bikes in 2016. In addition to renting out bicycles, they offer a range of cycling tours of Perth and surrounding Lanark County, which give visitors
the chance to meet people and discover places they might not otherwise see. For instance, some tours include stops at a cheese outlet, an historic mine, a railway museum or a canal lock station.
After getting some exercise, visitors can feel a bit less guilty about indulging in some of the town's food and drink scene. FieldHouse, for instance, is a relatively new restaurant that serves croissants, sandwiches, salads and desserts, including gluten-free and vegan options, along with locally brewed beers (more on that later).
Code's Mill on the Park is a perfect starting point for exploring Perth, before sampling the vodka and gin selection of Top Shelf Distillers.
One of the newest arrivals is Perth Chocolate Works, due to open this spring in Code's Mill on the Park. A branch of a chocolate-making company based on Manitoulin Island, it will sell handmade treats like almond-cranberry bark and candied ginger coated with dark chocolate.
The chocolate shop is moving into a space vacated by Coutts Coffee, which has been roasting fair trade organic coffee in Perth since 2000. The café moved into new digs on Perth's main street – well, new to Coutts. The Sheriff's House was built in 1841 and has a deck overlooking the Tay Canal.
Dessert lovers can get their fix at the Perth Pie Company, a long-established wholesaler that opened its first retail location in 2016. There are the namesake pies –including sweet choices like blueberry-peach and savoury options like Guinness beef pot pie – and all kinds of crumbles, cookies, tarts and squares available too.
Locally made beverages are easy to find. Top Shelf Distillers has been making vodka and a London Dry gin in Perth since 2014; the spirits are widely available in nearby restaurants and bars. Also easy to spot on local menus are the all-natural craft beers from Perth Brewery. Not surprisingly, given that Lanark County bills itself as the Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario, the brewery's offerings include a maple ale.
Want to sample a lot of local products all at once? Then look for the pop-up markets and events organized by the Midnight Makers Collective, a new group run by three young women that focuses on food, beverages and trendy crafts (don't expect to find any knitted tea cosies here). They're organizing the food market for Perth's upcoming Party by the Basin, a big outdoor Canada 150 event on June 30 that will also include live music by the Keith Glass Band, Juno winners MonkeyJunk and Juno-nominated blues guitarist JW-Jones.
That's just one of many events that will keep Perth lively throughout 2017. Perth's World Record Kilt Run (June 24) celebrates the town's Scottish heritage by encouraging runners to don traditional tartans. Perth will also welcome crowds to the big Stewart Park Festival (July 14 to 16), featuring three days of concerts, workshops, kids' activities, a sidewalk sale and all sorts of other amusements.
Even though Perth celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2016, this town is clearly looking forward, not back.
This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.