An island roughly 30 miles across that dangles into Lake Ontario, Prince Edward County packs into a small space stunning beaches and small towns, wineries and a slew of new restaurants. A mixture of the hip and the historic, it offers a rare look at what makes Canada, Canada. Some may confuse it with Prince Edward Island, 800 miles to the east. If you’re looking for Anne of Green Gables, she’s not here.

You can hit many of the county’s attractions by driving or biking across the island on the two-lane Route 33, known as the Loyalist Parkway. Lined with some 40 archaeological sites and 125 listed heritage buildings, the Parkway is itself a kind of historic artifact. Its path follows that of the first permanent pioneer roadway that the Vermonter Asa Danforth laid down, beginning in 1798, to connect Toronto to the west and Kingston to the east.

Roads and land were needed to make way for several waves of refugees, led by British soldiers loyal to George III, who had arrived, weary and penniless, after the American Revolution. To this day the county is demonstrably proud of its Loyalist past.