‘Temperance and Temptations’ take you on self-guided brewery and cidery tours from Uxbridge to Bowmanville
Published July 23, 2021 at 6:43 pm
Covid-19 restrictions may be prohibiting guided tours of the prohibition stories of Durham Region – and of the breweries and cideries that tap into that history nearly a century later – but Central Counties Tourism is providing all the tools for people to “jump in their jalopies” and see it for themselves.
Central Counties, with support from Durham and York regions tourism departments and the Headwaters, an organization representing several communities from Caledon to Shelbourne, is promoting Temperance and Temptations Tours that take you back in time to the days of prohibition – while wetting your whistle at the same time.
Or, as their marketing people put it, they encourage you to “take a journey back in time when the dry days of abstinence led to illicit thirsty nights filled with toe-tapping music, tasty food, hotsy-totsy dancing and plenty of giggle water.”
In the case of two promoted tours in Durham – one in the north and the other in the south – beer and cider are the illicit giggle waters of choice.
The War on Whisky tours welcomes you to the roaring 20s, where you can learn about the scandalous history of bootlegging in the region through audio tapes and music or just sit back and relax at one of eight participating breweries, a handful of cideries, and one winery.
The North Durham Tour takes you and your thirst to Slabtown Cider Company, Second Wedge Brewery, Banjo Cider, and Forsythe Family Farm – all in Uxbridge – as well as Applewood Farm Winery in Seagrave and the Piano Inn & Café in Port Perry.
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The South Durham Tour starts at Pickering Museum Village before visiting Falcon Brewing in Ajax, followed by three brewery stops in Whitby: Brock Street, Town, and Little Beasts. The tour heads to Oshawa next to visit All or Nothing Brewhouse before Bowmanville brewery stops at Manantler and Chronicle and the final destination of Archibald Estates and their world-famous ciders in north Clarington.
Please plan your trip ahead and confirm hours of operation – and locations – before venturing out on a tour and remember to be patient and follow each businesses’ safety protocol while visiting.
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