Petrolia. A town that is billed as “Canada’s Victorian Oil Town”, first settled in 1886,Petrolia is known for the role that it has played in the oil industry within Canada as well as within the world. While Petrolia seems like your typical small town, it is one of Lambton County’s hidden gems with the rich history that has been preserved through the buildings in the downtown and the people within the community keeping the memories of Petrolia alive.
Located just on the outskirts of Petrolia, the Lorne C. Henderson Conservation Area offers family oriented experience with the campground, nature trails and ponds. While this seems like a nature lover’s dream, this conservation area also offers a swimming pool and a mini-golf course, as well as most of the camp sites having access to hydro and water. Heading into town that is just minutes down the road, there is so much to discover!
A first stop that everyone in the family needs to experience is The Cottage Petrolia, an artisan café located right on Petrolia Line, this small town coffee shop offers a quiet environment with lots of exciting things to try inside. Downtown Petrolia is a short walk but there is so much to see and experience.
Heading down to the next must see store is Willow + Oak, this business began in 2018 with creating interactive workshops for people to join, but later turned into a storefront where the faces of Willow + Oak, Amanda and Amanda (yes they are both named Amanda!!), created a creative and very unique space to sell and create their beautiful handmade items. In Petrolia, there is a very interesting dynamic between its history and the modern times as well as the shops that are moving into the downtown core.
Petrolia is home to Black Gold Brewery, which opened in 2020, is one of Petrolia’s hidden gems. Located just off of the main strip of downtown, Black Gold offers a home to craft beer as well as a welcoming environment for family and friends to gather. Black Gold has a great family focus with their entire team being like one huge family! The taproom in Black Gold offers a tasting experience like no other, with over 10 different (and very
unique) brews to try, it is an experience like no other.
