Pembroke, Renfrew County, Ontario

The sign greeted me as I crossed back into Ontario and headed to Hwy. 40 or Pembroke St. E.

Back to Ontario

I had visited Pembroke briefly a couple of days ago so I sort of knew where things were including the Econo-Lodge where I had chosen to stay.

Entering Pembroke, Ontario

It was not to hard to find on the left.  Once settled in my room it was now time to get a good hardy dinner.  I had a few ideas but discovered a Boston Pizza in the shopping center just a little ways from the Econo-Lodge.  I had been in one in Kelowna when I visited my cousin there just a few weeks before this trip.  He is a Brown descendant and that is my mother’s family.  My reason for being in Pembroke was my father’s father’s family.

I was going to be in Pembroke for a couple of days so what follows are some of my experiences.

There was a Walmart and several other businesses in this shopping mall but no wine anywhere to be found.  I learned later that Ontario has the LCBO stores where you get everything.  They also have Beer stores for beer only.  Most of the time you can get just about any type of alcohol in a restaurant, pub or bar.  I do like a nice glass of wine.  At least they didn’t call it a “package store” like they do in Massachusetts. You have to take a look at the LCBO’s website just Google it.

As a result of my search for the wine store I became acquainted with the Santa Fe Restaurant that was on Nelson St. the following evening.  You cannot miss it because there is a big water tower next to it with a mural painted on it. http://www.santafepembroke.ca/menu    It is now closed 10/18/2016

Santa Fe Restaurant, dinner the next evening

The view from the Santa Fe at Dinner one evening

Pembroke is a city that is mixing the old and the new.  It curves itself around the south side of the Ottawa river and is quite long.  I was in search of souvenir T-Shirts and went from where I was on the east side of the city to the west side where Zeller’s was located.  This took me through the downtown area of Pembroke.

Downtown Pembroke

I found where the Pembroke Library was located but I did not have the time to go in and check out its holdings.  I had studied its catalog and they had some items that might have been interesting and newspapers.  I had been a bit concerned because a lot of the library websites in Ontario talk about membership and fees to use their services.  So I emailed the Pembroke Library and they explained the policy.  Since I was not going to do anything other than cruise the stacks or maybe use a microfilm I did not have to pay this fee.  http://www.pembrokelibrary.ca/

Pembroke Library

The Champlain Trail Museum and Pioneer Village was not far from the Econo-Lodge and so I stopped and wandered around among the buildings.  It was closed by that time but that was okay with me. http://www.champlaintrailmuseum.com/

Champlain Trail Museum and water wheel

The Pioneer Village part of the Champlain Trail Museum

I felt comfortable in Pembroke and soon got into the flow of the traffic along the main street.  Tomorrow was a big day for I would be visiting the Upper Ottawa Valley Genealogical Group Library.

I was liking this Econo-Lodge that I had checked into but I was to learn they are not all created equal.