Bethany Ontario

chalet at Devil’s Elbow

Last week I posted about Devil’s Elbow Ski and Snowboarding Resort.  Even with the wacky Wednesday weather this week, the runs are still open with wet granular snow but that should change by the end of the day!  Great news because snow is my favourite thing about winter!  Maybe not driving in it, but for me skiing, tobogganing and in general playing in the snow is a lot of fun.

But even when the winter conditions aren’t your cup of tea, there is still lots to do in Bethany.

Aunt Dee’s Restaurant in Bethany, Ontario

Any trip to Bethany needs to include a visit to Aunt Dee’s restaurant for their All-Day breakfast!

Going out for breakfast is one of my favourite things to do.  I love restaurants any time of the day, but for me, having someone make me breakfast is really quite decadent!  Especially when it doesn’t have to be first thing in the morning.

We stopped at Aunt Dee’s not too long ago for a huge, plate of eggs, bacon and sausages right in the middle of the day.  It was good, no-nonesense food and there was a lot of it!  There’s nothing fancy on the menu at Aunt Dee’s – the selection ranges from eggs and bacon, to burgers and soup and sandwiches, and it’s all just good food.

But it’s not all about the food at Aunt Dee’s.  Walking into the diner reminded me of Cheers!  It’s the place where everyone knows your name.  We can even say that Aunt Dee’s in Bethany may be the Cheers! of diners.   When we walked in, Jeff immediately found someone he knew inside to talk to!

Walking through the parking lot, we were greeted by an customer who wanted a quick chat about the weather.  You have to remember that while I used to be a small-town girl,  I live in Toronto now – we normally don’t start random conversations with strangers in parking lots, unless one dinged the other’s car and usually when that happens it’s called an argument rather than a conversation.  There was no hostility here – just a pleasant conversation with a Bethany local and that is an excellent example of small-town friendliness!

Inside Aunt Dee’s, there was one empty table and two groups of customers.  Was this a problem?  No, because the table was big enough for all five of us to share!  When does that happen in the city?  We had a lovely chat with the two gentlemen who popped over from their computer shop in nearby Cavan for lunch.

The more time I spend in Bethany, the more I think about growing up in a small town.  There is a comfort level and an overall friendliness that is missing from city life.  And while I still love my life in the city, it’s nice to step outside of it every once in a while and visit such a warm and welcoming community as Bethany, Ontario!

Aunt Dee’s a perfect mix of hearty comfort food with small town friendly flavour.  You can’t miss it – it’s right on Highway 7A in the middle of town, across from the gas station – and it’s worth the drive to Bethany!