Highgate is home to 299 locals and surrounded by quaint hamlets in the eastern part of Chatham-Kent. It hosts the area's, public library branch, post office, legion, GraveDiggerz' Variety & Restaurant, bank, water depot, Highgate Tender Meats butcher shop, fire department and many home based businesses. Locals stay active at the park and ball diamond all summer, and access nearby trails throughout the year.
Like many Chatham-Kent communities, this area is built on agriculture which remains important to local industry and culture. Since 1854, the Highgate District Agricultural Society has hosted the annual Highgate Fair every September. Today, you can find local produce and microgreens at Urban Sunset Farms and pick your own strawberries at Scott's Strawberry Farm. Learn more about hobby farming from Highgate Homestead, and explore a lifestyle offering a little more space and a lot more connection to nature.
The arts are also celebrated in Highgate. Locals and visitors frequent the Mary Webb Centre for the Arts to enjoy shows at the art gallery and concerts in the gorgeous converted chapel. The centre was repurposed from a church with a rare central ceiling dome with no supporting columns. The architecture, coupled with stunning stained glass windows, are worth a visit on their own. The Mary Webb Centre also offers art classes and workshops to expand your own skillset.
Outside of Highgate are several hamlets with their own unique charm. Palmyra is home to the Crazy 8 Barn, a rare octagon barn that was constructed in the late 1890s. It now hosts a boutique gift shop and bakery, boasting the best butter tarts in the region. Clearville Park offers family camping and beach access along the Lake Erie bluffs, and close by the Clear Creek Forest is the perfect place for a hike, exploring one of three Provincial Parks in Chatham-Kent. In the winter, Blacksmith and Tin is the go-to spot for locals to find and cut their perfect Christmas tree. Their Christmas shop also hosts local handmade wood and tin ornaments.
Highgate is a 10 minute drive to Ridgetown for daily amenities and education, and about 25 minutes to city of Chatham.
Choose Highgate and area. Choose Chatham-Kent.
