The Corkscrew City Tour takes you back to a distant era of rampant drinking and gambling in Owen Sound, when it was known from coast to coast as "Corkscrew Town." Taverns outnumbered churches and it was said that every man carried a corkscrew in his pocket. Two breweries also thrived here: Schwann's and Eaton's. By 1874 the women had had enough of drunkenness, brawling, vagrancy and vice and formed the Women's Christian Temperance Union – the first of its kind in Canada. So set the stage for the "wets" and "drys" to battle it out for nearly a century. Owen Sound became dry in 1906 and stayed that way for 66 years, becoming the last city in Canada to lift prohibition.

The self-guided Corkscrew City Tour shows where Owen Sounders drank, prayed, campaigned for and against alcohol and filled their flasks. Stop for a beverage along the way – be it a Temperance Tea or a Corkscrew City Cocktail. The choice is yours. Most licensed restaurants in Owen Sound carry locally made Kilannan beer (link is external) and many serve Coffin Ridge (link is external) wine and cider.

Want to learn more?

Visit our display at the Heritage Place Shopping Centre (link is external), where interpretive panels tell the story and artefacts bring it to life, from now until Thanksgiving.

Pick up a free copy of the Saints & Sinners Bootlegger's Run Passport (link is external), featuring craft brewers, wineries and cider producers in the region. The Owen Sound Visitor's Centre will stamp your passport for the Corkscrew City leg of the tour.

Be social and share your experience using #OwenSound #CorkscrewCity

For more information about Corkscrew City Tour Owen Sound, please contact Owen Sound Tourism at 1-888-675-5555.

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