Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario Visited
by Judi “Scoop” McWilliams
Several years ago I decided to surprise Gary (Festival Nomad) for his birthday.
It was one of those special birthdays that needed planning.
We started out on our surprise birthday trip by my giving Gary travel instructions.
We ended up, as I am sure you have now guessed, in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The is a wonderful place to surprise someone!
The town offers some amazing packages!
The whole Niagara Region offers visitors so many activities and tours, that it’s hard to choose which package to purchase.
For Gary’s special surprise, I choose a local package which included accommodations, breakfast and a Shaw Festival play.
We arrived early afternoon and headed for Simcoe Park. I had planned for us to have picnic there.
Simcoe Park is a beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake park, located just across from the Prince of Wales Inn.
After our picnic we decided to explore the park. In addition to beautiful gardens and a statue of John Graves Simcoe, 1st Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, the park feature a wonderful bandshell for music concerts.
Just outside the park there are stately residences and churches.
The whole feeling of Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of history, Canada’s history!
From Simcoe Park we ventured towards the downtown area.
The Prince of Wales Inn loomed large as we began our downtown tour.
Horse drawn carriage rides were available for anyone who wanted to explore Niagara-on-the-Lake’s rich heritage.
We, however, were ready for a more “up close, and personal” exploration!
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a “tourist oriented” town. The shops, hotels and restaurants cater to visitors.
Tourism is there “life’s blood“. Store like “Graves” have been welcoming visitors for over 90 years.
Other stores and restaurant embrace the Shaw Festival and all it represents.
Even I had a “chat” with “Mr. Shaw“!
Other than the Shaw Festival, I think the town restaurants are the most popular!
Most restaurants have a “line-up” for people waiting for a “table“.
Fortunately for us, on this trip, I had made reservations, so we didn’t have long to wait.
After a great diner, it was off to the Shaw Festival and an amazing play!
All to soon our “surprise adventure” was over and it was time to head home!
However, before we left Niagara-on-the-Lake, we decided to explore the town by car.
I think that a lot of visitors don’t realized the Niagara-on-the-Lake has an awesome waterfront.
It also has some wonderful museums.
And, of course, the is historic Fort George, where a War of 1812 battle took place!
Like I said, Niagara-on-the-Lake is definitely a major part of Canada’s heritage and history, and a great place to take someone you love!
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