rainbow over Niagara Falls
S WINERIES
BALL’S FALLS CONSERVATION AREA
St. Catharines and the Welland Canal
Horseshoe Falls.
Look for S to find recommended sights, activities, dining, and lodging.
S Visiting Niagara Falls: No matter how many times you’ve seen these thundering waterfalls—the Horseshoe Falls on the Ontario side of the Niagara River and the American Falls on the New York banks—they’re still spectacular (click here).
S Hornblower Niagara Cruises: Since the 1840s, ferryboats have taken visitors to the base of the falls, so put on your rain poncho and climb aboard. A cruise with these modern ships is still the best way to hear the crashing waters and feel the spray (click here).
S Niagara Glen Nature Reserve: The window-lined Nature Centre at this park north of the falls has great views of the Niagara River Gorge. Take a guided hike through the reserve or hit the trails on your own (click here).
S Shaw Festival: From April through October, the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake hosts one of North America’s major theater festivals, devoted to the works of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, along with more contemporary plays (click here).
S Niagara-on-the-Lake Wineries: With more than two dozen wineries clustered in this small region, you can easily stop at many producers—and sample many varieties—in a short visit (click here).
S Fort George National Historic Site: An important battleground during the War of 1812, this restored fort overlooking the Niagara River is now a national historic site. Learn about the Niagara region’s early history and watch staff demonstrate traditional weaponry, cook on an open hearth, and perform fife and drum music (click here).
S Twenty Valley Wineries: This growing viticultural district, encompassing the towns of Beamsville, Vineland, and Jordan, produces ice wine, Ontario’s distinctive dessert wine, as well as other varietals (click here).
S James Street North Art Galleries: En route to or from the Niagara region, stop off in the edgy, arty city of Hamilton to browse its local art scene (click here).
Niagara Falls, an easy drive south of Toronto or across the border from New York State, is one of the most-visited destinations in Canada. Families, honeymooners, tour groups, and everyone in between make their way to this iconic attraction. Whether it’s your first falls visit or your 50th, feeling the spray on your face, watching the cascading curtains tumble and crash into the river below, or glimpsing a rainbow arching over the torrents is still a thrill.
Yet Niagara is more than just the falls. Beyond the town of Niagara Falls, with its quirky mix of stunning natural beauty and honky-tonk tourist lures, the Niagara region offers plenty of attractions. The Niagara Peninsula is Ontario’s major wine-producing region, and a prime destination for a wine country getaway. Wine-tasting lures visitors to Niagara-on-the-Lake, home to more than two dozen wineries, and to the Twenty Valley, a popular wine-touring day trip from Niagara Falls. Niagara-on-the-Lake is also home to one of North America’s premier theater festivals—the Shaw Festival, which produces works by noted Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw along with more contemporary playwrights.
Built in the 1820s, the Welland Canal provides a shipping route between the Great Lakes, from St. Catharines south to Port Colborne. Freighters, barges, and pleasure craft continue to navigate the canal’s eight locks, and you can watch megaships up close as they lock through.
Outdoors lovers can explore an extensive network of cycling paths that crisscrosses the Niagara Peninsula, or set out on the Bruce Trail, an 800-kilometer (500-mile) hiking route that extends to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. History lovers will find numerous historic sites that date to the War of 1812. A worthy detour on your way to or from Niagara is Hamilton, an edgy, up-and-coming city known for its art scene and inventive restaurants.
You can easily visit Niagara Falls on a day trip from Toronto or upstate New York, but there’s plenty to do on the Niagara Peninsula to occupy a long weekend. Plan a day at Niagara Falls, another day in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and at least part of a third touring the Twenty Valley Wine Country.
Summer is Niagara’s peak season. From late June through early September, everything is open, and most attractions keep long hours, from 9am until at least 7pm-8pm. The Shaw Festival kicks off with preview productions in April, then ramps up its schedule June through September, continuing through October.
Weekends are busiest in both Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, especially in summer and early fall, so you’ll find more accommodations options (and often lower prices) if you can visit midweek. Many Niagara Falls attractions open for the season in April or May and close in late October or early November. Visiting the falls during the spring or fall “shoulder” periods outside the June-August peak can mean fewer crowds. September and October are harvest season for the region’s vineyards, making it a popular wine-touring time. The falls themselves are, obviously, there year-round, and you can save significantly on accommodations by visiting midwinter, when far fewer tourists are around. Just prepare for snow and cold temperatures.
Whenever you visit, check attractions’ opening hours before you set out, because many Niagara-area sights change their hours with the seasons.
The city of Niagara Falls is home to about 88,000 people and hosts more than 12 million visitors every year—all because of the spectacular torrents of water that cascade down the Niagara River. Long popular as a honeymoon destination, Niagara Falls has plenty of appeal for everyone from kids to seniors.
The Niagara River connects two of the Great Lakes—Lake Ontario and Lake Erie—and also separates Canada from the United States. That means that there are actually two cities named Niagara Falls—one in Ontario, the other across the river in New York State—and two main waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls on the New York side. The Ontario side of the river is more developed, with numerous attractions in addition to the falls, mixing history, green space, and, unfortunately, plenty of tacky tourist traps.
The area along the Niagara River closest to Horseshoe Falls is known as Table Rock, where a large visitors center houses several attractions. The Fallsview area, with its skyscraping hotels, is atop the Niagara Escarpment, a steep climb up the hill above Table Rock.
To the north of Table Rock along the river is Queen Victoria Park and the departure point for Hornblower Niagara Cruises, a deservedly popular boat ride that takes you under the falls. Up the slope north of the Hornblower docks is Clifton Hill, with numerous places to stay, as well as the flashing neon of arcades, wax museums, and other kitschy attractions.
North along the river is the Whirlpool area, where the river makes a 90-degree turn. A number of parks and natural attractions are clustered between the Whirlpool and Queenston, a historic district 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of the falls. The WEGO bus runs along the Niagara Parkway to all the major attractions and has other routes to take you around the city of Niagara Falls.
Away from the river, Queen Street is the main business route through “downtown” Niagara Falls, although there’s actually more development along Ferry Street and Lundy’s Lane, which run east-west from the river across the city to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), the highway that connects Toronto with the Niagara region.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Niagara’s falls aren’t the world’s tallest or widest falls, but they certainly rank among the most spectacular. The Niagara Falls began forming during the last ice age, more than 12,000 years ago, and they have actually moved 11 kilometers (7 miles) during that period. They originally began north of their present location, near the Niagara Glen.
The best free vantage point for viewing the falls is near the Table Rock Welcome Centre (6650 Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com), adjacent to the Horseshoe Falls. Be prepared for spray to mist around you, even as you walk or stand nearby.
The larger Horseshoe Falls, often called the Canadian Falls (on the Ontario side of the Niagara River), are 670 meters (2,200 feet) wide and curve in a semicircular “horseshoe” from bank to bank. While the Horseshoe Falls measure only 57 meters (188 feet) from top to bottom, more than 168,000 cubic meters (44 million gallons) of water crash over the falls every minute during daylight hours.
On the New York shore, the American Falls have a gentler curve. In fact, unless you see them from above, they look like a straight curtain of water stretching 260 meters (850 feet) wide and 21 to 34 meters (70-110 feet) tall, depending on where you measure.
A third narrow waterfall, known as Bridal Veil Falls, almost looks like part of the American Falls, since it’s just beside it, separated from the American Falls by Luna Island. The Bridal Veil Falls measure 17 meters (56 feet) across.
Boat tours to the base of the falls have been running since the 1840s, when the Maid of the Mist ferry began operating as a sightseeing boat. Over the years, the Maid transported such notable passengers as Princess Diana and her sons, U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter, Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, and actor Marilyn Monroe. Hornblower Niagara Cruises (5920 Niagara Pkwy., 905/642-4272 or 855/264-2427, www.niagaracruises.com, daily Apr.-Nov., check the website for seasonal schedules, adults $26, ages 5-12 $16) operates the tour routes from the Canadian side of the falls; they’re still the best way to hear the thundering waters and feel the spray.
Departing every 15 minutes from 8am to dusk, the Hornblower catamarans, which accommodate up to 700 passengers, cruise past the American Falls and into the Horseshoe Falls basin. The ride lasts about 20 minutes, and yes, despite the free rain ponchos, you will get wet, but you’ll want to get as close as you can to the falls views. Hornblower also offers 40-minute Falls Illumination tours and Fireworks tours (adults $40, ages 5-12 $36), on select dates, departing at 8:30pm (early Sept.-Oct.) or 9:30pm (May-early Sept.), with a bar and music on board; they post schedules on their website and at their ticket office.
The Maid of the Mist still runs from the American side of the falls, leaving from Prospect Point in the Niagara Reservation State Park (716/284-8897, www.maidofthemist.com, adults US$19.25, ages 6-12 $11.20).
The Journey Behind the Falls (Table Rock Welcome Centre, 6650 Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com, daily year-round, check the website for seasonal schedules, adults $20, ages 6-12 $13 mid-Apr.-Dec., adults $13.15, ages 6-12 $11.55 Jan.-mid-Apr.) lets you see the waterfalls from a different perspective. You start your journey in an elevator that descends 45 meters (150 feet) through the rock beside the Horseshoe Falls. Then you walk through underground tunnels to two observation decks, where the falls crash beside you. The spray on the observation platforms can be drenching, so protect your camera gear, your guidebook, and anything else that you don’t want waterlogged. Allow about 30 minutes to explore, longer if you’re with kids who relish the falls’ chilly shower.
Save this attraction for a warm day if you can; the spray can feel frigid. From January through mid-April, the lower observation deck, which gives you the best falls view, is closed (it’s too icy), so admission prices are reduced.
Want to work on your downward dog beside the rush of the waterfall? On several summer Sunday mornings, Niagara Parks offers Namaste Niagara (www.niagaraparks.com, $50 pp), a 45-minute yoga session on the lower deck at Journey Behind the Falls, followed by breakfast at their Queenston Heights restaurant. Check their website or social media channels for dates and details.
A two-part multimedia show, Niagara’s Fury (Table Rock Welcome Centre, 6650 Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com, daily year-round, check the website for seasonal schedules, adults $15, ages 6-12 $9.75) tries to explain how the falls were created, starting with a short cartoon. Then you move into a circular theater where lightning flashes, the earth shakes, and water pours from the ceiling as you “experience” the birth of the falls.
Older kids may think Niagara’s Fury is cool, but the crashing thunder and shaking floor may frighten younger ones. Although the entire show lasts less than 20 minutes, give it a miss if you’re short on time; the real falls are far more dramatic.
There are two cities named Niagara Falls—one on the Ontario side of the Niagara River and another on the opposite bank in New York State. On the New York side, the falls area is part of the Niagara Reservation State Park (716/278-1796, www.niagarafallsstatepark.com). You’ll find the best views of the falls at Prospect Point, right next to the American Falls. The overall views of the American Falls are more majestic from the Canadian shore, but you’re closer to the spray on the U.S. side. The historic Maid of the Mist tour boats (716/284-8897, www.maidofthemist.com, mid-May-early Nov., call or check the website for seasonal schedules, adults US$19.25, ages 6-12 US$11.20), which take you right under the falls, now operate only from Prospect Point.
spring flowers at the American Falls
If you want to feel the spray full in your face, head for Goat Island, where you can descend alongside Bridal Veil Falls on the Cave of the Winds (716/278-1730, www.niagarafallsstatepark.com, mid-May-late Oct., call or check the website for seasonal schedules, adults US$17, ages 6-12 US$14), which follows a wooden walkway to a platform just six meters (20 feet) from the falls. You’ll receive a rain poncho, but you should still expect to get wet. You can learn more about the falls and their history at the multimedia World Changed Here Pavilion (year-round, call or check the website for seasonal hours, adults $7, ages 6-12 $5), which remains open when the Cave of the Winds tours are closed for the winter.
If you plan to visit several attractions on the American side, consider purchasing the Niagara Falls USA Discovery Pass (adults $46, ages 6-12 $35), valid June through late October, which covers discounted admission to the Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, Aquarium of Niagara, and the Niagara Adventure Theater.
The Rainbow Bridge connects Niagara Falls, Ontario, with Niagara Falls, New York. You can cross the bridge by car, on foot, or by bike, but remember: Even if you’re just strolling across for the afternoon, this is an international border and you need to bring your passport.
For more information, contact Niagara USA Official Visitor Center (10 Rainbow Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY, 716/285-8600 or 877/325-5787, www.niagarafallsusa.com, 8:30am-7pm daily June-mid-Sept., 8:30am-5pm daily mid-Sept.-May). Moon Niagara Falls (www.moon.com), by Joel A. Dombrowski, has lots more details about exploring the American side of the Falls.
For a thrilling ride into the Niagara gorge, take a zip on the MistRider Zipline to the Falls (5920 Niagara Pkwy., 800/263-7073, www.wildplay.com/niagara-falls, mid-Apr.-late Nov., call or check the website for seasonal schedules, ages 7 and up $60 pp). You’ll whiz past the American Falls, traveling 670 meters (2,200 feet) to land on the observation deck at the base of Horseshoe Falls. The launch site is on the riverbank 1.3 kilometers (.8 miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, near the Hornblower Cruises ticket office; it’s on the WEGO bus route.
As you go north of Horseshoe Falls, the Niagara River bucks and churns through a section known as the Whirlpool Rapids. Rated as Class VI white water—defined as “extremely difficult to successfully maneuver . . . usually considered unrunnable”—the rushing rapids slicing through the deep gorge are impressive, even from the shore, where the White Water Walk (4330 Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com, daily mid-Apr.-Oct., check the website for seasonal schedules, adults $13, ages 6-12 $8.45) gives you an up-close look.
After taking an elevator 70 meters (230 feet) into the gorge and walking through a tunnel to the riverbank, you follow a 300-meter (0.25-mile) boardwalk along the Niagara River rapids. Stairs lead to two observation areas at the river’s edge. A small exhibit area near the elevators profiles some of the daredevils who attempted various stunts on the Niagara River or over the falls—just don’t try these tricks yourself. Not only is stunting extremely dangerous (only a few of the adventurers survived), it’s now illegal, and trespassers can face hefty fines.
The White Water Walk is four kilometers (2.5 miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, on the WEGO bus route. You follow the walk at your own pace, but most people find that 30-45 minutes is enough time.
Over thousands of years, the Niagara River slowly eroded a path through the Niagara Escarpment, creating a deep canyon called the Great Gorge. North of the falls, as the river wends through the gorge, it makes a sharp right-angle turn, which forces the water into a counterclockwise spin. This unusual churning water formation, the Niagara River Whirlpool, is difficult to see from shore (without a long, steep hike), but it’s easily visible from above, aboard the Whirlpool Aero Car (3850 Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com, daily mid-Apr.-early Nov., check the website for seasonal schedules, adults $15, ages 6-12 $9.75).
The unusual-looking Aero Car, designed by Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Quevedo, has been transporting passengers over the Whirlpool since 1916. You stand in the red cable car, which is attached to the overhead cables by a sunshine-yellow contraption that looks like half of a giant bicycle wheel. As you ride across the gorge and back, the views extend up and down the river.
The Aero Car is 4.5 kilometers (3 miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, on the WEGO bus route. Although the ride itself takes just 10 minutes round-trip, the Aero Car accommodates only 35 people and tickets are issued for specific times, so be prepared to wait.
For an aerial view of the falls, take the “yellow bug” elevators—they do resemble yellow beetles—that scoot up the outside of the Skylon Tower (5200 Robinson St., 905/356-2651 or 888/975-9566, www.skylon.com, 8am-midnight daily summer, 9am-10pm daily winter, adults $15.02, ages 3-12 $9.22) to the observation deck 236 meters (775 feet) in the sky. You can also buy a combination ticket that includes a show in the 3-D/4-D theater (adults $20.82, ages 3-12 $12.70). Tickets are discounted if you purchase them online in advance.
Yet another vantage point for viewing the falls is the 8- to 12-minute whirl on the Sky Wheel (4950 Clifton Hill, 905/358-4793, www.skywheel.ca, year-round, call or check the website for seasonal hours, adults $12, ages 3-12 $7), a 53-meter (175-foot) Ferris wheel on which you ride in enclosed gondolas. The vistas of the American Falls are great; you see the Horseshoe Falls at a greater distance. The Clifton Hill Fun Pass (www.cliftonhill.com, adults $29.95, ages 3-12 $19.95), available online, includes admission to the Sky Wheel along with several other commercial attractions (Zombie Attack, anyone?).
the Sky Wheel
Lundy’s Lane, which runs east-west across the city of Niagara Falls, was the site of a major battle between American and British troops in the War of 1812. Both sides suffered some of the heaviest casualties of the war during the Battle of Lundy’s Lane on July 25, 1814. Neither side won the battle, but American troops withdrew south to Fort Erie, setting the scene for the Battle of Fort Erie later that summer.
Along Ferry Street and Lundy’s Lane (Ferry changes its name west of Main St.), several sights help you learn more about Niagara’s 19th-century history. In an 1874 stone building with a modern glass-walled addition, the Niagara Falls History Museum (5810 Ferry St., 905/358-5082, www.niagarafallshistorymuseum.ca, 10am-5pm Tues.-Sun., 10am-9pm Thurs., adults $5, ages 6-19 $4, free admission 5pm-9pm Thurs.) houses more than 25,000 artifacts relating to the region’s past, with exhibits about the history of the falls, including the daredevils who’ve tried to cross them, and about the War of 1812. Additional exhibitions in the temporary gallery change several times a year. Kids can try on soldiers’ uniforms or walk a tightrope over the “falls.”
A short walk farther west, the Lundy’s Lane Battle Ground Cemetery (6110 Lundy’s Lane, www.niagarafallshistorymuseum.ca), also known as the Drummond Hill Cemetery, is on the site where the Lundy’s Lane battle was fought. The cemetery has a mix of historic and more recent graves, including a monument honoring Laura Secord, a Canadian heroine during the War of 1812 who is buried here. Pick up a guide to the cemetery at the Niagara Falls History Museum or online on the museum’s website.
On the 30-minute guided tours of the Battle Ground Hotel Museum (6151 Lundy’s Lane, 905/358-5082, www.niagarafallshistorymuseum.ca, 11am-5pm Fri.-Sun. late May-Aug., donation), a restored wood-frame tavern, you’ll learn about life in Niagara Falls from the 1830s to the 1850s, when the falls were already a tourist attraction and travelers gathered in taverns such as this one. The museum also houses some artifacts from the War of 1812.
One of Niagara’s most incongruous sights might be the peaceful Ten Thousand Buddhas Sarira Stupa (4303 River Rd., 905/371-2678), also called the Cham Shan Buddhist Temple. Built in the 1990s, it looks as if it were transported directly from Asia. The seven-story pagoda houses Buddhist arts and artifacts (11am-4pm Sat., 10am-3pm Sun. June-mid-Oct.), while a smaller Buddhist temple (10am-5pm daily) is in an adjacent building. A walk around the property may help you recover your Zen state after Niagara’s tourist frenzy.
Some of the best views of the Niagara River and gorge are from the window-lined—and free—Nature Centre at the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve (3050 Niagara Pkwy., 905/354-6678, www.niagaraparks.com, daily year-round, free). Inside the Nature Centre (10am-5pm daily mid-Apr.-early Nov., free), a small exhibit area includes a Touch Table to explore rocks, fossils, and animal skulls found in the gorge, as well as displays about the area’s flora and fauna.
The glen has about four kilometers (2.5 miles) of hiking trails that descend into the Niagara gorge. The River Path is a particularly scenic route that follows the Niagara River all the way to the Whirlpool. This trail has lots of steep climbs and descents, so Niagara Parks staff recommend allowing at least three hours round-trip. Pick up a trail map at the Nature Centre or get one online at www.niagaraparks.com.
Park naturalists lead one-hour guided hikes (11am and 2pm daily May-Aug., $7), where you learn more about the area’s history, geology, plants, and wildlife as you explore the walking paths. Because some of the terrain is quite steep, these guided walks are best suited for adults and older children.
Niagara Glen is eight kilometers (five miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, on the WEGO bus route.
More than 2,000 butterflies flit around the Butterfly Conservatory (2405 Niagara Pkwy., 905/356-8119, www.niagaraparks.com, daily year-round, call or check the website for seasonal hours, adults $15, ages 6-12 $9.75), alighting on the tropical flowers and on visitors’ arms and heads. Start your visit with a short video about butterflies and their habits, from which you learn, among other things, that butterflies smell with their antennae and taste with their feet. The family-friendly conservatory is a good choice for a chilly day, since inside it’s warm year-round.
The Butterfly Conservatory is on the grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens (2565 Niagara Pkwy., 905/356-8554, www.niagaraparks.com, dawn-dusk daily year-round, free, parking $5), a 40-hectare (100-acre) expanse of manicured grounds, ornamental flowers, and herb gardens, crisscrossed with walking paths. Among the flowering highlights are rhododendrons and irises, which typically peak in June, and roses that bloom from mid-June into September; check the website for a detailed bloom schedule.
The gardens and Butterfly Conservatory are nine kilometers (six miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, on the WEGO bus route, opposite the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve.
As you’re traveling along the Niagara Parkway between the falls and Queenston, stop to check the time at this 12-meter-wide (40-foot-wide) working Floral Clock (14004 Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com, dawn-dusk daily, free), inlaid with more than 15,000 plants. Ontario Hydro, the regional power company, created this floral attraction in 1950. Its hour hand measures 4.5 meters (14.5 feet); the minute hand is 5.3 meters (17.5 feet). Niagara Parks staff change the clock’s botanical design twice a year.
The Floral Clock is 11.5 kilometers (7 miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, on the WEGO bus route.
Housed in a former corset factory, the world’s largest free-flying indoor aviary, Bird Kingdom (5651 River Rd., 905/356-8888 or 866/994-0090, www.birdkingdom.ca, 9:30am-5pm daily, last admission 4:15pm, adults $18, ages 4-15 $14, parking $3 per hour), is fun for children, especially on a bad-weather day. In the small aviary, more than 40 species of tiny birds flit about, while in the main glass-walled sanctuary, nearly 400 birds representing approximately 80 species, including brilliant orange-red scarlet ibis, African royal starlings, and multicolored macaws, fly around you as you wander the paths. Ask at the admission desk or check online for the daily schedule of animal encounters and activities, from bat feeding to snake handling. Tickets are discounted if you buy them online in advance.
The Bird Kingdom is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) north of the Horseshoe Falls, just north of the Rainbow Bridge.
Jay Leno, Aretha Franklin, Olivia Newton-John, Sean Penn, and Ringo Starr have all performed at the 1,500-seat Avalon Ballroom Theatre (6380 Fallsview Blvd., 888/325-5788, www.fallsviewcasinoresort.com), in the Fallsview Casino Resort, which has a regular lineup of concerts, Broadway-style musicals, comedians, and other shows. Children under age 19 are not permitted in the theater. Buy tickets through the theater box office or from Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.ca).
As long as you don’t mind a few corny jokes about Mounties and beavers, the dinner theater Oh Canada Eh? (8585 Lundy’s Lane, 905/374-1995 or 800/467-2071, www.ohcanadaeh.com, 6:15pm daily July-Aug., 6:15pm Sat.-Thurs. mid-Apr.-June and Sept.-mid-Oct., adults $55-75, ages 13-18 $45-75, ages 3-12 $40-75) is an evening of rollicking good fun. While you tuck into a hearty multicourse meal featuring dishes from across Canada, enthusiastic performers take you on a cross-country journey of Canadian music, from Newfoundland sea shanties to songs by Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, k.d. lang, and Leonard Cohen. Kids under age 12 enter free with the purchase of certain adult tickets; check the website or phone for details. Show-only tickets without dinner are also available (adults $35, ages 13-18 $30, ages 3-12 $25).
There are more laughs at YukYuk’s Comedy Club (Sheraton Four Points Hotel, 6455 Fallsview Blvd., 800/899-9136, www.yukyuks.com, $12-17), which typically presents five stand-up comedy shows every week (Thurs.-Sat.).
Among the many places where Niagara Falls can separate you from your money are its two casinos: Casino Niagara (5705 Falls Ave., 905/374-3598 or 888/325-5788, www.casinoniagara.com) and the Fallsview Casino (6380 Fallsview Blvd., 888/325-5788, www.fallsviewcasinoresort.com), Canada’s largest gaming facility. Both casinos are open 24 hours daily; guests must be at least 19 years old to enter.
The IMAX Theatre Niagara Falls (6170 Fallsview Blvd., 905/358-3611 or 866/405-4629, www.imaxniagara.com, shows on the hour year-round, call or check the website for seasonal schedules, adults $15, ages 4-12 $11) screens “you are there” films about the falls and the daredevils who’ve tried to plummet over the rushing water. Also on-site is the Daredevil Exhibit (adults $9.30, kids $7.50), which tells the stories of the falls-plunging thrill seekers. Combination tickets for the IMAX movie and exhibit (adults $24, kids $18) are available, as are packages that include the movie, the exhibit, and admission to the nearby Skylon Tower (adults $39, kids $28). Buy your tickets online for discounted admission.
The Fireworks over the Falls (www.niagaraparks.com) illuminate the night sky at 10pm Monday through Friday, from mid-May through early September; check the website for fireworks dates at other times of year. In July and August, there are free concerts featuring local bands at 8pm in Queen Victoria Park before the fireworks begin.
During the Winter Festival of Lights (www.wfol.com, Nov.-Jan., free), the falls are illuminated nightly, and fireworks over the falls continue weekly on Fridays. Additional light displays are at the Dufferin Islands Nature Area and at several other locations around the city.
What would a mega tourist attraction be without an outlet mall? Just off the QEW, west of the falls, the 30-plus stores at the Canada One Brand Name Outlets (7500 Lundy’s Lane, 905/356-8989, www.canadaoneoutlets.com, 10am-9pm Mon.-Sat., 10am-6pm Sun.) carry a variety of North American brands such as Guess, Coach, Reebok, Roots, and Nike.
At the peaceful Floral Showhouse (7145 Niagara Pkwy., 905/354-1721, www.niagaraparks.com, 9:30am-5pm daily, adults $5, ages 6-12 $3.75), floral displays change with the seasons, including geraniums in June, begonias in early autumn, and poinsettias, cyclamen, and azaleas in December. In summer, you can stroll through the gardens surrounding the showhouse, which is 500 meters (0.3 miles) south of Horseshoe Falls, on the WEGO bus route.
Dufferin Islands Nature Area (6345 Dufferin Isle Rd., at Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com, dawn-dusk daily, free) is crisscrossed with walking trails that explore the region’s natural side. You can follow the paths and bridges that connect several small islands. From November to January, lighting displays illuminate the islands as part of the annual Winter Festival of Lights (www.wfol.com). The nature area is 750 meters (0.5 miles) south of the falls, between the Floral Showhouse and the Rapidsview Parking Lot.
Ontario’s premier hiking route, the 800-kilometer (500-mile) Bruce Trail, which runs all the way to the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula, begins in Queenston. Throughout the year, the Niagara Bruce Trail Club (www.niagarabrucetrail.org) offers frequent hikes of varying lengths and levels of difficulty; nonmembers are welcome. After you participate in more than one or two hikes, the club will ask you to become a member ($50/year).
The Greater Niagara Circle Route (www.niagararegion.ca or www.niagaracyclingtourism.com) includes more than 140 kilometers (87 miles) of paved walking or cycling trails. It loops around the Niagara Peninsula, following the Niagara River south from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Niagara Falls and then to Fort Erie, turning west to Port Colborne, north along the Welland Canal to St. Catharines, and east to return to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The Niagara region has a bike-sharing program, Zoom BikeShare (905/468-3401, www.zoombikeshare.com, $5/hour), that enables you to pick up a bike at one location in Niagara Falls or Niagara-on-the-Lake and return it at any of the other designated locations. The program launched in 2018 with about a dozen rental spots; check their website for specifics. To rent a bike, download the Zoom BikeShare mobile app, Movatic.
WildPlay’s Whirlpool Adventure Course (3500 Niagara Pkwy., 800/263-7073, www.wildplay.com/niagara-falls, May-mid-Oct., call or check the website for seasonal hours) offers three different options for climbing, swinging, and zipping through a network of ropes and aerial adventures above the Niagara gorge. Start with the Classic Course ($40), and if that’s not enough of a thrill, add the challenging Extreme Course ($30 extra). Youngsters can test their skills on the lower Kids Course (ages 5-12 $20).
The Whirlpool Adventure Course is 8.2 kilometers (5.1 miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, on the WEGO bus route.
Sixteen waterslides, a huge wave pool, and a water play area keep families splashing at the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark (5685 Falls Ave., 905/374-4444 or 888/234-8413, www.fallsviewwaterpark.com, call or check the website for seasonal hours, day pass $45-50). The park offers accommodations packages with several nearby hotels, including the Sheraton on the Falls, Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls-Fallsview Hotel, Skyline Hotel & Waterpark, and Clifton Victoria Inn at the Falls.
The Waves Indoor Waterpark (8444 Lundy’s Lane, 905/356-8444 or 866/707-0030, www.americananiagara.com, call or check the website for seasonal hours, $35 pp), located at the Americana Resort on the west end of Lundy’s Lane, also has a wave pool, waterslides, a kiddie play structure, and whirlpools.
If you’re at home in chain restaurants, you’ll be happy eating in Niagara Falls. The chains are cheek by jowl on the streets surrounding the falls, particularly along Clifton Hill. For independent eateries, Queen Street, the still-reviving downtown district, is worth checking out, as is the area on Ferry Street near Stanley Avenue. It’s also a short drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where you’ll find more dining options.
The small Niagara Falls Farmers Market (5943 Sylvia Pl., 905/356-7521, www.niagarafalls.ca/farmersmarket, 6am-noon Sat.) operates year-round near the intersection of Main and Ferry Streets.
The Niagara Parks agency runs convenient restaurants and snack bars at several of the visitors centers around Niagara Falls. Meals range from basic sandwiches to high-end fare, but all emphasize Ontario ingredients; hours vary seasonally.
The flagship dining room, Elements on the Falls (6650 Niagara Pkwy., 905/354-3631, www.niagaraparks.com, year-round, $20-42), has great views of the Horseshoe Falls and a contemporary menu that ranges from salads and sandwiches to pastas and steaks. Other Parks restaurants include Queen Victoria Place Restaurant (6345 Niagara Pkwy., 905/356-2217, late Apr.-late Oct., $16-34), the Whirlpool Restaurant (3351 Niagara Pkwy., 905/356-7221, late Apr.-late Oct., $13-18), and the Queenston Heights Restaurant (14184 Niagara Pkwy., Queenston, 905/262-4274, May-mid-Oct., lunch $9-24).
Hidden on the lower level of the Sterling Inn, stylish S AG Cuisine (Sterling Inn, 5195 Magdalen Ave., 289/292-0005, www.agcuisine.com, 5:30pm-9:30pm Tues.-Sun., $28-37) earns kudos for its creative cuisine. With retro white banquettes, red drapes, and twinkling chandeliers, the dining room channels the Rat Pack, while the food is ever so au courant. Not only does executive chef Cory Linkson favor regional ingredients in his artfully plated dishes, but the restaurant even runs its own farm, supplying fresh ingredients for squash velouté, locally raised beef tenderloin with an almond-brie crust, or a risotto of farm vegetables. The well-constructed wine list emphasizes Niagara producers.
AG Cuisine earns kudos for its imaginative dishes.
Want to eat above it all? In the Skylon Tower’s Revolving Dining Room (www.skylon.com, 11:30am-3pm and 4:30pm-10pm daily, lunch $29-54, dinner $41-59), which makes a complete rotation every hour, even a hamburger will set you back $29, but tower admission is free when you ride up for a meal. For families, the Summit Suite Buffet Dining Room (11:30am-3pm and 5pm-10pm Mon.-Sat., 10:30am-3pm and 5pm-10pm Sun., lunch adults $30, children $13, dinner adults $40, children $16), which also includes tower admission, is a better value.
The Ferry Street area has several popular Italian restaurants.
For good food, moderate prices, and a family-friendly feel, all within walking distance from Clifton Hill, Bravo Pizzeria (5438 Ferry St., 905/354-3354, www.bravopizzeriagrill.com, 11:30am-midnight daily, $14-36) specializes in pizzas cooked in the wood-fired oven, from Greek-style with feta, olives, and spinach to the arrabbiata, loaded with spicy sausage, calabrese salami, and peppers. Soups, salads, panini, and pastas round out the menu. The beer selection features brews from 70 countries; parking is free.
Italian classics done well have kept the traditional family-run Napoli Ristorante (5485 Ferry St., 905/356-3345, www.napoliristorante.ca, 4pm-close daily, $15-42) in business since 1962. Start with the arancini (rice balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas), or a salad of lettuce, escarole, and Tuscan kale. Then share a pizza; tuck into a pasta, such as the orecchiette abruzzese (shaped like “little ears” and tossed with rapini and homemade sausage); or fuel up with the veal chop or the chicken stuffed with butternut squash. Wines include both Niagara and Italian labels. Parking is free.
Another old favorite, family-operated Four Brothers Cucina (5283 Ferry St., 905/358-6951, www.fourbrotherscucina.com, 11:30am-11pm daily, lunch $8-14, dinner $17-34) can get you in and out fast with their express lunch menu of salads, Italian sandwiches, and pastas; try the “mini dining adventure,” a greatest-hits sampler plate of lasagna, ravioli, and fettucine with a meatball. There’s no reason to rush, though: settle into your red leather chair to savor the bruschetta topped with fresh tomatoes and basil, homemade gnocchi, or chicken parmigiana.
France’s loss became Niagara’s gain after chef-owner Thierry Clement left his homeland and opened Paris Crêpes Café (4613 Queen St., 289/296-4218, www.pariscrepescafe.com, 11am-2pm and 5pm-8pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-2pm and 5:30pm-8pm Sat., 10am-2pm and 5pm-8pm Sun., $11-36), a French bistro and crêperie in downtown Niagara Falls. The classic crepes are the must-haves, particularly savory buckwheat versions like the Sud Ouest (stuffed with duck confit, onion jam, Swiss cheese, and a sunny-side-up egg); sweet varieties include dark chocolate, chestnut, and salted caramel.
The full-bodied Red Cream Ale, lighter Charleston Lager, and creamy Vanilla Wheat are among the brews on tap at Taps on Queen (4680 Queen St., 289/477-1010, www.tapsbeer.ca, noon-11pm daily, $10-17), a local microbrewery and pub with a sidewalk patio. To go with your beer, choose pizza, burgers, or comfort fare like vegetable curry or fish-and-chips.
Gracious old-world S Casa Mia Ristorante (3518 Portage Rd., 905/356-5410, www.casamiaristorante.com, 5pm-midnight Mon. and Sat., 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-midnight Tues.-Fri., $21-55) feels light-years away from the whirl of the falls. The traditional Italian offerings include cannelloni fiorentina (stuffed with ground veal and spinach) or rack of lamb with a Dijon-rosemary crust. Choose among 30 wines by the glass and hundreds more by the bottle. In the less formal bar, you might share a salumi plate, grilled calamari, pizza, or veal parmigiana. Located about a 15-minute drive north of Horseshoe Falls, the restaurant offers free transportation to and from area hotels.
Niagara Falls has thousands of rooms, in everything from bare-bones motels to homey B&Bs to glitzy hotel towers. In general, the closer you are to the falls, the higher the price, and any room with even a partial falls view will cost more than a viewless lodging.
Accommodations cluster in several main areas. The Fallsview area, on the Niagara Escarpment above Horseshoe Falls, has predominantly high-end hotel towers and some of the best falls views. A mix of basic chain hotels and more upscale properties lines the streets of Clifton Hill. North of the falls, along River Road and the surrounding residential streets, are numerous bed-and-breakfasts. Along Ferry Street and Lundy’s Lane west of the falls, you’ll find a mix of old-fashioned roadside motels and more modern chains. Some of the cheapest rooms are on the west end of Lundy’s Lane (which, despite its picturesque name, is a busy multilane boulevard), near the entrance to the QEW; just budget for parking near the falls or plan to take the bus, because it’s too far to walk.
Rates are generally highest in July-August and during holiday weekends. Fall weekends, when the leaves are in full color, are also busy. Room rates can fluctuate wildly, even within the same month, so check different travel dates if your plans are flexible.
Near the bus and train stations downtown, HI-Niagara Falls Hostel (4549 Cataract Ave., 905/357-0770 or 888/749-0058, www.hostellingniagara.com, $35-39 dorm, $90 d) provides cheap beds, space to hang out, and activities ranging from barbecues to pub crawls. Sleeping options include cramped four-, six-, and eight-bed dorms and tiny double-bed private rooms, all with shared baths. Linens and towels are included, as is a light continental breakfast. You can prep your own meals in the communal kitchen or play pool in the basement lounge. Wi-Fi is free.
Staying at Strathaird Bed & Breakfast (4372 Simcoe St., 905/358-3421, www.strathairdinn.com, Apr.-Oct., $85-125 d) is like visiting a favorite aunt and uncle. Owners Tom and Val Jackson offer a warm Scottish welcome to their modest but comfortable home, encouraging you to have a cup of tea or relax on the porch. The three guest rooms upstairs cover the basics: queen beds, en suite baths, air-conditioning, and Wi-Fi, and you’ll fuel up with a full Scottish breakfast of eggs, bacon, beans, tomatoes, and fruit. Rates include parking, or if you phone ahead, they’ll pick you up at the train or bus station. The WEGO bus stops one block away.
A full hot breakfast is served in the formal dining room at Greystone Manor B&B (4939 River Rd., 905/357-7373 or 877/237-4746, www.greystone-manor.ca, $130-248 d), but the atmosphere in this restored 1908 home is anything but stiff. The double-size living room has plenty of space for lounging, yoga, or dancing (owner Barbara Grumme, who’s a wealth of local information, teaches ballroom dance, and you can arrange a lesson). Upstairs, the four queen-bed air-conditioned guest rooms (three en suite, one with a private bath across the hall) are simple but cozy. Wi-Fi, phone calls within North America, and parking are free.
Owners Carolyn and Gary Burke have lived in their 1886 heritage home—with its own turret—for more than 30 years, and they share their local knowledge with their guests at the Park Place B&B (4851 River Rd., 905/358-0279, www.parkplaceniagara.ca, $185 d). Each of the two upstairs guest rooms has a king bed, a fireplace, and a large bath with a whirlpool tub; a third suite is in the carriage house. You can choose breakfast delivered to your room or served by candlelight in the Victorian-style dining room. The WEGO bus stops one block away.
Among Clifton Hill’s many family-friendly midrange chains, a good choice is the Country Inn & Suites (5525 Victoria Ave., 905/374-6040 or 800/830-5222, www.countryinns.com, $124-348 d, parking $10 per day). Though there’s nothing especially country-like about this seven-story hotel, it has what families need, including standard rooms with two queen beds (and larger one-bedroom suites), an indoor pool, a fitness room, complimentary buffet breakfast, and Internet access. Rates drop significantly outside the July-August high season.
Across the street from the Fallsview Casino, the Comfort Inn-Fallsview (6645 Fallsview Blvd., 905/358-9353 or 800/463-1938, www.comfortinnfallsview.ca, $149-299 d) gives you a Fallsview location for moderate rates. The rooms are standard chain-hotel style, but the kids will appreciate the indoor and outdoor pools. If you need more space, ask about the slightly larger family rooms, with two queen beds and a sleep sofa, or the two-bedroom family suites. Wi-Fi is free.
A more upscale option in the Fallsview neighborhood is the 19-story DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa (6039 Fallsview Blvd., 905/358-3817 or 800/730-8609, www.niagarafallsdoubletree.com, $134-255 d, parking $16) with a ski-lodge-style lobby decorated with lots of wood and stone. One of the hotel’s nicest features is the indoor pool on the lower level, where there’s also a fitness room and guest laundry. Most of the 224 simple but comfortable guest rooms have two queen beds; all have small refrigerators, coffeemakers, and Wi-Fi. For more space, book a one-bedroom suite with a separate sitting area and sofa bed. Rooms on the 16th floor or above have views of the American Falls.
Occupying a 1928 former dairy, the boutique S Sterling Inn & Spa (5195 Magdalen St., 289/292-0000 or 877/783-7772, www.sterlingniagara.com, $250-390 d) has a three-story milk bottle above its entrance. Inside, the 41 contemporary guest rooms are spare but spacious, with couples-courting features like king beds, fireplaces, and large steam showers or whirlpool baths for two. Overall, the feel is upscale, if not deluxe, but pampering touches include a breakfast tray delivered to your room and an on-site spa offering couples massages. Wi-Fi and parking are included.
The prime rooms at the contemporary Sheraton on the Falls Hotel (5875 Falls Ave., 905/374-4445 or 888/229-9961, www.sheratononthefalls.com, $189-609 d, parking $29-49 per day), a 669-room mirrored tower opposite the American Falls, are those overlooking the waterfalls, of course. You’ll pay a significant premium for falls-view rooms, but the upcharge is smaller midweek and outside summer high season. Facilities include indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, and a spa overlooking the falls; Casino Niagara is nearby. A daily resort fee ($15.95) covers Wi-Fi, phone calls within Canada and to the United States, and two WEGO bus tickets.
Another top choice for falls-view rooms is the 23-story Marriott Niagara Falls Fallsview Hotel and Spa (6740 Fallsview Blvd., 905/357-7300 or 888/501-8916, www.niagarafallsmarriott.com, $191-599 d, parking $35 per day). Of the 432 guest rooms, the higher-floor units have the best perspective of the falls; the suites, including a two-level loft unit with floor-to-ceiling windows, have some of the most dramatic vantage points. Even the indoor pool overlooks Horseshoe Falls. Wi-Fi is $10 per day.
Your kids may not care about seeing the falls once they’re at Great Wolf Lodge (950 Victoria Ave., 905/354-4888 or 800/605-9653, www.greatwolf.com, $260-579 d), a resort that features a wave pool and several waterslides. Amenities include several eateries and snack bars, a spa for adults, a spa for preteens, and a nightly story hour for little ones. The standard family suite has two queens or one queen plus a sleep sofa, or you can choose a fun themed suite. Rooms have microwaves and mini fridges. Room rates include waterpark access, which is limited to hotel guests. The lodge is seven kilometers (4.5 miles) north of the Horseshoe Falls.
A 30-story tower, the Fallsview Casino Resort (6380 Fallsview Blvd., 888/325-5788, www.fallsviewcasinoresort.com, $269-349 d) feels like a small city. The lobby, with its art deco-style ceiling, checkerboard floor, and Doric columns, channels the French belle epoque, while the 374 guest rooms are sparer, perhaps to avoid competing with the views of the falls from most rooms. There’s an indoor pool, a spa, a collection of shops and boutiques, 16 restaurants and fast-food outlets, and the casino itself, Canada’s largest gaming facility. The 1,500-seat theater hosts concerts, comedy shows, and other big-name entertainment.
A good source for guidance about things to do and places to stay in Niagara Falls is Niagara Falls Tourism (905/356-6061 or 800/563-2557, www.niagarafallstourism.com), the city’s visitor and convention bureau.
The Niagara Parks Commission (877/642-7275, www.niagaraparks.com) operates several seasonal information offices that can help you once you’re in town. Their objective is to encourage you to visit Niagara Parks attractions (and sell tickets), but they provide information as well. They open at 9am daily June-August:
• Table Rock Welcome Centre (6650 Niagara Pkwy., near Horseshoe Falls)
• Grand View Marketplace Welcome Centre (outside the Hornblower Niagara Cruises ticket booths)
• Clifton Hill Welcome Centre (Clifton Hill at Falls Ave.)
• Murray Street Welcome Centre (near Queen Victoria Pl.)
• Rapidsview Welcome Centre (south of the falls at the Rapidsview parking lot).
Niagara Parks sells passes—all available online, at the Niagara Parks Welcome Centres, or at any of the included attractions—that offer discounts for various attractions.
The Niagara Falls Adventure Pass Classic (www.niagaraparks.com, Apr.-Nov., adults $65, ages 6-12 $43) includes admission to the Hornblower Niagara Cruises, Journey Behind the Falls, Niagara’s Fury, and the White Water Walk, along with two days’ transportation on the WEGO buses. For the same price, you can choose the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass Nature, which covers admission to Hornblower Niagara Cruises, Whirlpool Aero Car, Floral Showhouse, and Butterfly Conservatory, as well as two days of WEGO rides.
Want to do it all? The Niagara Falls Adventure Pass Plus (www.niagaraparks.com, Apr.-Nov., adults $110, ages 6-12 $79) covers the Hornblower Niagara Cruises, Journey Behind the Falls, Niagara’s Fury, White Water Walk, Whirlpool Aero Car, Floral Showhouse, Butterfly Conservatory, Old Fort Erie, Laura Secord Homestead, McFarland House, and Mackenzie Printery, along with two days’ transportation on the WEGO buses, rides on the incline railway, and a shuttle to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The main commercial airports serving the Niagara region are in Toronto and Buffalo. Niagara Falls has train service from Toronto and Buffalo, with connections to other Canadian and U.S. cities, and you can get there by bus from a variety of destinations as well. By car, it’s about two hours’ drive from Toronto and less than an hour from Buffalo, traffic and border crossings permitting.
If you’re traveling between Niagara and Buffalo or other U.S. points, remember that you must cross an international border. Allow extra time for border formalities, and make sure you have your passport.
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport (YYZ, 6301 Silver Dart Dr., Mississauga, 416/247-7678 or 866/207-1690, www.torontopearson.com) has flights from across Canada, the United States, and overseas. All the chain car rental agencies, and several local rental companies, have offices at Pearson Airport.
The most direct way to travel from Pearson to Niagara Falls is to take the Niagara Air Bus (905/374-8111 or 800/206-7222, www.niagaraairbus.com, 2 hours, one-way $95), a door-to-door airport shuttle. Book online at least three days in advance for a 5 percent discount. Greyhound (800/661-8747, www.greyhound.ca, 1.75 hours, one-way adults $15-28) service between Pearson and the Niagara Transportation Centre (4555 Erie Ave., Niagara Falls) is much less expensive than the Air Bus, as long as your travel schedule aligns with the daily trip. If you’re stopping off in Toronto anyway, there are many more bus and train options to Niagara Falls from downtown Toronto.
Flying from the United States, you may find cheaper flights into Buffalo-Niagara International Airport (BUF, 4200 Genesee St., Buffalo, NY, 716/630-6000, www.buffaloairport.com). All the major North American car rental agencies operate at the Buffalo airport.
The cheapest way to reach Niagara Falls from Buffalo airport is by bus, particularly if you can nab a discount deal on Megabus (866/488-4452, www.megabus.com, 1.25-1.5 hours, one-way $1-11). Greyhound (800/661-8747, www.greyhound.ca, 1.25-2.5 hours, one-way $11-21) also runs regular buses on this route. Both carriers travel to the Niagara Transportation Centre (4555 Erie Ave., Niagara Falls).
Several taxi, shuttle, and limo services offer more frequent, but more expensive, service between Buffalo airport and Niagara Falls. The most economical carrier will depend on the number of people in your party. Check the airport website (www.buffaloairport.com) for additional transportation information.
• Buffalo Airport Express (716/472-8580 or 800/604-1570, www.buffaloairportexpress.com): Scheduled shuttle service to or from major Niagara Falls hotels.
• Buffalo Airport Shuttle (716/685-2550 or 877/750-2550, www.buffaloairportshuttle.com): Scheduled shuttle service to or from major Niagara Falls hotels.
• Buffalo Airport Taxi (716/633-8294 or 800/551-9369, www.buffaloairporttaxi.com, 8am-8pm daily, one-way $65 pp): Scheduled shuttle service to or from major Niagara Falls hotels.
• Niagara Air Bus (905/374-8111 or 800/206-7222, www.niagaraairbus.com, one-way $100 pp, 5 percent discount for 3-day advance online booking): Door-to-door service to or from any Niagara Falls address.
VIA Rail, GO Trains, and Amtrak all provide service to the Niagara Falls Train Station (4267 Bridge St.), which is north of the falls, one block from the Queen Street downtown district. VIA Rail (888/842-7245, www.viarail.ca, 2 hours, one-way adults $25-77, ages 2-11 $13-39) runs one train daily in each direction between Toronto’s Union Station (65 Front St. W.) and Niagara Falls.
From June through early September and on May and October holiday weekends, GO Transit (416/869-3200 or 888/438-6646, www.gotransit.com, Fri.-Sun., two hours, round-trip adults $37.50) runs weekend and holiday train service from Toronto’s Union Station. These seasonal GO trains run as the bike train, with coaches specifically designed to carry bicycles. The rest of the year, you can take the GO train between Toronto and Burlington, then change to a bus between Burlington and Niagara Falls (2.75 hours, one-way adults $19.30, seniors and ages 6-12 $9.65).
Amtrak’s Maple Leaf (800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com) line travels from New York City’s Penn Station to Toronto’s Union Station, stopping in Niagara Falls. The train runs once daily, with major stops at Poughkeepsie, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls (New York) before crossing into Canada. The New York City-Niagara trip (one-way adults $88-121, ages 2-12 $44-77) takes 9.5 hours.
Long-distance buses, including those from Toronto and New York City, arrive at and depart from the Niagara Transportation Centre (4555 Erie Ave., 905/357-2133), across the street from the Niagara Falls Train Station. Megabus (866/488-4452, www.megabus.com) has frequent service between Toronto’s Central Bus Station (610 Bay St.) and Niagara Falls. The trip takes about two hours, and fares can be as low as $1 each way (yes, really), although more typical one-way fares are $14-21. Megabus also travels between Niagara Falls and Hamilton (1.5 hours, one-way $10).
From the United States, Greyhound (www.greyhound.ca, 10-11 hours, one-way adults US$49-78) has several daily buses from New York City to Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls is 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of Toronto. From downtown Toronto, you can take the Gardiner Expressway west to the QEW. Follow the QEW south as it skirts the Lake Ontario shore, then passes Hamilton and St. Catharines. Exit onto Highway 420 east, which will take you into Niagara Falls.
Coming from the United States, Niagara Falls is 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Buffalo, New York. Interstate 190 from Buffalo goes north to the four bridges over the Niagara River, which separates New York from Ontario.
Many tour companies offer one-day excursions from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Prices and services vary widely, from bare-bones backpacker trips to deluxe limousine tours. In general, you’ll save money exploring on your own, but the convenience of a tour may be worth the extra money.
• Niagara Day Tour (905/465-0890, www.niagaradaytour.com, daily Apr.-Oct., Tues., Thurs., Sat.-Sun. Nov.-Mar., adults $79, ages 4-12 $44) runs good-value smaller-group Niagara Falls excursions that include an hour to explore Niagara-on-the-Lake, a wine tasting at Reif Estates Winery (including a sample of their ice wine), and stops at the Floral Clock and the power stations on the Niagara River, before arriving in Niagara Falls, where you’ll have 2.5-3 hours to explore. They pick you up in downtown Toronto at the Strathcona Hotel (60 York St., opposite Union Station) or the DoubleTree by Hilton (108 Chestnut St., near Yonge/Dundas Square) at 8am or 8:30am; you’ll be back in Toronto around 6pm. You can also book the tour with the Hornblower Niagara Cruise included (adults $99, ages 4-12 $59).
• Departing from downtown Toronto hotels between 7:30am and 8am and returning to Toronto between 4:30pm and 5pm, Queen Tour (905/597-6160, www.tourstoniagarafalls.com, adults $89, ages 3-11 $79) includes time to explore Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake; quick stops at the Whirlpool Rapids and a winery; and round-trip transportation from Toronto.
• King Tours (www.kingtours.ca, adults $100) offers a similar day trip, departing slightly later, with hotel pickups between 8am and 9am. You’ll stop in Niagara-on-the-Lake and pass by the Floral Clock, Queenston Heights, and the Whirlpool Aero Car en route to Niagara Falls. The tour includes a winery stop plus 2-3 hours of free time at the falls. You’ll be back in Toronto by 7pm. They offer a package with a Hornblower Niagara cruise (adults $120), too.
• GrayLine Tours (www.grayline.ca, adults $169, seniors $153, ages 5-11 $108) runs daily 9.5-hour trips from Toronto that include a buffet lunch, a Hornblower Niagara boat tour, and stops at the Whirlpool Rapids, the Floral Clock, and a winery. Their “Freedom Tour” (adults $136, seniors $119, ages 5-11 $87) includes the same stops without meals. Both include return transportation from many Toronto hotels, departing around 10am.
You can easily walk along the river near the falls, between Table Rock and the Hornblower Niagara cruise docks, and up to Clifton Hill, where many hotels are located. You can also walk between Horseshoe Falls and the Fallsview hotel district, although it’s a fairly steep climb up the hill. Cycling is another good option; you can pedal the 56-kilometer (35-mile) Niagara River Recreation Trail between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie.
Operated by the City of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Parks Commission, the WEGO bus (www.wegoniagarafalls.com, check the website for seasonal hours, 24-hour/48-hour pass adults $8/12.50, ages 6-12 $5/9) is a convenient year-round shuttle bus. Its several useful routes converge at the Table Rock Welcome Centre and transport you around Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls Adventure Pass (www.niagaraparks.com) includes two free days of WEGO bus rides.
The WEGO Green Line travels along the Niagara Parkway, stopping at all the major Niagara Parks attractions, as well as the bus and train station downtown. If you’ve driven to the falls area, you can park your car in any of the Niagara Parks day lots ($30/day) and catch the WEGO bus to the falls and other points of interest.
The Blue Line loops through the Fallsview and Clifton Hill districts, while the Red Line runs through Clifton Hill and continues out along Ferry Street and Lundy’s Lane—handy if you’d like to visit the Niagara Falls History Museum or if you’re staying at a Lundy’s Lane hotel.
Daunted by the steep hill between the Fallsview district and the falls themselves? The Falls Incline Railway (www.niagaraparks.com, ages 6 and over one-way $2.75, all-day pass $7) transports passengers up and down the 30-meter (100-foot) embankment between the Table Rock Welcome Centre and Fallsview Boulevard, near the Fallsview Casino and the Skylon Tower. The ride is quick—about one minute—but you overlook Horseshoe Falls along the way.
Parking near the falls is quite limited. If you can leave the car at home or at least at your hotel, you’ll save yourself some parking hassles. There is free, seasonal parking at Queenston Heights Park (14184 Niagara Pkwy.) and at the Whirlpool Aero Car (3850 Niagara Pkwy.), which are both north of the falls, on the WEGO bus route. You can purchase an annual parking pass for Niagara Glen (3050 Niagara Pkwy.) or the Butterfly Conservatory (2565 Niagara Pkwy.), also on the WEGO route, for $15.
Parking passes valid at other Niagara Parks lots, including Rapidsview Parking Lot (7651 Niagara Pkwy.), Queen Victoria Place (6349 Niagara Pkwy.), and the Falls Lot (6635 Niagara Pkwy.) directly behind Horseshoe Falls, are $30/day; a pass good for a full year is $55. The Niagara Parks website (www.niagaraparks.com) has more details about parking locations.
When driving around the falls, watch out for pedestrians. Many become captivated by the waterfalls and thus completely oblivious to traffic.
It lasts only 12 minutes, but a Niagara Helicopters Flightseeing Tour (3731 Victoria Ave., 905/357-5672, www.niagarahelicopters.com, 9am-sunset daily, adults $144, couples $280, kids $89) is an exciting way to see the falls from a different perspective. Aboard a six-passenger Bell 407 helicopter, your flight path takes you along the Niagara River, over the Whirlpool, past the American Falls, and around Horseshoe Falls; their semicircular horseshoe shape is most apparent from the air. You don headphones to listen to narration about the sights along the way.
A helicopter tour is an exciting way to see the falls.
Thirteen kilometers (8 miles) north of Niagara Falls and 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) south of downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake, the quiet village of Queenston houses several historic sites.
British and Canadian troops clashed with the American invaders in the Battle of Queenston Heights, one of the early skirmishes of the War of 1812 fought on Niagara soil. Through the British won the battle, the British commander, Major General Isaac Brock, was killed.
The battle site is now the Queenston Heights Park (www.niagaraparks.com), with gardens and picnic tables, as well as Brock’s Monument, a national historic site honoring the fallen British military leader. Parks Canada runs interpretive programs (905/468-4257, www.pc.gc.ca, 10am-5pm daily May-Aug., 11am-4pm Mon.-Fri. and 10am-5pm Sat.-Sun. Sept.-mid-Oct., adults $4.50, ages 6-16 $3.50) at the monument, or you can follow a self-guided tour.
In 1824, political reformer and journalist William Lyon Mackenzie (1795-1861) began publishing a newspaper, the Colonial Advocate, in this Queenston house. This ivy-covered stone building, which dates to the late 1700s, is now the Mackenzie Printery and Newspaper Museum (1 Queenston St., 905/262-5676, www.niagaraparks.com or www.mackenzieprintery.org, 10am-5pm daily mid-May-early Sept., 11am-5pm Sat.-Sun. early-Sept.-Oct., adults $6.25, ages 6-12 $4.05). Exhibits are devoted to Mackenzie’s life and work, the early history of the Niagara-York (now Toronto) region, and the development of printing technology from the 18th century to the present. The museum also houses Canada’s oldest printing press, a wooden device built in Britain in 1760, which was used to print Ontario’s first newspaper, the Upper Canada Gazette, in 1793.
Guided tours run 30-45 minutes and include plenty of hands-on activities. You can set your name in movable type—and learn how hard it was to be a printer’s apprentice. The printery is 13.3 kilometers (8.3 miles) north of Horseshoe Falls.
During the War of 1812, Laura Ingersoll Secord and her husband, James, were ordered to billet several American soldiers in their Queenston home. One night, they overheard the American officers planning an attack on British forces at nearby Beaverdams. Since James had been wounded several months earlier during the Battle of Queenston Heights, Laura decided that she would go warn the British commander, based near Thorold, of the impending American assault. Her 32-kilometer (20-mile) journey on foot through the dense woods took 18 hours. As a result of Secord’s information, the British set up an ambush and defeated the Americans in the Battle of Beaverdams on June 24, 1813.
Laura Secord, “Canada’s Paul Revere,” is buried in Lundy’s Lane Battleground Cemetery.
Secord is often called “Canada’s Paul Revere,” after the man who made a similar journey during the American Revolution to warn that British troops were on the move from Boston. The home where she and her husband lived, the Laura Secord Homestead (29 Queenston St., 905/262-4851, www.niagaraparks.com, 10am-5pm daily mid-May-early Sept., 11am-5pm Sat.-Sun. early Sept.-Oct., adults $9.70, ages 6-12 $6.30) is now a museum, where guides in period dress lead 30-minute tours, providing information about Secord’s life and times. Also on the property is the gothic-style Queenston Chapel, a Methodist church built in the 1860s and subsequently moved to the Secord Homestead site.
The homestead is 13.3 kilometers (8.3 miles) north of Horseshoe Falls, a short walk from the Mackenzie Printery.
In 1764, at the Niagara Peninsula’s southeastern point, a short hop across the river to the New York shore, the British built their first fort in Ontario. The fort became a base for an alliance of British, Loyalist, and Iroquois soldiers during the American Revolution (1775-1783), but it took its place in history during the War of 1812 when it became Canada’s bloodiest battlefield. During the six-week Siege of Fort Erie in 1814, more than 3,000 troops were killed or wounded. Later that year, as American troops were withdrawing to Buffalo, they destroyed what remained of the fort.
It wasn’t until the 1930s that Old Fort Erie (350 Lakeshore Rd., Fort Erie, 905/871-0540, www.niagaraparks.com, 10am-5pm daily mid-May-early Sept., 10am-4pm Mon.-Fri. and 10am-5pm Sat.-Sun. early-Sept.-Oct., adults $12.50, ages 6-12 $8.15) was restored and opened to the public. You can tour the fort, wandering into the soldiers’ barracks, officers’ quarters, kitchens, and other buildings, where costumed staff tell you about the history of the fort and the region.
Old Fort Erie is 19 kilometers (12 miles) south of Niagara Falls. It’s a pretty drive along the Niagara Parkway, although it’s a bit faster to take the QEW. Parking at the fort is free.
Although it’s just 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) up the road from Niagara Falls, the small town of Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) feels like it’s on a different planet. While the city of Niagara Falls teeters between brash, honky-tonk, and naturally spectacular, NOTL is more reserved, with a cute main street, historical attractions that date primarily from the War of 1812, a peaceful lakeshore, and dozens of B&Bs. The town’s main attractions are theater and wine. It’s home to the highly regarded Shaw Festival, as well as more than two dozen wineries.
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s historic downtown centers on Queen Street, bounded by Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. The village of Virgil, along Niagara Stone Road (Highway 55), is the commercial hub, while the more rural village of St. Davids to the south is where you’ll find several of the wineries.
“You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’”
Perhaps Shaw Festival founder Brian Doherty had these words from George Bernard Shaw’s 1921 play Back to Methuselah in mind when he conceived the idea of a summer festival devoted to Shaw’s work. Whatever his inspiration, Doherty, a lawyer, playwright, and Shaw fan, launched the Shaw Festival (10 Queen’s Parade, 905/468-2172 or 800/511-7429, www.shawfest.com, Apr.-Oct.) in the summer of 1962, when he produced eight performances of Shaw’s Don Juan in Hell and Candida.
Author George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) had no connection to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1856, he wrote 63 plays, five novels, numerous essays, and more than 250,000 letters during his 94-year life, most of which he lived in England. The festival’s original mandate was to perform plays by Shaw and his contemporaries, who include Chekhov and Tennessee Williams. More recently, directors have expanded this mission to include plays about the period when Shaw lived, as well as works by contemporary playwrights who are controversial or political in the same way that Shaw was during his lifetime.
The Shaw Festival operates as a repertory theater, with plays running simultaneously on three stages. The festival company typically includes 65-70 actors per season, many of whom return year after year—as do many patrons.
The festival typically announces the lineup for its upcoming season at the end of the previous summer. You can order tickets (adults $35-117) online, by phone, or in person at any of the festival theaters.
You can save money on tickets by attending discounted preview performances before a play’s official opening, as well as Sunday-evening shows. Discounted tickets are available at certain performances for students ($25), patrons under age 30 ($30-40), and seniors (from $48). Families can purchase a youth ticket (under age 18) for $29 with each regular adult ticket.
The Shaw Festival stages its productions at three theaters in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Its flagship venue is the 856-seat Festival Theatre (10 Queen’s Parade), which opened in 1973 on the east end of downtown. The building also houses the 200-seat Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. Parking in the Festival Theatre lot costs $15 during performances.
The festival’s other stage is the 304-seat Royal George Theatre (85 Queen St.), a former vaudeville house on NOTL’s main street. The closest parking is on the surrounding streets.
For a fascinating behind-the-scenes experience, take the hour-long backstage tour (11am Sat. and 10am Sun. Apr.-May; 11am Tues.-Wed. and Sat., 10am Sun. June-Oct., $10) of the Festival Theatre. You’ll learn about the festival’s history; visit the rehearsal hall (staff estimate that actors rehearse one hour for each minute they spend on stage); tour the dressing rooms; walk through the wardrobe shop, which occupies a staff of 40 (nearly three-quarters of the costumes used on stage are new every year); and find out more about set design and construction. Tours are only $5 if you also purchase a ticket to a performance.
The festival offers a variety of talks, readings, and special events throughout the season. Look for the following events, and get more information about these and other activities at www.shawfest.com:
• Pre-show Chat: Before many evening performances at the Festival Theatre, a company member hosts a free introduction to the play at 7:30pm (6:30pm on Sundays) mid-May to early September.
• Continue the Conversation: After select matinees, join a free moderated discussion about the afternoon’s production.
• Tuesday Q & A: Following most Tuesday-evening performances, you can stay for a free question-and-answer session with company members.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Niagara-on-the Lake has more than two dozen wineries along Highway 55 (Niagara Stone Rd.); on York Road in St. Davids, toward Queenston; along the Niagara River Parkway and the concessions (rural roads) parallel to the parkway; and on Lakeshore Road skirting Lake Ontario.
Most NOTL wineries are open year-round and charge a small fee ($2-5) for tastings; if you purchase wine, you may get credit for your tasting fee. Larger wineries offer regularly scheduled tours, but smaller facilities may offer tours only by appointment or not at all. The Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake (www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com) has more details about the region’s winemakers and a downloadable touring map.
If you want to leave the driving to someone else (a good idea if you’re drinking), or combine cycling and wine touring, consider these winery day tours:
• Crush on Niagara Wine Tours (905/562-3373 or 866/408-9463, www.crushtours.com, $99-139)
• Grape Escape Wine Tours (905/468-9959 or 866/935-4445, www.tourniagarawineries.com, $64-144)
• Niagara Getaway Wine Tours (905/933-4384, www.niagaragetaways.com, $69-139)
• Niagara Wine Tours International (905/468-1300 or 800/680-7006, www.niagaraworldwinetours.com, $65-139).
The Niagara College Teaching Winery is Canada’s only licensed teaching winery, where students study winemaking, viticulture, and marketing and staff a working winery on 15 hectares (38 acres) of vineyards. Stop into the college-run Wine Visitor and Education Centre (135 Taylor Rd., 905/641-2252, www.niagaracollegewine.ca, 10am-6pm daily May-Oct., 11am-5pm Sun.-Fri., 10am-5pm Sat. Nov.-Apr.) for information about area wineries and tastings of the college’s wines, including the reserve wines known as the Dean’s List. As this book went to press, the college was constructing a Teaching Distillery next door; check the college website (www.niagaracollege.ca) for updates.
Wine makes the “Dean’s List” at the Niagara College Teaching Winery.
The tasting room at family-owned Ravine Estates Winery (1366 York Rd., St. Davids, 905/262-8463, www.ravinevineyard.com, 11am-6pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-8pm Fri.-Sat.) is in a historic clapboard home built in the early 1800s. They make merlot, cabernet franc, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc, among others, and offer several types of tours. Stop here if you’re hungry; they run a market-inspired bistro and a summertime pizza patio.
You can’t miss the striking azure wall—200 meters (650 feet) long and 3 meters (10 feet) high—that slices across the fields at Southbrook Vineyards (581 Niagara Stone Rd., 905/641-2548 or 888/581-1581, www.southbrook.com, 10am-6pm daily mid-May-mid-Oct., 11am-5pm daily mid-Oct.-mid-May), marking the entrance to Canada’s first certified biodynamic winery. Inside, you can sample wines in the sleek glass-walled tasting pavilion; they’re known for chardonnays and cabernet-merlot blends. Tours of the vineyards and winery are offered on weekends; call or check the website for a schedule. The farm-to-table Vineyard Bistro (noon-5pm Fri.-Sun. late May-mid-Oct., $8-16) serves pizzas outside on the patio.
With a marble bar, library-style shelves lined with wines, and views across the fields, the tasting room at Stratus Vineyards (2059 Niagara Stone Rd., 905/468-1806, www.stratuswines.com, 11am-5pm daily) feels like a luxurious lounge, rather than a muddy-boots winery. Tasting flights of four wines ($10) are served in crystal stemware, and special events, including cheese tastings, concerts, and upscale picnics, take place throughout the season. Their signature wines are blends, labeled simply Stratus White and Status Red. It’s also the first winery in the world to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a green-building stamp of approval.
Best known for chardonnay, riesling, and ice wine, the winery in a grand château at Peller Estates Winery (290 John St. E., 905/468-4678 or 888/673-5537, www.peller.com, 10am-9pm Mon.-Thurs., 9am-10pm Fri.-Sun. June-Sept., 10am-7pm Sun.-Thurs., 10am-9pm Fri.-Sat. Oct.-May) produces several lines of wines, from the affordable Family Series to the mid-priced Private Reserve and the high-end Signature Series. They offer multiple options for tastings and tours, and their restaurant is one of the area’s most deluxe.
Opened in 1982, the German-style Reif Estates Winery (15608 Niagara Pkwy., 905/468-7738, www.reifwinery.com, tastings 10am-6pm daily Apr.-Oct., 10am-5pm daily Nov.-Mar., tours 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm daily Apr.-Oct., Sat.-Sun. Nov.-Mar., $5) specializes in gewürztraminer and riesling, but they also make chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet merlot, cabernet franc, and other wines. In addition to the standard tastings, you can book a variety of special options, including a blind tasting of either a red or white flight ($20). In good weather, graze on grilled pizzas or sample wine gelato in their Wine Sensory Garden.
On a hot summer afternoon, the sign for “ice wine slushies” may lure you down the lane to The Ice House (14774 Niagara Pkwy., 905/262-6852, www.theicehouse.ca, 10:30am-7pm daily June-Oct., 11am-5:30pm daily Nov.-May.), a small producer of, yes, ice wine. They make several ice wine varieties: white vidal, riesling, and a more unusual cabernet sauvignon. Sample them in their tasting room as you learn more about how ice wine is made. If only every slushie shop could make their chilled treats with ice wine!
In a bright red barn, the beer masters at Oast House Brewers (2017 Niagara Stone Rd., 289/868-9627, www.oasthousebrewers.com, 10am-5pm Sun.-Thurs., 10am till late Fri., 10am-7pm Sat., tours 11:30am and 3:30pm Sat.-Sun., $10) specialize in farmhouse ales, including saison, biere de mars, and other brews that age in the bottle. They concoct lots of seasonal beers, though their signature Barnraiser pale ale is always available. You can have a taster or a pint on the patio out back; on Friday nights year-round, the brewery hosts live music. The 45-minute weekend brewery tours wrap up with samples.
Oast House Brewers specialize in farmhouse ales.
The Niagara College Teaching Brewery (135 Taylor Rd., 905/641-2252, ext. 4099, www.ncteachingbrewery.ca) is Canada’s first teaching brewery—a two-year program where students learn all aspects of the beer business. Sample the students’ brews in the campus retail shop (10am-6pm daily May-Oct., 11am-5pm Sun.-Fri., 10am-5pm Sat. Nov.-Apr.).
Stop into the Niagara Historical Society Museum (43 Castlereagh St., 905/468-3912, www.niagarahistorical.museum, 10am-5pm daily May-Oct., 1pm-5pm daily Nov.-Apr., adults $5, seniors $3, students $2, kids $1) to learn more about the history of the Niagara region. Housed in the first building in Ontario built specifically as a museum (the original structure dates to 1907), the exhibits here trace Niagara’s history from the early aboriginal communities to the founding of Upper Canada through the War of 1812 and into the present day.
A pharmacy that operated on the town’s main street for more than 140 years, the Niagara Apothecary Museum (5 Queen St., 905/468-3845, www.niagaraapothecary.ca, noon-6pm daily mid-May-June and Sept.-mid-Oct., noon-6pm Mon.-Fri. and 11am-6pm Sat.-Sun. July-Aug., donation) is still filled with many of its original medicine jars and bottles.
One of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s oldest buildings, McFarland House (15927 Niagara Pkwy., www.niagaraparks.com, noon-5pm daily mid-May-early Sept., noon-5pm Sat.-Sun. early Sept.-Oct., adults $6.25, ages 6-12 $4.05) is also one of the town’s few structures to have survived the War of 1812. Scottish immigrant John McFarland settled here when the British crown granted him 246 hectares (608 acres) of land to reward his services as a boatbuilder to King George III. McFarland and his descendants lived in this 1800 Georgian-style house for more than 140 years. As you tour the restored home, you can learn more about life in the area from 1800 to 1830. Afternoon tea is served in the garden in summer.
The small gallery in the Niagara Pumphouse Art Centre (247 Ricardo St., 905/468-5455, www.niagarapumphouse.ca, 11am-4pm Tues.-Sun. Apr.-Dec., free) shows work by local artists. It’s worth a look at the building itself, a Victorian structure overlooking the Niagara River that supplied the town’s water from 1891 to 1983.
Between 1796 and 1799, British troops built a fort to protect the Niagara River—an important supply route to the Great Lakes—as well as the growing town of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake). When the Americans attacked the Niagara region during the War of 1812, U.S. troops bombed Fort George and forced the British to withdraw in May 1813. The Americans occupied Fort George until December 1813, when the British forced them to retreat to Fort Niagara, on what is now the New York side of the river. British troops once again took control of Fort George and held it through the duration of the war. By the 1820s, however, the British had built a new stronghold nearby at Fort Mississauga (on the grounds of what is now the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club), and Fort George was abandoned.
staff dressed as 19th-century soldiers at Fort George
Today, at the Fort George National Historic Site (51 Queens Parade, 905/468-6614, www.pc.gc.ca or www.friendsoffortgeorge.ca, 10am-5pm daily May-Oct., 10am-5pm Sat.-Sun. Apr. and Nov., noon-4pm Sat.-Sun. Dec.-Mar., adults $11.70, seniors $10.05, parking $6), visitors can tour the restored fort’s buildings and grounds, including two blockhouses that served as soldiers’ quarters, the 1796 powder magazine (the only structure to survive the War of 1812), the officers’ quarters, and the kitchen, where costumed guides often cook snacks for visitors on the open hearth. Guides staff many of the buildings and can tell you about the history of the period. Fife and drum corps periodically perform, and staff demonstrate how to operate muskets like those used during the War of 1812.
Parks Canada guides lead three-hour electronic scooter tours (9am Fri.-Sun. June-Aug., Sat. Sept., $39 pp) that start by buzzing around the town’s historic sites before you tour the fort itself. For more details or to book, contact the fort or eSkoot Niagara (289/271-0663, www.eskoot.com).
The Shaw Festival (10 Queen’s Parade, 905/468-2172 or 800/511-7429, www.shawfest.com) is obviously the main entertainment in town. Even outside the regular April-to-October season, the festival hosts films, holiday performances, and other special events. They post a detailed event calendar on their website.
Music Niagara (905/468-5566 or 800/511-7429, www.musicniagara.org, mid-July-mid-Aug., $25-50) is a long-running summer festival of classical, jazz, blues, and choral music concerts at wineries, churches, parks, and other venues around town.
Queen Street is downtown’s main shopping street, lined with boutiques, galleries, and restaurants, most designed for visitors. Outside downtown, midway between the QEW and the historic district, Niagara Stone Road (Hwy. 55) is the region’s commercial hub.
For Shaw books and other memorabilia, visit Bernard’s (10 Queen’s Parade, 905/468-2172 or 800/511-7429, 9am-8pm daily May-Oct., 9am-6pm daily Nov., 9am-5pm Mon.-Sat. Dec., 9am-6pm Mon.-Sat. Jan.-Apr.), the gift shop in the Festival Theatre lobby.
Husband-and-wife team Robert and Melissa Achal founded the NEOB Lavender Boutique (758 Niagara Stone Rd., 905/682-0171, www.neoblavender.com, 10am-6pm daily), and they readily share their passion for their 8,000 lavender plants and other flowers and herbs. They’ve stocked their shop with oils, lotions, and other body products, as well as lavender cookies and even lavender-scented coffee. Tours of the fields and greenhouse ($5) are offered on the hour from 11am to 3pm May-October.
Banana Republic, Forever 21, J. Crew, Lululemon Athletica, and Kate Spade are among the discounted brand names sold at the large Outlet Collection at Niagara (300 Taylor Rd., 905/687-6777, www.outletcollectionatniagara.com, 10am-9pm Mon.-Sat., 10am-6pm Sun.), just off the QEW.
Both walkers and cyclists enjoy the 56-kilometer (35-mile) Niagara River Recreation Trail, which begins in Niagara-on-the-Lake and follows the Niagara River south to Niagara Falls and on to Fort Erie. You can rent bicycles from Zoom Leisure Bikes (431 Mississauga St., 905/468-2366 or 866/811-6993, www.zoomleisure.com, 8:30am-7pm daily Apr.-Oct., half-day $20, full-day $30). They also manage Zoom BikeShare (905/468-3401, www.zoombikeshare.com, $5/hour), a bike-sharing program that enables you to pick up and return a bike at locations throughout Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. They offer several cycling tours, too, including a 3.5-hour winery tour ($69) that visits several local wineries, a craft beer and wine tour ($79), and a picnic wine tour ($90).
Tour company Niagara Wine Tours International (443 Butler St., 905/468-1300, www.niagaraworldwinetours.com, 9:30am-8pm daily, $12/hour, half day $20, full day $30) rents bikes as well.
eSkoot Niagara (477 Mississauga St., 289/271-0663, www.eskoot.com, daily May-Oct., three hours $39-59 pp, full day $69-79 pp) rents electric scooters that you can use to explore the area. You must know how to ride a bike and be at least 18 years old (or 16 if an adult family member accompanies you).
Contact Niagara Kayak Rentals (1511 Niagara Stone Rd., 905/328-1048, www.niagarakayak.com) to get out on the water. They offer several kayaking options, including a two-hour paddle along Lake Ontario (single $50, double $85) or a two-hour paddle in the Niagara River from Queenston Heights to NOTL (single $80, double $140).
Visiting in winter? You can go ice-skating on the grounds of Fort George National Historic Site at the Vintage Parks Canada Ice Rink (51 Queens Parade, 905/468-6614, www.pc.gc.ca, 1pm-4pm and 5pm-8pm Mon.-Thurs., 2pm-5pm and 6pm-9pm Fri., 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm, and 6pm-9pm Sat., 10am-1pm and 2pm-4pm Sun. Dec.-Mar. weather permitting). Skate rentals are available at the concession stand on evenings and weekends (5pm-9pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-9pm Sat., and 10am-4pm Sun.).
Queen Street downtown is lined with places to eat, although you’ll often find better value in other parts of town. Several wineries have excellent restaurants, too.
Benchmark (135 Taylor Rd., 905/641-2252, ext. 4619, www.ncbenchmark.ca, 11:30am-2pm Tues.-Thurs., 11:30am-2pm and 5pm-9pm Fri.-Sat., $17-28), the student-run restaurant at Niagara College, is teaching its pupils about local, seasonal cuisine. Your locally grown greens might come with an Ontario cider vinaigrette, and the duck, glazed with college-made honey, may have been raised nearby. The wine list draws from the college’s own labels and other Niagara producers. Reservations are required. For a lighter bite, stop into Bench to Go (8:30am-2pm Mon.-Fri. June-Aug., 8am-3:30pm Mon.-Fri. Sept.-May, $4-8), which sells good-value salads, sandwiches, and a daily hot dish, plus pastries and coffee.
Ignore the setting in the nondescript strip mall. At Backhouse (242 Mary St., 289/272-1242, www.backhouse.xyz, 5pm-9pm Wed.-Thurs, 5pm-10pm Fri., 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-10pm Sat., 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-9pm Sun., $16-32), the creative “cool climate” cuisine shines, in dishes like wood-fired cauliflower with Ontario peanuts, locally raised duck with celeriac mousse, and trout in an oyster mushroom-pinot noir jus. You can select tasting menus at both lunch ($49) and dinner ($69-99), with optional wine pairings.
Even if it weren’t conveniently sited opposite the Festival Theatre, it would be worth dining at Zees (Shaw Club Hotel, 92 Picton St., 905/468-5715, www.niagarasfinest.com/restaurants/zees, 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-8:30pm Sun.-Thurs., 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-9pm Fri.-Sat. May-Nov, 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-8:30pm Sun., 5pm-8:30pm Mon.-Thurs., 5pm-9pm Fri., 11:30am-2:30pm and 5pm-9pm Sat. Dec.-Apr., lunch $15-24, dinner $18-36) for its comfortable ambience and solicitous service. The just-imaginative-enough plates might range from a salad of roasted and pickled beets with local goat cheese to a turkey sandwich with cranberry aioli at midday, or salmon croquettes with fire-roasted peppers, root beer-braised short ribs, or seafood pappardelle in the evening.
Overlooking Lake Ontario, the pretty Tiara (Queen’s Landing Hotel, 155 Byron St., 905/468-2195 or 888/669-5566, www.vintage-hotels.com, 11am-2pm and 5pm-9pm Mon.-Sat., 11:30am-2pm and 5pm-9pm Sun., brunch prix fixe $34, lunch $16-21, dinner $34-49) sparkles for its views. The midday menu includes salads, sharing plates like a goat cheese fondue, and interesting sandwiches, like the “antipasto panini,” filled with prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, and charred vegetables. Dinner is more formal, with entrées like braised rabbit with mushrooms and polenta or house-made linguini with seafood and vermouth cream. Tiara is also popular for a refined Sunday brunch.
An early promoter of local food in the Niagara region, classy Treadwell Farm-to-Table Cuisine (114 Queen St., 905/934-9797, www.treadwellcuisine.com, 11:30am-2:15pm and 5pm-10pm daily spring-summer, call for off-season hours, lunch $21-26, dinner $35-40) continues to feature regional products in dishes like a salad of seared wild mushrooms topped with a crispy poached egg or Ontario rainbow trout with potato rösti and kale. The wine list highlights Ontario labels, they serve several Ontario ciders, and the beers are mostly Ontario craft brews. Reserve in advance for this dining destination.
Bison carpaccio with a cured egg yolk. Black truffle linguini with ice wine-poached lobster. These are just some of the imaginative, locally focused dishes you might find at Peller Estates Winery Restaurant (290 John St. E., 905/468-6519 or 888/673-5537, ext. 2, www.peller.com, noon-3pm and 5:30pm-8:30pm Sun.-Thurs., noon-3pm and 5pm-9pm Fri.-Sat., lunch $25-45, dinner prix fixe $95), a splurge-worthy dining room in the winery’s grand château. At lunch, you can order a la carte or choose a tasting menu (4 courses $65, 5 courses $75, with optional wine pairings). At dinner, the chef serves a lavish five-course fixed menu.
Set amid the vines at the Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery, casual-chic Ravine Vineyard Bistro (1366 York Rd., St. Davids, 905/262-8463, www.ravinevineyard.com, noon-8:30pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-8:30pm Sat.-Sun., $15-36) serves modern bistro fare with Niagara ingredients. Look for dishes like a salad of raw, pickled, and poached Niagara pears with spinach and smoked almonds, a burger topped with house-smoked bacon and aged cheddar, or slow-roasted Ontario pork with cider-stewed vegetables.
Amid the scones and croissants that lure morning lingerers, and the gorgeous-looking cakes and tarts (including mini ones, just right for a picnic), Willow Cakes and Pastries (242 Mary St., 905/468-2745, www.willowcakes.ca, 7am-7pm daily July-Aug., 8am-6pm daily Sept.-June), a petite café just outside downtown, bakes quiche, pork pies, and other savory dishes for a light lunch.
Sandwiches, tacos, and creative pizzas are all fine choices at the country-style Pie Plate Bakery and Café (1516 Niagara Stone Rd., Virgil, 905/468-9743, www.thepieplate.com, 11am-7pm Tues.-Thurs., 11am-9pm Fri.-Sat., 11am-7pm Sun.; call or check the website for off-season hours, $6-18), but remember, you’re here for the pie: strawberry in June-July, blueberry June-September, peach July-September, and pumpkin in the fall. Whole pies will feed the family; you can eat the individual mini pies right now.
Italian-style ice cream parlor S Il Gelato di Carlotta (59 Queen St., 905/468-8999, www.gelatodicarlotta.com, 11am-10pm Mon., 11am-11:30pm Tues.-Sun. mid-Apr.-mid-Oct; call or check the website for off-season hours) lures crowds with its frozen treats. The signature flavor is Crema di Carlotta, a citrus cream, though the rich dark chocolate is pretty irresistible. There is a Niagara Falls branch in the Fallsview Casino (6380 Fallsview Blvd., 905/356-8999, 10am-10pm Sun.-Thurs., 10am-midnight Fri.-Sat.).
Produce, prepared foods, and baked goods are available at the Farmers Market at the Village (111 Garrison Village Dr., www.farmersmarketatthevillage.ca, 8am-1pm Sat. late May-mid-Oct.), off Niagara Stone Road (Hwy. 55). The Fruit Shack (1267 Niagara Stone Rd., 905/468-9821, www.thefruitshack.com, 9am-6pm daily mid-June-mid-Oct., 9am-6pm Thurs., 9am-5pm Fri.-Sat. mid-Oct.-June) sells local produce, meats, and homemade baked goods. The butter tarts are particularly delicious.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce (www.niagaraonthelake.com) can book rooms for you at more than 200 area lodgings. Search for lodging availability and prices on their website. For bed-and-breakfast listings and bookings, contact the Niagara-on-the-Lake Bed-and-Breakfast Association (905/468-0123, www.niagarabedandbreakfasts.com). For summer weekend stays, particularly at the smaller B&Bs, book well in advance.
Owners Donna and Fernando Vieira are avid travelers, so it’s no surprise that they’ve filled Globetrotters Bed & Breakfast (642 Simcoe St., 905/468-4021 or 866/835-4446, www.globetrottersbb.ca, $140-160), a guesthouse on a suburban cul-de-sac, with original art and mementos from their journeys. Draped with colorful sheer curtains, the Sultan’s Tent suite feels seductive, although its attached twin-bed room could accommodate a family or friends. The compact Crystal Palace room, on the main floor, has bright blue walls and a hand-painted headboard. Rates include a full breakfast, Wi-Fi, and parking.
A short walk from Queen Street and the theaters, the Copper Dreams Bed & Breakfast (28 Johnson St., 905/468-7097, www.copperdreams.ca, $210-230 d) was built in the 1870s to house military officers and their families. You won’t feel confined to your quarters in the three updated guest rooms, each with a queen bed, fireplace, and modern bath. The largest, the Newark Room, has a soaker tub for two. A multicourse breakfast, Wi-Fi, and parking are included in the rates.
Built in the 1860s as a summer “cottage,” the stately S Grand Victorian Bed & Breakfast (15618 Niagara Pkwy., 905/468-0997, www.grandvictorian.ca, $210-270 d) has a large wraparound porch and regal architectural details—12-foot ceilings, original woodwork, stained glass windows, and numerous fireplaces. The six guest rooms have four-poster or canopy beds, antique wardrobes, and other period details; one has a private sundeck. Rates include Wi-Fi. You can arrange a tour and tasting at Reif Estates Winery next door or play tennis on the courts out back—if you can rouse yourself from that fantastic porch.
The owners of S Brockamour Manor (433 King St., 905/468-5527, www.brockamour.com, $229-289 d) serve elaborate breakfasts that will start your day right, as you trade travel tips and theater reviews with fellow guests. Wander into the billiards room to work off your meal with a round of pool or lounge over the newspaper. The six guest rooms are spacious, with classic furnishings and modern touches like gas fireplaces, DVD players, and Wi-Fi.
Comprising several buildings in the historic district, 124 on Queen (124 Queen St., 905/468-4552 or 855/988-4552, www.124queen.com, $300-580 d) is a plush place to lay your head. The least expensive rooms have a king or queen bed with a flat-screen TV, Keurig coffeemaker, and mini fridge; up the price scale, added amenities include fireplaces and kitchenettes. The one- and two-bedroom villas ($440-890) have full kitchens and laundry facilities. You can work out in the small fitness room 24-7, and the spa offers massages and facials. Room rates include Wi-Fi, unlimited local phone calls, parking, and a local shuttle service.
Queen’s Landing (155 Byron St., 905/468-2195 or 888/669-5566, www.vintage-hotels.com, $280-560 d), a majestic Georgian-style brick inn that looks like it’s been on the lakeshore for generations, was actually built in 1990. While the furnishings are classic, it doesn’t have the creakiness of an old-fashioned hotel. Some of the 140 rooms have fireplaces or jetted tubs; the best have views over Lake Ontario. There’s also an indoor pool. The hotel hosts lots of business events, but you won’t be out of place on a weekend escape.
Built in 1864, the refined S Prince of Wales Hotel (6 Picton St., 905/468-3246 or 888/669-5566, www.vintage-hotels.com, $300-560 d) wows with its elaborately decorated public spaces, from the lobby’s ornate inlaid wood floor to the classic drawing room, where afternoon tea is served daily. There is an indoor pool and the Secret Garden spa. The decor varies in the 110 traditionally appointed guest rooms; some have antique four-poster beds, Tiffany lamps, or fireplaces, but all have modern amenities, from rain showers to heated towel racks. The location couldn’t be better, right in the town center.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce (26 Queen St., 905/468-1950, www.niagaraonthelake.com, 10am-6pm daily May-Oct., 10am-5pm daily Nov.-Apr.) runs a visitors center downtown on the lower level of the courthouse. They can also help you find a place to stay.
On the grounds of Strewn Winery, the Wine Country Cooking School (1339 Lakeshore Rd., 905/468-1229, www.winecountrycooking.com, mid-Jan.-Nov.) offers recreational cooking classes on Saturdays. Most classes, in which you cook and eat a seasonal meal with wine pairings, are taught 10am-3pm, but evening classes (4pm-9pm) are available. Call or check their website for a detailed schedule.
Niagara-on-the-Lake is on the northeast tip of the Niagara Peninsula, bordering Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. It’s 135 kilometers (85 miles) southeast of Toronto and 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) north of Niagara Falls.
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport (YYZ, 6301 Silver Dart Dr., Mississauga, 416/247-7678 or 866/207-1690, www.torontopearson.com) and Buffalo-Niagara International Airport (BUF, 4200 Genesee St., Buffalo, NY, 716/630-6000, www.buffaloairport.com) are the commercial airports closest to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Niagara Air Bus (905/374-8111 or 800/206-7222, www.niagaraairbus.com), a door-to-door airport shuttle, can take you from either Pearson (one-way $109) or Buffalo (one-way $96) to Niagara-on-the-Lake; book online at least three days in advance for a 5 percent discount.
Niagara-on-the-Lake does not have direct train service, but on summer weekends, GO Transit (416/869-3200 or 888/438-6646, www.gotransit.com) runs trains from Toronto to St. Catharines, where you can pick up a connecting shuttle bus to NOTL.
From Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake, take the QEW south, passing Hamilton and St. Catharines. At exit 38B, follow the Niagara-on-the-Lake signs to Highway 55, which is also Niagara Stone Road. Go northeast on Highway 55 for 12 kilometers (7 miles) until it ends at Queen Street. Turn right toward the downtown business district and the Shaw Festival Theatre.
From Buffalo and points south in the United States, take I-190 north to the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. Once you’ve crossed to the Ontario side, the most scenic route is to follow the Niagara River Parkway into Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The easiest way to make a day trip from Toronto for a Shaw Festival show is to ride the Shaw Express (905/468-2172 or 800/511-7429, www.shawfest.com, Wed., Thurs., Sat., Sun. Apr.-Oct., round-trip $25 pp), a direct bus from downtown Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake. In Toronto, buses depart at 10am from the Fairmont Royal York Hotel (York St. at Front St. W.), opposite Toronto’s Union Station; return buses leave the Festival Theatre at 5pm (4pm Sundays). On some Saturdays in July and August, there’s an 11pm departure from NOTL, which enables you to see an evening performance. You must have a ticket to a Shaw Festival play to ride the bus. Book your bus ticket online or by phoning the festival box office.
From May to late October, you can take a Niagara Parks shuttle (www.niagaraparks.com, one-way adults $7, ages 6-12 $5) between the Floral Clock in Niagara Falls and Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It makes several stops in Queenston en route. The shuttle operates once an hour in each direction and connects with the Niagara Falls WEGO buses.
You can easily walk around the downtown heritage district, between the theaters, the shops, and the lake, and many accommodations are also within walking distance. Few of the wineries are within an easy walk of downtown, though, so you’ll need to have a car or bicycle—or book a wine tour—to get out to the tasting rooms. Niagara-on-the-Lake Transit (905/468-3266, www.notl.org, $3) provides limited bus service around downtown and between downtown, Niagara College, and the Outlet Collection at Niagara.
Niagara-on-the-Lake has plenty of pleasant cycling routes, including the Niagara River Recreation Trail south toward Niagara Falls. You can reach many of the wineries along country roads by bicycle—at least if you don’t drink too much en route.
Parking around town is somewhat limited, particularly on Queen Street and around the theaters. The town website (www.notl.org) has an online parking map that shows parking lots, meter rates and durations, and free parking locations.
The Niagara Historical Society offers one-hour walking tours of Niagara-on-the-Lake (11am Sat.-Sun. June-Aug., $10, including admission to the Niagara Historical Society Museum). Old Town Tours (289/292-3532 or 888/492-3532, www.oldtowntours.ca, 10:30am and 2:30pm daily May-Sept., adults $20, ages 7-12 $10) runs two-hour walking tours through the town’s historic district as well.
The Twenty Valley lies in the north-central section of the Niagara Peninsula, west of Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. This wine region is centered on the towns of Beamsville, Vineland, and Jordan, yet it is close enough to Toronto, Niagara Falls, and Niagara-on-the-Lake for a day of wine touring or a getaway weekend.
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At last count, the Twenty Valley had roughly 40 wineries, and new ones crop up regularly. The peak season for wine touring is during the fall harvest, generally mid-September through early October; July and August are popular, too, with the vineyards full and lush and the weather hot. Most wineries remain open year-round, though many reduce their hours from November to April. Most charge a small fee ($2-5) for tastings, which you can usually credit toward wine purchases.
For tours that stop at several Twenty Valley wineries, or for cycling tours through wine country, contact the following tour operators:
• Crush on Niagara Wine Tours (905/562-3373 or 866/408-9463, www.crushtours.com, $89-139)
• Grape Escape Wine Tours (905/468-9959 or 866/935-4445, www.tourniagarawineries.com, $64-144)
• Niagara Wine Tours International (905/468-1300 or 800/680-7006, www.niagaraworldwinetours.com, $65-139).
Owner Nicolette Novak grew up on the property that’s now home to The Good Earth Food and Wine Co. (4556 Lincoln Ave., 905/563-6333, www.goodearthfoodandwine.com, winery 11am-5pm daily summer, 11am-4pm daily winter, restaurant 11am-4pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-5pm Sat.-Sun.), where she and her staff make riesling, rosé, cabernet franc, and pinot noir, among others, which Novak describes as “good for food.” Sample these for yourself in the tasting room, or sit down for lunch in the bistro. Their recreational cooking school offers two- or three-hour cooking classes focusing on local ingredients; check the website or phone for schedule and prices.
The striking wood-and-stone building that houses the family-owned Fielding Estate Winery (4020 Locust Lane, 905/563-0668 or 888/778-7758, www.fieldingwines.com, 11am-6pm daily June-Sept., 11am-5:30pm daily Oct.-May, tours noon and 2pm daily, $10 pp) overlooks the fields and vineyards, a particularly lovely setting for wine tasting. The winery is known for aromatic whites, especially riesling and pinot gris. In addition to regular winery tours, you can book a private tasting ($10); reserve ahead.
On the 32-hectare (80-acre) property at Peninsula Ridge Estate Winery (5600 King St. W., 905/563-0900, www.peninsularidge.com, 10am-6pm daily June-Oct., 10am-5pm daily Nov.-May), the winemakers produce cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and pinot noir. Stop by for tastings; tours are available by appointment.
The beehives behind Rosewood Estates Winery and Meadery (4352 Mountainview Rd., 905/563-4383 or 866/633-3248, www.rosewoodwine.com, tastings daily 11am-6pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-5pm Sun. June-Oct., 11am-5pm Thurs.-Mon. Oct.-May) provide raw materials for Niagara’s first mead (honey wine), as well as several varieties of honey. They make wine, too, including pinot noir and riesling. You can drop in for tastings, but tours ($20) must be booked online in advance.
Vineland Estates (3620 Moyer Rd., 905/562-7088 or 888/846-3526, www.vineland.com, 10am-6pm daily May-Oct., 11am-5:30pm Sun.-Thurs., 10am-6pm Fri.-Sat. Nov.-Apr., tours noon daily May-Oct., noon Sat.-Sun. Nov.-Apr., $15) released their first vintage back in 1983, which makes them an old-timer in these parts. The signature wines are cabernet franc and riesling, and Vineland makes a distinctive drink called Vice, a blend of their Vidal ice wine and vodka. A small market above the spacious tasting room sells cheeses and offers cheese tastings. The winery restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and the property has two guesthouses.
Not only are the grapes used at the Featherstone Estate Winery (3678 Victoria Ave., 905/562-1949, www.featherstonewinery.ca, 11am-5:30pm daily June-Aug., 11am-5:30pm Fri.-Sun. Apr.-May and Sept.-Dec.) grown without pesticides, the winery relies on sheep grazing in the vineyards as a natural way to prune the vines. The fleecy animals give their name to the Black Sheep Riesling; the winery also produces merlot, pinot noir, and cabernet franc, among others. On summer weekends, you can sit on the veranda for pizza and a glass of wine (noon-4pm Sat.-Sun. mid-May-early Sept.).
Think wine tasting can be staid, even snooty? Visit laid-back Flat Rock Cellars (2727 7th Ave., 905/562-8994, www.flatrockcellars.com, 10am-6pm Sun.-Fri., 10am-7pm Sat. May-Oct., 10am-5pm Sun.-Fri., 10am-6pm Sat. Nov.-Apr.), where you can tour ($10, by reservation only) the vineyards and cellars, learn about their “gravity flow” production process, and sample their wines, which include riesling, chardonnay, and pinot noir.
The winery building at Cave Spring Cellars (3836 Main St., www.cavespringcellars.com, 905/562-3581 or 888/806-9910; 10am-6pm daily June-Sept., 10am-5pm Sun.-Thurs., 10am-6pm Fri.-Sat. Oct.-May), in Jordan Village, was built in 1871 and houses Ontario’s oldest functioning wine cellar. The current winery, founded in 1986, specializes in riesling, including ice wines, and also makes well-regarded pinot noir, chardonnay, and cabernet franc. Drop into the tasting bar or choose among several tour and private tasting options (from $20 pp, advance reservations required).
Talk with the “Creek Geeks” at the relaxed tasting bar at Creekside Estate Winery (2170 4th Ave., 905/562-0035 or 877/262-9463, www.creeksidewine.com, 10am-6pm daily May-Nov., 10am-5pm daily Dec.-Apr., tours 2pm Sat.-Sun. June-Oct.), where you can sample their sauvignon blanc, cabernet shiraz, or other varieties. A unique experience is the “Up the Creek” tour (May-Sept., $7), a “dirty boots” adventure where you help out in the vineyard and then do a guided tasting as reward for your labor. The Deck @ Creekside (11:30am-9pm Fri., 11:30am-3:30pm Sat.-Mon. mid-May-mid-Oct., $12-21) sates weekend visitors with salads, burgers, and meats from the smoker. There’s live music Friday evenings.
Beyond the Twenty Valley’s wineries are several conservation areas where you can go hiking, and the rolling hills make for pleasant cycling. Billing itself as “Niagara’s Other Falls,” Ball’s Falls Conservation Area (3292 6th Ave., Jordan, 905/562-5235, www.ballsfalls.ca, grounds 8am-8pm daily May-Oct., 9am-4pm daily Nov.-Apr., adults $7, seniors and students $5) has 10 kilometers (six miles) of hiking trails, including routes that lead to two waterfalls: the 27-meter-tall (90-foot) Lower Falls, and the 11-meter-tall (35-foot) Upper Falls. The falls run strongest in the spring, and the grounds are a pretty picnic spot.
In a modern, environmentally sensitive building, the Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation (9am-4pm daily) has exhibits about the plants and animals that live in the region. Also on-site is a collection of heritage buildings (10am-3pm daily Apr.-Oct.), including a flour mill, a church, a blacksmith shop, and the home that belonged to the Ball family, who settled here in 1807. Guides take you around the buildings and demonstrate milling, weaving, and other 19th-century skills.
A salad of seasonal vegetables. A cheese or charcuterie platter to share. A grilled cheese sandwich with caramelized onions. That’s the simple, fresh fare on offer at the Good Earth Food and Wine Company (4556 Lincoln Ave., 905/563-6333, www.goodearthfoodandwine.com, 11am-4pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-5pm Sat.-Sun., $15-25; call or check the website for off-season hours), where you can lunch on the patio overlooking the vineyards (or inside the dining room). They kick off the weekend with “TGIF Casual Fridays” (5pm-7:30pm Fri., $15-25), once-a week dinners.
Housed in an 1885 Queen Anne revival manor house, The Restaurant at Peninsula Ridge (5600 King St. W., 905/563-0900, ext. 35, www.peninsularidge.com, noon-2:30pm and 5pm-9pm Wed.-Sat., 11:30am-2:30pm Sun., lunch $15-26, dinner $25-40) bills its style as “casual fine dining.” That means that at lunch, your choices will range from a grilled portobello mushroom sandwich to steelhead trout with fingerling potato lyonnaise, while you might sup on prosciutto-wrapped chicken, short ribs with sweet potato purée, or grilled venison with a northern bean cassoulet.
In a former farmhouse overlooking the vineyards, Vineland Estates Winery Restaurant (3620 Moyer Rd., 905/562-7088 or 888/846-3526, www.vineland.com, noon-3pm and 5pm-9pm daily May-Dec., noon-3pm and 5pm-9pm Wed.-Sat., noon-3pm Sun. Jan.-Apr., lunch $14-26, dinner $16-36) serves upscale wine-country fare. At midday, you might choose citrus-cured rainbow trout with wheat berries or gnocchi with pulled chicken and squash. For dinner? Perhaps tagliatelle with kale pesto and rabbit, or pickerel paired with beef cheek pastrami. Multicourse tasting menus are available at lunch ($39) and dinner ($85), with optional wine pairings.
Need some cheese for your wine-country picnic? Visit Upper Canada Cheese Company (4159 Jordan Rd., 905/562-9730, www.uppercanadacheesecompany.com, 10am-5pm daily), which produces several cheeses, including the camembert-style Comfort Cream and the semisoft Niagara Gold, from the milk of local Guernsey cows.
De La Terre Café (3839 Main St., 905/562-4567, www.delaterre.ca, 8am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm Sun., $7-13), in a little house in Jordan Village, makes top-notch baked goods (mmm, cinnamon buns, spelt scones, and pecan squares) and sandwiches, like sweet potato hummus with kale-almond pesto or back bacon with Swiss cheese and greens. Soups and salads round out the short menu; to drink, they serve coffee, beer, wine, and cider. The same owners run a take-out-only bakery in Vineland (3451 King St., 905/562-1513, 8am-4pm daily).
After a hard day of wine touring, maybe you just want to kick back with a burger and a beer. The Jordan House Tavern (3751 Main St., 905/562-9591, www.jordanhouse.ca, 11am-11pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-1am Fri.-Sat., $12-15) is your joint. Served in a homey room with a stone fireplace and timbers from the original 1840s saloon that stood on this site, the unfussy, well-executed menu includes hearty burgers, straightforward sandwiches, salads, and bar snacks. There’s live music most Friday and Saturday nights.
The formal, white-tablecloth Inn on the Twenty Restaurant (3836 Main St., 905/562-7313, www.innonthetwenty.com, 11:30am-3pm and 5pm-9pm daily, call or check the website for off-season hours, lunch $12-30, dinner $22-42), with a wall of windows looking across the countryside, is a special-occasion spot. An early adopter of the Niagara regional food movement, the kitchen creates contemporary cuisine that draws on local products. In the evening, starters might include greens with ice wine-poached pears or a beet tart with honeyed goat cheese, while the entrée could be rack of Ontario lamb served with salt-roasted Jerusalem artichokes. The wine list includes labels from Cave Springs Cellars (under the same ownership) and other Ontario producers.
At the entrance to Vineland Estates Winery (3620 Moyer Rd., 905/562-7088 or 888/846-3526, www.vineland.com) are two self-contained lodgings. The cozy one-bedroom B&B Cottage ($200 d) is designed for a couples escape. The staff provide a complimentary bottle of wine and provisions for a make-your-own breakfast, but you might not see another soul during your stay. The larger Estate Guesthouse ($350) looks like a suburban home. Accommodating a family or group of friends, it has three bedrooms, a living room, and kitchen facilities; breakfast provisions and a bottle of wine are included, too.
Owned by the proprietors of Cave Spring Cellars and the more upscale Inn on the Twenty, the Jordan House Hotel (3751 Main St., 905/562-5336 or 800/701-8074, www.jordanhouse.ca, $159-229 d) is an excellent choice for moderately priced wine-country accommodations. It’s an upscale two-story motel attached to a historic tavern, with contemporary chocolate-brown and royal-blue linens, flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, and simple but functional baths. Expect no frills, done well.
Looking for a romantic wine-country escape? The S Inn on the Twenty (3845 Main St., 905/562-5336 or 800/701-8074, www.innonthetwenty.com, $279-409 d) has the region’s most deluxe accommodations, staffed by an attentive team. The 27 spacious rooms, all more than 500 square feet, are all different, furnished with a mix of antiques and contemporary pieces; some have a separate sitting area and sleeping alcove, some have private terraces, while others are two-level lofts, with a living room and upstairs bedroom. Most have fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. The spa, in an adjacent 1840s building, offers massage, facials, reflexology, and other services. Jordan Village (www.jordanvillage.com) has a small collection of boutiques and galleries nearby.
For information about the Twenty Valley region, contact the Twenty Valley Tourism Association (905/562-3636, www.20valley.ca). The Wine Council of Ontario (905/562-8070, ext. 221, www.winecountryontario.ca) can provide more details about the area wineries.
To explore the Twenty Valley, you’ll either need to have a car or arrange for a tour. Cycling is another option, although it’s hilly terrain.
For rail service to the Twenty Valley, the closest VIA Rail (888/842-7245, www.viarail.ca) stations are in Grimsby (99 Ontario St.) or St. Catharines (5 Great Western St.), where the Toronto-Niagara Falls trains stop. Megabus (866/488-4452, www.megabus.com) runs frequent buses from Toronto to Grimsby (Main St. at Christie St., 1 hour, $1-11) and St. Catharines (70 Carlisle St., 1.25-1.5 hours, $1-17).
Highway 81 is the main east-west route across the Twenty Valley, running between Grimsby and St. Catharines. From Toronto, take the QEW south toward the Niagara Peninsula. It’s 95 kilometers (59 miles) to Beamsville (exit 64, Ontario St.), 100 kilometers (62 miles) to Vineland (exit 57, Victoria Ave.), and 102 kilometers (64 miles) to Jordan (exit 55, Jordan Rd./Hwy. 26).
From Niagara Falls, the simplest route is to take the QEW north. To Jordan it’s 34 kilometers (21 miles), to Vineland 36 kilometers (22 miles), and to Beamsville 41 kilometers (25 miles).
The Great Lakes are part of an extensive shipping route that extends from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean. But until the 1800s, a significant natural obstruction—Niagara Falls—blocked the passage between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. William Hamilton Merritt (1793-1862), a St. Catharines entrepreneur, proposed the idea of a canal across the Niagara Peninsula, connecting the two lakes. He began raising money, and in 1824, construction began on the first Welland Canal.
Building the canal involved finding a way for ships to “climb the mountain,” otherwise known as the Niagara Escarpment; Lake Erie is roughly 100 meters (326 feet) higher in elevation than Lake Ontario. The solution was a series of locks that lift ships traveling south through the canal and let them descend the same distance when they journey from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. After the first Welland Canal opened in 1829, it was rebuilt three times, refining the route and improving the lock technology. The current canal, the fourth, opened in 1932.
At 43.5 kilometers (27 miles), the Welland Canal is about half the length of the Panama Canal. On the Lake Ontario side, the canal starts in St. Catharines, the peninsula’s largest city. It heads south through Thorold and Welland before reaching the town of Port Colborne, where it meets Lake Erie on the Niagara Peninsula’s south shore. Ships transit the canal between April and December. It takes roughly 9-10 hours for a boat to make the journey between the two lakes.
You can bicycle the entire length of the Welland Canal if you follow the Welland Canals Trail (www.welland.ca), a 42-kilometer (27-mile) cycling path that runs from St. Catharines to Port Colborne.
The exhibits in the well-designed St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre (1932 Welland Canals Pkwy., St. Catharines, 905/984-8880 or 800/305-5134, www.stcatharines.ca, 9am-5pm daily, donation $4), located at Lock 3 on the canal, illustrate the history of the Welland Canal and the St. Catharines area. One section of the museum houses the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, devoted to Canada’s official summer sport (the official winter sport is hockey).
A highlight is behind the museum, where you can climb to the viewing platform to watch the massive ships pass through the locks. The museum posts a schedule showing when the next ships expect to arrive, and also sends out these details on its Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/StCMuseum).
The Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum (280 King St., Port Colborne, 905/834-7604, www.portcolborne.ca, noon-5pm daily May-Dec., free) is a complex of several historic buildings, including an 1835 log schoolhouse (one of the region’s oldest), an 1880s blacksmith shop, and a Victorian-era home that now houses Arabella’s Tea Room (2pm-4pm June-Sept.), which serves homemade biscuits and jam to visitors. Also on the property is the 1901 Neff Steam Buggy, thought to be the oldest surviving Ontario-made automobile.
Searching for enlightenment, or at least dinner, from the far corners of the globe, The Smokin’ Buddha (265 King St., Port Colborne, 905/834-6000, www.thesmokinbuddha.com, 4:30pm-9pm Tues., 11:30am-10pm Wed.-Sat., $12-15) cooks up small plates, curries, and noodles that take inspiration from Asia, Latin America, India, and the Middle East. Try the Japanese-style sobo pockets, sweet tofu stuffed with smoked salmon, sprouts, rice, and wasabi mayo, or go global with Korean beef noodles, Thai curries, or chicken enchiladas. The location in the town’s old train station, with exposed brick walls and wooden benches, puts you in the mood for your journey.
Stop in for a beer or a bite at the friendly Canalside Restaurant (232 West St., Port Colborne, 905/834-6090, www.canalside.ca, lunch and dinner from 11:30am daily, lunch $10-17, dinner $10-25) facing the Welland Canal. Canalside carries a long list of brews from Canada and abroad, including its own Lock 8 Lager, and the crowd-pleasing pub menu runs from burgers and sandwiches to pastas, seafood, and steaks.
The St. Catharines Tourism Information Centre (1932 Welland Canals Pkwy., St. Catharines, 800/305-5134, www.tourismstcatharines.ca), inside the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre, has information about the canal and the surrounding region. For information about Port Colborne and the Niagara Peninsula’s south shore, contact the Port Colborne Visitor Information Centre (76 Main St. W., Port Colborne, 905/834-5722 or 888/767-8386, www.portcolborne.ca, 9am-6pm daily).
Unless you’re planning to bicycle around the Welland Canal region, you really need a car, as public transit is limited. VIA Rail (888/842-7245, www.viarail.ca) trains run to St. Catharines (5 Great Western St.), where you could rent a car to continue your explorations or head off on your bike.
Midway between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Hamilton has an arty, edgy side. Canada’s ninth-largest city was once defined by its steel plants, but today artists are opening galleries and studios in its brick storefronts, funky shops are luring both locals and visitors, and young families are moving in as a more affordable urban alternative to nearby Toronto. With a growing number of hip cafés and cool eateries, it’s even been nicknamed “Brooklyn of the North.” Make a stopover en route to Niagara Falls or a day trip from Toronto to check out what’s new.
Surprise: Ontario’s third-largest public art gallery is in Hamilton. The Art Gallery of Hamilton (123 King St. W., 905/527-6610, www.artgalleryofhamilton.com, 11am-6pm Wed. and Fri., 11am-8pm Thurs., noon-5pm Sat.-Sun.) has a wide-ranging collection, emphasizing 19th-century European and Canadian historical works, African sculpture, and contemporary art from Canada and abroad. Every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 1pm, you can take a free tour of some aspect of the gallery’s collection.
The Level Two Gallery upstairs is always free, but there’s a charge to visit the Level One Gallery (adults $10, seniors and students $8, ages 6-17 $4, families $25). On the first Friday of every month, admission to the entire museum is free 4pm-8pm.
The James Street North Gallery District (www.jamesstreetnorth.ca) downtown is the center of Hamilton’s arts community. Most galleries are open Wednesday to Saturday afternoons.
As you wander the street, some galleries to look for include: The Assembly (4 Cannon St. E., at James St. N., 289/799-3794, www.assemblygallery.ca, noon-5pm Fri.-Sat.), Hamilton Artists Inc. (155 James St. N., 905/529-3355, www.theinc.ca, noon-5pm Wed.-Thurs. and Sat., noon-6pm Fri.), Centre3 for Print and Media Arts (173 James St. N., 905/524-5084, www.centre3.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Fri., 11am-5pm Sat.), and You Me Gallery (330 James St. N., 905/523-7754, www.youmegallery.com, noon-5pm Wed.-Sun.).
The liveliest time to explore James Street North is during the monthly ArtCrawl, the second Friday of every month, when galleries up and down the street stay open late. The biggest crawl of them all is September’s SuperCrawl (www.supercrawl.ca), which adds music, dance, and theater events for a weekend-long arts festival.
Beyond modern art, Hamilton has history to explore. Dundurn Castle, at Dundurn National Historic Site (610 York Blvd., 905/546-2872, www.hamilton.ca, noon-4pm Tues.-Sun., adults $11.50, seniors and ages 13-17 $9.50, ages 6-12 $6, families $30), has a connection to the contemporary British royals. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Sir Allan Napier MacNab (1798-1862) and his wife, Mary, who built and lived in this stately mansion with their daughters, Sophia and Minnie. A lawyer, entrepreneur, and politician, MacNab served as premier of the United Province of Canada, the pre-Confederation union of what would become the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Completed in 1835, the home has more than 40 rooms restored to the Victorian era, from grand public spaces to modest servants’ quarters (the family had eight live-in servants). Visits are by one-hour guided tour only. To learn more about life in the castle, read The Diary of Sophia MacNab, which the older MacNab daughter wrote when she was 13, the year her mother died. It’s available in the gift shop.
Located northwest of downtown at the Hamilton-Burlington line, the Royal Botanical Gardens (680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington, 905/527-1158, www.rbg.ca, 10am-8pm daily late Apr.-Oct., 10am-5pm daily Nov.-late Apr., adults $16, seniors and students $13, ages 4-12 $9, families $37) has more than 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres) of flowers, plants, and trees, and more than 30 kilometers (19 miles) of walking trails. There are roses and magnolias, cherry trees and tulips, and one of the most extensive collections of lilacs in the world. The gardens are open year-round; some exhibits are indoors.
Hamilton is sometimes called the “City of Waterfalls” for the more than 100 streams that cascade down slopes around the region. In the Dundas area west of downtown, the 22-meter (72-foot) Webster’s Falls (Fallsview Rd., off Short Rd.) and the narrower but taller (41-meter, 135-foot) Tew’s Falls (Harvest Rd.) have a short walking trail between them. The Hamilton Conservation Authority (www.waterfalls.hamilton.ca) lists more waterfalls to explore.
Webster’s Falls, Hamilton
The Artword Artbar and Gallery (15 Colbourne St., at James St. N., www.artword.net, from 6pm Wed.-Sat., events from 7:30pm or 8pm Wed.-Sat.) is part art gallery and part club, with live blues, jazz, and roots music several nights a week.
Beyond its art galleries, James Street North has a growing number of fun and funky shops.
Hamilton’s formerly industrial James Street North is now an arts district.
Want a Hamilton souvenir? Then head for The Hamilton Store (165 James St. N., 905/973-2932, www.thehamiltonstore.ca, 11:30am-5pm Wed.-Sat.), where everything from the posters, prints, and cards to the gourmet food items has a local connection. Combining an art supply store and art-focused gift shop, Mixed Media (154 James St. N., 905/529-2323, http://v2.mixedmediahamilton.com, 11am-5pm Tues.-Sat.) is another spot to browse for crafty presents or mementos. Channeling Hamilton’s industrial-art vibe, Pretty Grit (128 James St. N., 905/393-7809, www.prettygrit.ca, 11am-6pm Tues.-Thurs. and Sat., 11am-7pm Fri.) stocks ceramics, housewares, and other gift items.
Hamilton’s other up-and-coming shopping district is west of downtown on Locke Street (www.lockestreetshops.com). Pop into Canoe Trading Co (233 Locke St. S., 905/523-0606, https://canoetradingco.com, 11am-7pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-6pm Sat., 11am-5pm Sun.) to peruse the (mostly) Canadian clothing for men and women, jewelry, and hipster accessories like beard care kits. Check out Epic Books (226 Locke St. S., 905/525-6538, www.epicbooks.ca, 10am-6pm Tues.-Wed. and Sat., 10am-8pm Thurs.-Fri., noon-5pm Sun.), an independent bookstore, and Textures Craftworks (236 Locke St. S., 905/523-0636, 10am-5:30pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-5pm Sat., 9:30am-3pm Sun.), a local artists’ cooperative.
More than 60 vendors sell produce, meat, and prepared foods at the year-round indoor Hamilton Farmers Market (35 York Blvd., 905/546-2096, www.hamiltonfarmersmarket.ca, 8am-6pm Tues. and Thurs.-Fri., 7am-5pm Sat.). Note the historic Birks Clock in the center of the market that’s more than five meters (17 feet) high.
When browsing the galleries on James Street North, stop for coffee, pastries, or sandwiches at the cool Mulberry Street Coffeehouse (193 James St. N., 905/963-1365, www.mulberrycoffeehouse.com, 7am-10pm Mon.-Thurs., 7am-11pm Fri., 8am-11pm Sat., 8am-6pm Sun., $3-13). Laptop-toters appreciate the free Wi-Fi. In the compact storefront with a gold-painted tin ceiling that houses St. James Espresso Bar & Eatery (170 James St. N., 289/389-6565, www.saint-james.ca, 8am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-4pm Sun., $7-16), you can refresh with coffee drinks, pancakes, or avocado toast.
Lively Nique (30 Vine St., 905/529-8000, www.niquerestaurant.ca, 11:30am-3pm and 5pm-midnight Mon.-Thurs., 11:30am-3pm and 5pm-2am Fri., 5pm-2am Sat., 11am-3pm and 5pm-midnight Sun., lunch $14-22, dinner $18-36), just off James Street, is a fun spot for drinks, snacks, or a full meal. Start with a cocktail or craft beer and a plate of the signature sushi nachos, then graze on a salad of roasted veggies with smoked yogurt or dig into world-wandering plates like shrimp curry, farfalle with crispy kale, or steak. Love chocolate? The massive square of chocolate cake with espresso icing conveniently arrives in its own take-out container.
The downtown block housing The French (37 King William St., 905/528-3737, www.thefrench.ca, noon-3pm and 5pm-10pm Mon.-Thurs., noon-3pm and 5pm-10:30pm Fri., 10am-3pm and 5pm-10:30pm Sat., 10am-3pm and 5pm-9pm Sun., lunch $13-26, dinner $19-39, brunch $8-24) has become a “restaurant row,” with several intriguing dining options. This French-inspired bistro in a restored stone and brick building is smart enough for a business lunch but casual enough for a relaxed evening out. The menu updates bistro classics, from a niçoise salad to a root vegetable tagine to duck confit. Between lunch and dinner (3pm-5pm), the French stays open for snacks and drinks.
The French is one of several restaurants along King William Street.
The guiding principle at Bread Bar (258 Locke St. S., 905/522-2999, www.breadbar.ca, 8am-10pm daily, $9-30), a neighborhood bakery by day and mellow pizzeria by night, is that “good ingredients matter.” Those good ingredients turn up in salads, sandwiches, and mighty fine pizzas, whether topped with brie, roasted garlic, and arugula; apple, smoked cheddar, and bacon; or other flavorful combinations. Wheel in your stroller, bring in your date, or roll in with your pals, and you’ll feel equally at home.
In a snug downtown storefront, eclectic Rapscallion (61 Young St., 905/522-0088, www.rapscallionrestaurant.com, 5pm-11pm daily, $5-15) gets imaginative with its meat, concocting a changing assortment of sharing plates like Tongue and Cheek (confit tongue with braised veal cheek) or the Rudolph (venison tartare with pickled tomatoes). But don’t fret, plant lovers: the kitchen gets equally creative with vegan “charcuterie,” puff pizza with butternut squash purée, and other veggie-friendly fare on its periodic Meatless Mondays.
Serving inventive contemporary fare, Quatrefoil Restaurant (16 Sydenham St., Dundas, 905/628-7800, www.quatrefoilrestaurant.com, noon-3pm and 5pm-10pm Tues.-Sat., lunch $17-26, dinner $35-44), west of downtown, put Hamilton on the fine-dining map. At lunch, try the rainbow trout with beluga lentils, or the updated eggs Benedict. In the evening, Cornish hen might be paired with potato gnocchi and a leek purée, while the locally raised beef might be served with rutabaga gratin and mustard jelly. It’s straightforward, stylish, and scrumptious.
If you want to stay right downtown, Sheraton Hamilton (116 King St. W., 905/529-5515 or 888/627-8161, www.sheratonhamilton.com, $155-299 d) has all the standard business-class amenities. Otherwise, Hamilton has a couple of lovely B&Bs outside the city center.
Grand S Osler House B&B (30 South St. W., Dundas, 289/238-9278, www.oslerhouse.com, $165-195 d) feels like a place you might have inherited if your relations were minor royalty. Owners Gary Fincham and Sara Burnet-Smith bought, designed, and furnished this 1848 Georgian-style home, which has high ceilings, a grand staircase, spacious rooms, oriental rugs, antiques, and capacious baths with heated floors in the three guest rooms upstairs. Enjoy the gracious parlor or the more casual billiards room; breakfast may include beautifully carved fresh fruit, apricot scones with homemade jam, and a carefully rolled omelet.
a plush guest room at Hamilton’s Osler House B&B
On a rural road between Hamilton and Brantford, owner Shane Burry has transformed a suburban home into Serenity Ranch B&B (2171 Wilson St. W., Ancaster, 905/920-2447 or 800/659-3714, www.serenityranchbb.com, $99-199 d). Each of the five traditionally furnished guest rooms, with pillow-top mattresses and remote-controlled lights, has a fridge with complimentary beverages, a microwave with free popcorn, and a flat-screen TV with a DVD player. Rates include a full breakfast. There’s a complimentary guest laundry and a lovely porch overlooking the fields.
The Tourism Hamilton Visitor Information Centre (28 James St. N., 905/546-2666 or 800/263-8590, www.tourismhamilton.com, 9am-4pm Mon.-Fri.) can provide information about things to see and events around the region.
An alternative to Toronto’s busy Pearson Airport, Hamilton International Airport (YHM, 9300 Airport Rd., 905/679-1999, www.flyhamilton.ca) is 14 kilometers (nine miles) south of downtown. WestJet (888/937-8538, www.westjet.com) is the airport’s main carrier, with nonstop flights to Calgary year-round, November through April flights to Edmonton, Halifax, Winnipeg, Orlando, and Las Vegas, and summer service to Vancouver. Air Canada (888/247-2262, www.aircanada.com) has a daily flight in each direction between Hamilton and Montreal year-round, and discount carrier Flair Airlines (204/888-4357, www.flairairlines.com) flies to Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Abbotsford, BC.
Buses and trains arrive at and depart from the Hamilton GO Centre (36 Hunter St. E., 416/869-3200, www.gotransit.com), an art deco-style building downtown with frequent service to Toronto’s Union Station (1-1.25 hours, one-way adults $12.45, seniors and kids $6.25). Megabus (866/488-4452, www.megabus.com) can take you to Niagara Falls (1.5-1.75 hours, one-way $10).
Hamilton is midway between Toronto and Niagara Falls. It’s 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Toronto, a straight shot down the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW). To Niagara Falls, continue south on the QEW for another 70 kilometers (44 miles).
You can explore downtown Hamilton without a car. It’s a short walk from the train-bus station to the Art Gallery and Farmers Market; the James Street North Gallery District is also within walking distance. To visit other attractions, get around on the city’s bus system, the Hamilton Street Railway (905/527-4441, www.hamilton.ca, one-way $3).