There's great fishing in Niagara Falls - but most people overlook it. Here are the best fishing spots, the best fishing boat tour guides, and info on the kinds of (delicious!) fish you can catch in and around Niagara Falls Canada.
One of the most popular activities on a North American "bucket list" is to visit Niagara Falls, Canada, to explore the waterfalls and ride on a Hornblower Niagara Cruise. And no wonder! The falls really do live up to all the hype. But I'm going to be bold and suggest that there are other bodies of water around Niagara Canada that are equally worthy of exploration.
There's a reason why this part of Canada is referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World - there is so much to see and discover. And (no surprises here!) there's a reason why I'm so particularly fond of the Niagara River, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. It all starts with food! The food in southern Ontario, and especially around the Niagara Region, is absolutely amazing. The micro climate of the region means milder winters and favorable conditions, the kind that coaxes finicky grapes and coddles delicate tomatoes. But while I love the fresh produce and local wine (and cheese..... and preserves.... and ciders.......) one of my absolute favourite things to eat in this region is the freshly caught fish. How To Save, Splurge, and Steal in Edmundston, New Brunswick (with special guest Oliver the dog!)21/7/2016
Some trips start at a snail's pace - but Edmundston let me take my time.
Aviator Anne Lindburgh once said that the final moments before you leave for a trip are horrible. Once you get going, you’re fine but until you do it’s absolutely dreadful, like a snail being pulled off its rock.
I know exactly how she felt. The morning we departed for Edmundston, a mantra of “I’m a snail, I’m a snail, I’m a snail” kept playing in my head. I did NOT want to leave my rock. Edumundston was the first stop in our epic 5 week, pan Canadian/European adventure. It’s the longest trip we’ve ever undertaken and, against a backdrop of some personal upheaval, I was the world’s most reluctant snail, being plucked off the rock and tossed in the car with most serious reservations. What on earth was I doing and why on earth was I going on the road when I had a perfectly acceptable rock right at home? Fortunately, Edmundston understood. This northern New Brunswick city has been a traditional stopping point for us on all our eastern Canada roadtrips but until recently it had never represented much more to us than a convenient junction for fuel and food. But it somehow felt wrong to be continually visiting a city and never being able to recommend anything beyond the nearest Tim Horton’s location. It was time for this snail to blaze a trail (metaphorically, of course. I’m not slimy in real life!) Here are our favourite picks for the best saves, splurges, and steals in the city. Updated in 2021!
When I was recently asked what one of my favorite places in Southern Ontario was, Long Point Provincial Park immediately came to mind. As one of Ontario's oldest provincial parks (established in 1921) and the only one to be located in a designated World Biosphere Preserve, Long Point Provincial Park is long indeed on bragging rights. And Long Point Provincial Park camping is the perfect way to experience summer - it's an escape filled with sun, sand, swimming, and more.
Every summer, we join friends for our "big" annual camping trip, lasting anywhere from several days to nearly a week, and Long Point is a favourite spot among all of our preferred destinations. It checks all our usual camping boxes (clean sites, clean washrooms, a nice blend of lively but not TOO lively atmosphere) and yet it offers so much more than that. Here are our five favourite things about Long Point Provincial Park. We're dabbling in pharology in Northern Ontario! If you're looking for things to do in Thunder Bay, this post is for you.
I have an announcement that might shock my readers: My husband is a pharologist. But not to worry! While it may sound ominous, a pharologist is not the same as a philanderer - not even close! A pharalogist's love affairs are confined to lighthouses and pharology is the scientific study of lighthouses and signal lights.
Ryan's pharaological tendencies are strictly of the amateur kind, falling in love with lighthouses all around the world. But we don't have to travel far from home to see them. Canada has hundreds of lighthouses - and not all of them are on the ocean coast! A handful call Ryan's childhood stomping ground of the mighty Lake Superior home and one in particular, Thunder Bay's Porphyry Lighthouse, is an especially fine destination. Our vote for the best Indian food in Ottawa? It's the East India Company - in part because Chef Mehra took us behind the scenes and into the tandoori room at his prized restaurant. (Updated in 2022!)
What's our vote for the best Indian food in Ottawa? It's the East India Company - and it's thanks in part to a few secrets we learned behind the scenes! Most chefs are notoriously tight lipped when it comes to sharing their culinary secrets but Chef Nitin Mehra couldn't spill the beans even if he wanted to. The exact recipe for his restaurant's famous garam masala is a secret guarded so tightly that there's only one person on earth who knows the exact formula - his mother. Technically, it's not even her recipe. She inherited it from Chef Mehra's great grandmother on the day she passed away.
If you get goosebumps just thinking of how close that recipe came to being forever lost, you're not alone. Talking with Chef Mehra gave me amazing insight into the careful crafts of the culinary world, the passion and discipline that are poured into every sauce, and the role that family, tradition, community, and care play into making good food taste great. Elsewhere in Oxford County: Cheese, farming, more cheese, foodie fun, and MORE cheese!
The name "Oxford County" may sound familiar to you. This wouldn't be the first time you've heard me praise this region! Oxford County, in the southern part of Ontario, Canada, is world famous for its cheese and even has a "Cheese Trail" that visitors can explore. Dairy farming attracted early pioneers to settle in the area and the nearby town of Ingersoll even boosts a cheese museum - something we were thrilled to visit and write about.
Don't do dairy? Not to worry! Oxford County's amazing cheese is just the tip of the foodie iceberg. Whether your passion is history or food (or both!) you will be very content to spend some time exploring Oxford County, visiting a wonderful collection of restaurants and sampling great local flavors. From classic chicken salad to fiery vindaloos to gourmet grilled cheese, Oxford County is a foodie's dream destination in the making. A quiet cemetery preserves centuries of history in Otterville, Ontario and has a very special connection to the Underground Railroad in Canada.Otterville is a tiny village in the southern Ontario district of Oxford County - a village whose small size conceals a huge amount of history.
Otterville's mild climate, fine stock of timber, and easy access to transportation routes, combined with incredibly fertile farmland, made Oxford County very attractive to a diverse group of early settlers. Many of these pioneers would soon call Otterville their home. A mill, a blacksmith shop, and eventually a rail station would all come to thrive in this prosperous community but in the early years, Otterville was serving a different kind of rail network. The Ingersoll Cheese Museum will inspire you to new poetic heights. It's the perfect thing to do in Oxford County, Ontario! In Oxford County, Ontario, all roads on the cheese trail lead to Ingersoll. The cheese trail isn't just my personal list of delicious spots, it's an actual real thing that anyone can experience! Restaurants, food producers, farms, inns, and gift shops all come together to honor the area's heritage as one of Canada's leading diary and cheese producers.
Of course, to REALLY appreciate the awesomeness that is Oxford County cheese, you have to do more than sample it (or, in my case, inhale it). You have to follow the cheese trail all the way back to the beginning and pay a visit to the Ingersoll Cheese Museum. Update: Sadly, this business is now closed. Have you ever liked a place so much you felt a bit reluctant to share the details because you don't want anyone else to go there? It's selfish, I know, but sometimes I can't help but feel protective about some of my favourite travel discoveries. What will happen when the word gets out and suddenly my secret hideaways are inundated with people?
One of those places is Palm Trees and Polar Bears Bed and Breakfast in Port Rowan, Ontario. Port Rowan is a small community on the shores of Lake Erie in southern Ontario. The region is famous for its provincial parks, beautiful beaches, and bird watching. I got to know the area first by camping at nearby Long Point Provincial Park, and then again on a repeat visit for kayaking. Year round camping isn't a possibility here - and for a lot of people I know, it's definitely not a summer option either! And for those who enjoy some creature-comforts when they explore nature, a B&B is a decidedly civilized option and Palm Trees and Polar Bears is definitely one of the best I've ever enjoyed. |
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