As a serious locavore and frequent guest at Niagara-on-the-Lake B&Bs, I am excited about the Niagara Culinary Trail. Covering five culinary regions, this route through Niagara farmland is designed for foodies who “think local.” That means wanting to explore farms and markets, buy produce from the growers, and eat dishes prepared with local products. Each region has its own specialties; Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) is the one with the most farm-to-table restaurants. You can download a guide and map to help ensure you catch all of the region’s news and novelties, and buy the recipe book.

3 favourite food stops in Niagara-on-the-Lake

At Chocolate F/X, owners Wilma and Art Mills create divine chocolate delicacies in their spotless new St. David’s facility. And the Food Network has noticed, filming a program there recently. The chocolate factory, which holds up to 200 people, doubles as a venue for dinners, birthday parties, team-building sessions, dances, girls’ nights out and more.

The Chocolate F/X motto is: “If you can't dip it in chocolate, it's not worth eating.”

Always on the lookout for exceptional cheeses, I’m hooked on Cheese Secrets in NOTL. The store carries a variety of rare, handmade and farm-fresh cheeses from the Niagara region, as well as other parts of Canada and the world.

At Strewn’s Wine Country Cooking School, you’ll learn more about the relationship between food and wine. In recipes and menus, you’ll use locally grown fresh products that reflect the seasons.

Food events

May 12: Mini Farmers’ Market featuring local growers and producers. Starts at 10 a.m., 10 Anderson Lane, Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Weekends in May: Wine and Herb Touring Program. Herb-inspired wine and food pairings at each of NOTL’s 28 wineries. Special discount for designated drivers.

May 20 & 21: Food Truck Eats, Peller Estates. Street food from 16 food trucks from Canada and the U.S., plus 16 Peller Estates wines.

June 2: Savour the Sights. Five courses of fine wine and food served in picturesque locations throughout Jackson Triggs Winery.

The Niagara B&B Experience

Your B&B hosts have coupons for a free factory tour for two guests at Chocolate F/X. On the tour, you’ll be treated to a hand-dipped chocolate strawberry and free samples at their outlet store. You can also buy gift items to take home.

Posted by E. Lisa Moses

This is the one and only official website of the Niagara-on-the-Lake B&B Association. Members listed on this site have undergone health and safety inspections, are legally licensed to operate as a B&B and meet all the required standards set out by the association. If you prefer to book online, this option also ensures that commissions go back into the association’s coffers for the benefit of all members of the not-for-profit association and not other, unrelated, commercial entities.

When I stay at a Niagara B&B during this time of year, I often encounter other guests who have planned their entire Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) visit around a series of plays at the Shaw Festival. This can make for lively conversation at the breakfast table, since everyone has unique views on each performance.

In addition to plays, the Festival offers a number of exclusively Shaw experiences. These include packages, education extras, or dining options. If you have a group of at least 15, for example, Green Room chefs can prepare a buffet for you. If you want take-out, try an elegant picnic. Education extras include free online study guides for some plays, as well as tours, chats and workshops. You can also pair a Shaw performance with a walking tour of Niagara-on-the-Lake, a guided winery tour and tasting, or an historical tour of Fort George.

Make your own fascinator (fancy hat) at the Shaw’s July 7 millinery workshop.

I never tire of taking backstage tours of the Shaw, because every season bustles with the creation of new costumes, sets and props. I’ve also got my eye on some specials this year: I can save at least 30% by attending preview performances, and 20% if I attend two performances between May 30 and July 4. For more information on ways to save, or to order tickets, visit the Shaw Festival website or call the box office 1-800-511-SHAW. And no visit to the Shaw is complete without a stop in Bernard’s Retail Shop.

This year’s Shaw Festival runs until October 28, and features 11 productions presented on its four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages.

More Shaw events 

July 7: Make a fabulous fascinator under the guidance of Shaw Festival milliner, Margie Berggren, then attend the 8 p.m. performance of French Without Tears.

July 21, Sept. 29: Join a member of the Shaw’s music department for a Leonard Bernstein singalong before the 11:30 a.m. Trouble in Tahiti. Includes a gourmet picnic lunch.

Sept. 15: Bring your tired old clothes to Wardrobe and learn how to reconfigure them into contemporary, one-of-a-kind pieces. Includes lunch and 8 p.m. Ragtime.

Posted by E. Lisa Moses

This is the one and only official website of the Niagara-on-the-Lake B&B Association. Members listed on this site have undergone health and safety inspections, are legally licensed to operate as a B&B and meet all the required standards set out by the association. If you prefer to book online, this option also ensures that commissions go back into the association’s coffers for the benefit of all members of the not-for-profit association and not other, unrelated, commercial entities.

If you enjoy cruising for art, antiques and collectibles, the signed “Antiques and Artists Route” from the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) to Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) will guide you to art and craft studios, and to unique historical memorabilia and collections.

Along Niagara Stone Road, for example, there is a good selection of antique shops and warehouses. These include Bartlett House of Antiques, Forum Galleries, and The Queens Antiques and on Lakeshore Road, you’ll find Lakeshore Antiques and Treasures. These stores stock everything from antique furniture and international art to fine jewellery, vintage clothing, curiosities and military items. Some sell their wares both onsite and online.

In town, you can browse the exhibitions at the Niagara Historical Society & Museum that showcase historical finds and relics. Collectors of print materials such as old postcards, greeting cards, tickets, posters and the like may be interested in Niagara Ephemera Club lectures by local collectors. These and other events are listed in the cultural newsletter issued by the Niagara Historical Society. To subscribe to the newsletter, contact Amy Klassen, the Society’s administrator: amyklassen@niagarahistorical.museum.

Some Niagara wineries have interesting historical artifacts on display, such as this market cart at Pilliteri Estates.

A number of internationally acclaimed artists and artisans have also made NOTL their home. When working in their studios, they’re happy to greet visitors. For aspiring artists, the Niagara Pumphouse Art Centre at 247 Ricardo Street offers ongoing classes and workshops for children, youth and adults. Those interested in historical art, landscaping and architecture will appreciate the lectures, classes and events at Willowbank National Historic Site.

On Canada Day weekend (June 30 – July 1), art lovers will want to attend Artistry by the Lake —“a marketplace for artists/artisans producing original, high-quality handcrafted works.”

More art and antiques

Angie Strauss Art Gallery

Lakeside Pottery

Queenston Pottery Studio

Riverbrink Art Museum

Ten Thousand Villages 

The Niagara B&B Experience

Your Niagara B&B hosts will be able to direct you to galleries of every kind. Many B&Bs are works of art in themselves, while historical B&Bs often furnish their establishments with local or international antiques.

Posted by E. Lisa Moses

This is the one and only official website of the Niagara-on-the-Lake B&B Association. Members listed on this site have undergone health and safety inspections, are legally licensed to operate as a B&B and meet all the required standards set out by the association. If you prefer to book online, this option also ensures that commissions go back into the association’s coffers for the benefit of all members of the not-for-profit association and not other, unrelated, commercial entities.

On a sunny afternoon just two weeks ago, Tom Erb of Grape Escape Wine Tours chauffeured four of us girls around to some of the smaller wineries. He knows the owners, the wines, the gossip and the hidden goodies on those winding back roads. “Many of the smaller wineries have stock that never gets sold outside the winery,” says Erb. “This is a great opportunity to pick up some unique products you can’t buy anywhere else.”

On this tour, we stopped at Rancourt Winery and chatted with former owner Lorraine Rancourt, a québecoise who now manages the facility for the new owners. She has lots of stories in her repertoire. Another boutique winery we fancied is the two-year-old PondView Estate Winery owned by Lou Puglisi. Named Grape King in 2008, Lou has won 22 wine awards in as many months. And in this 200th anniversary year of the War of 1812, we particularly enjoyed the tiny Palatine Hills Estate Winery, which is the official producer of the 1812 red and white commemorative wines.

Palatine Hills Estate Winery is the official producer of the 1812 commemorative wines.

And on the theme of “small,” we were intrigued by a new company, MiNiagara, that produces collectible architectural models of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s buildings. MiNiagara is running a Grand Launch Competition to win a free bottle of Niagara “bubbly,” a romantic carriage ride through town, and a signed first-edition model of the famous gazebo. For contest details, or to enter, visit MiNiagara.

Some upcoming wine country events:

April 14: A Taste of Niagara progressive dinner

May weekends: Wine & Herb Touring Program

July 20–22: Second annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C)

The Niagara B&B Experience:

You can book your B&B through Grape Escape online, by phone or in their store at 209 King Street. Their van tours will pick you up and drop you off at your B&B. And remember that your B&B hosts have wine-tasting coupons for you.

 Posted by E. Lisa Moses

This is the one and only official website of the Niagara-on-the-Lake B&B Association. Members listed on this site have undergone health and safety inspections, are legally licensed to operate as a B&B and meet all the required standards set out by the association. If you prefer to book online, this option also ensures that commissions go back into the association’s coffers for the benefit of all members of the not-for-profit association and not other, unrelated, commercial entities.

Driving along the Niagara Parkway last winter, I pulled over to watch a wedding ceremony in one of the tiniest chapels I had ever seen. About a dozen shivering guests crowded around the snow-covered Wayside Chapel near Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) as an Asian couple in traditional kimonos said their vows.

This is just one of the area’s unusual wedding venues that attract people from around the world. Others include the famous NOTL gazebo, built for a Hollywood movie set; historic Fort George Navy Hall on the Niagara River; and the splendid Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens. Your wedding party can travel in style by horse and carriage, or in a vintage Rolls-Royce motorcar. And your guest accommodations include more than 180 Niagara B&Bs and cottages.

Niagara-on-the-Lake offers gorgeous settings for weddings and other events.

Niagara wine country also offers a world-class setting whether you’re planning a wedding or other event. Elegant tables set in idyllic vineyards, crystal wine goblets sparkling in the sun, gourmet meals crafted by award-winning chefs, and the strains of a string ensemble all guarantee unmatched lifetime memories. Your event can include wine-tasting, wine country tours, or other activities. Many wineries also employ event co-ordinators who can help you with ideas and arrangements. But venues are at a premium, so you need to think ahead.

Some booking information:

Grape Escape Wine Tours
Niagara Parks
Wayside Chapel: Niagara Weddings Canada
NOTL gazebo, event venues, churches: Parks and Recreation
Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake

For that special ride to your event, check out Niagara Classic Transport or Sentineal Carriages.

Posted by E. Lisa Moses

This is the one and only official website of the Niagara-on-the-Lake B&B Association. Members listed on this site have undergone health and safety inspections, are legally licensed to operate as a B&B and meet all the required standards set out by the association. If you prefer to book online, this option also ensures that commissions go back into the association’s coffers for the benefit of all members of the not-for-profit association and not other, unrelated, commercial entities.