22/04: A Day Tour to Niagara Falls - part 1

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The first time I visited Niagara Falls was 1965. As a young child, I could care less about anything except getting to Table Rock, the closest point to the edge, where millions of gallons of water thunder over the precipice just out of reach.

Over the years, a trip to Niagara became a must whenever family or friends visited Toronto for the first time. On each trip we discovered something new and came to realize that the area had a lot more to offer than just falling water – but I always went back to Table Rock.

Having not been to Niagara in a while, and with a rare free day during Easter Weekend, my wife and I decided to treat ourselves to a day trip coach tour. We wanted something that would show us a lot of what the region has to offer - and get me to Table Rock - but would have us home in time for dinner.

While Niagara is sometimes visible from Toronto’s CN Tower, it’s a 90 minute drive because of the need to go around the western part of Lake Ontario. Shortly after the tour departed, our guide, Courtney, distributed informative literature about some of the sites we would see and visit, including an award winning Niagara winery and the quaint and historic village of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The literature and Courtney’s commentary helped make the trip feel much shorter than we expected.

Once over the Skyway Bridge, which spans the very western tip of the lake, it quickly becomes apparent that we’re in another region. The Niagara peninsula is sandwiched between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, which creates a temperate climate that has been compared to that of Burgundy, France. The result is the largest winemaking region in Canada, which has become notorious for winning gold awards around the world – and here we are, suddenly in its midst, with neat rows of vines on either side. Needless to say, it’s not difficult to find a winery, the majority of which welcome visitors and offer tours, tastings and wines for sale.

The Niagara River runs south to north, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and the beautiful and historic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake sits at it’s mouth. We’ve passed through Niagara-on-the-Lake before and, chomping at the bit to get to Table Rock, I’ve never really given it its due. This time, our tour deposited us right in the middle of town with an hour to explore.

What a gem. I didn’t know that there are no large retail chains in Niagara-on-the-Lake resulting in a unique shopping environment of independently owned boutiques, art galleries, tea houses, inns and restaurants. After buying a gift, we ventured down to the river’s edge, which we had never seen before. The town’s streets are lined with immaculate historic homes, most dating from the 19th century and each one postcard perfect.

There are many historic firsts credited to Niagara-on-the-Lake – first capital of Upper Canada (Ontario), first library and first newspaper in Ontario. Perhaps most significantly, Niagara-on-the-Lake is where the first anti-slavery legislation in the British Americas was passed (1793).

Continued...

By Stephen Da Cambra