My travel/vacation life prior to kids was all about food and drink. A vacation to my husband and I could have simply been a three hour meal at a wonderful restaurant trying new food and sampling wine. In fact, we liked this kind of outing so much, we incorporated it into how we did our wedding. That is how we ended up being married at a little Inn/winery near Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The Inn on the Twenty and Cave Spring Cellars treated us amazingly. The food was incredible, the wine Canadian and spectacular. The accommodations and setting relaxing and chic. We loved it so much, we returned each year to celebrate our anniversary, and even started going over New Year’s to treat ourselves to shopping and a 5-course gourmet meal.
(Our wedding….5 years ago…The windows overlook a valley…)
We honeymooned in the area and visited winery after winery over the course of our many trips. The area itself is green and gorgeous and the shopping plentiful.
Then we had a baby.
Now, as most of you know, bringing kids on trips can be done, but the setting usually has to change and the outings are vastly different. But we vowed to incorporate the kids into our Niagara trips as much as we could, because it would always be a special place to us.
And so began our journey to tour Niagara’s Wine Country, with children.
Okay, so I consider wine country to include anything within about a 30 minute drive of Niagara-on-the-Lake, including Niagara Falls. But if you have a vehicle, many of these destinations are worth the drive. Just seeing the scenery is an experience.
Places to See
Niagara-on-the-Lake is mostly shops and food, but it’s worth a stroll. Beautiful atmosphere and history collide to make for a real treat. If you have young kids or babies, it’s not always easy to get into the shops with a stroller, but even just walking the street is nice. For older kids there is a Cow’s ice cream shop to bribe them with after you get your shop on.
This is also the home of the Shaw Festival. If you have older kids who’ll sit through one, you definitely want to take it in.
Also, there is a beautiful, huge park that has large shady trees for the kids to burn some energy. TIP: Send your husband to the park with the kids while you shop 🙂
Be see to see: The huge Christmas Store that’s in town and the Victoria Gallery and Teas for gourmet coffee and teas that cover the walls.
Eat at: For fancy coffees and food, wine flights and cheese trays, check out the Shaw Cafe. For an amazing sandwich and salad to eat on their back patio, go to The Epicurean.
(Want more scope about Niagara-on-the-Lake, it’s shops etc. Drop me a comment or email 😉
Part 2 to come: Niagara parkway gardens, Queenston Heights and Niagara Falls
Part 3 to come: Port Dalhousie, Vineland and others….
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