The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (81 page)

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NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO, CANADA

I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.

—
PLAYWRIGHT GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
,
WIDOWERS’ HOUSES
(1892)

100 |
Niagara Falls arguably rates as one of North America’s kitschiest icons, its spectacular cascade flanked by a casino, a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum, and a phalanx of clubs. A short drive away from the falls’ Canadian side lies its alter ego, the gracious town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. (All prices given below are in Canadian dollars.)

The lake in question is Lake Ontario, on the village edge near the continent’s oldest golf course (Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club, 1895), and a few blocks from the cafés and 150-year-old storefronts along Queen Street. It’s a decidedly pretty—and yes,
homey
—place, with flowers spilling from baskets along the street and horse carriages offering rides. But what sets it apart from other sweet towns is both wine—a host of vineyards dot the surrounding countryside—and the literary blooms presented annually at the Shaw Festival.

The sometimes sardonic Irish playwright, who died in 1950, never came here. (Given his statement above, perhaps that is just as well.) But enthusiasm for his work led to the festival bearing his name that features plays by Shaw and his contemporaries. Since its founding in 1962, the
Shaw Festival
(800-511-7429,
www.shawfest.com
) has outgrown its original space in the historic courthouse as well as its original season; today, plays are presented from April to November in specially built spaces. Tickets start at $30 midweek; buy tickets for two performances on Sundays and you’ll usually find special deals. Packages including theater tickets, meals, and hotel are also available.

With your soul sated, it’s time to take care of your psyche—or at least your thirst for the grape. More than 20 wineries (www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com) lie within a few minutes’ drive of the town itself—which means you could even bike from place to place if you promised not to indulge
too
much. Some of the vineyards are small family-owned or craft operations, but some—like Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin, Peller, and Reif—produce table wines and vintages sold internationally. Best known is the region’s ice wine, a sweet after-dinner drink made from grapes that have been frozen and left on the vine to finish, celebrated at the end of each January with the
Niagara Icewine Festival.

Most of the wineries accept visitors and offer tours for free or for a minimal charge on weekends and in summer; tastings generally are priced at $2–$3. At
Stonechurch Vineyards
(1242 Irvine Rd., 866-935-3500,
www.stonechurch.com
), you can tour the vineyards by wagon for $5 per person, ten-person minimum. Some vineyards boast restaurants offering everything from gourmet cuisine, such as
Peller Estates
(290 John St. E., 888-673-5537 or 905-468-4678,
www.peller.com
), to handmade pizza, such as at the organic
Southbrook Vineyards
(581 Niagara Stone Rd., 888-581-1581 or 905-641-2548,
www.southbrook.com
).
[$
PLURGE
: Throughout most of the year you can take cooking classes at the
Wine Country Cooking School
(905-468-8304,
www.winecountrycooking.com
), located at the
Strewn Winery
(1339 Lakeshore Rd., 905-468-1229,
www.strewnwinery.com
)—though at $195 per person for a daylong class, it’s a splurge.]

Lodging prices vary by season, but expect to pay $95 and up for a double room in a bed-and-breakfast. In summer, you can find two-bedroom suites with kitchen at the
Niagara College Residence
(137 Taylor Rd., 877-225-8664,
www.stayrcc.com
), starting around $104. The closest campground is at
Shalamar Lake
(Line 8 at Niagara Pkwy., 888-968-6067 or 905-262-4895,
www.shalamarlake.com
), open May to mid-October, where a campsite without hookups costs $32. You’ll find a wider variety of hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfasts in Niagara Falls itself, though published rates even at motels start around $80 midweek; be sure to check for value packages on the Niagara Falls tourism website.

Regardless of where you stay, be sure to stop in at the clubby
Prince of Wales Hotel
(6 Picton St., 905-468-3246,
www.vintage-hotels.com
), the town’s nexus since 1864, and the 1824
Oban Inn
(160 Front St., 905-468-2165,
www.obaninn.ca
), restored after a 1992 fire to retain its original Old World ambience.

If all this sounds a bit too pricey, walk around the town or by the river, stop in at the farmers market, and just take in the fresh air. All are free.

And then, if it wasn’t your first stop, head for the falls, once the world’s honeymoon capital for nervous brides and grooms. Though the shores are lined with man-made distractions, the cascade itself is a thing of sheer glory, spewing more than 1.5 million gallons per second over a 170-foot drop. “I felt how near to my creator I was standing, the first effect, and the enduring one—instant and lasting—of the tremendous spectacle, was peace,” author Charles Dickens wrote after his 1841 visit. The most stellar views come from the Canadian side, at Table Rock, and from the
Maid of the Mist
boat tours
(716-284-8897,
www.maidofthemist.com
, $15.60) that run regularly. Close your eyes, feel the spray; the romance lives on.

NOTABLE WATERFALLS WORLDWIDE

 
Angel Falls,
Venezuela. World’s highest falls at 3,212 feet tall.

 
Iguazu Falls,
Brazil/Argentina/Paraguay. 270-plus falls measuring 8,850 feet wide, 210–250 feet tall.

 
Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe/Zambia. 5,600 feet wide, 360 feet tall.

 
Niagara Falls,
Canada/U.S.A. 3,300–3,945 feet wide (depending on measurement standard), 170 feet tall.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Niagara Falls Tourism
(Canadian side), 800-563-2557,
www.niagarafallstourism.com
.

Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp.
(U.S. side), 877-325-5787,
www.niagara-usa.com
.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Visitor & Convention Bureau,
905-468-1950,
www.niagaraonthelake.com
.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Bed-and-Breakfast Association,
866-855-0123,
www.bba.notl.on.ca
.

acknowledgments

It’s impossible to do this kind of project without the help of friends, family, and the many contacts—long-standing and new—who answered weekend e-mails and calls to provide ideas, check facts, and keep us inspired. Thanking them all would be impossible. But for each of us, there are a few people without whom this could not have happened.

Although I questioned her sanity a few times, my dear friend Jane Wooldridge gave me an incredible opportunity to explore new horizons, both professional and literal, when she suggested I join her in this project. My son, Harrison, whose travel adventures are just beginning, provided more inspiration than he will ever realize. And of course my wife, Liz, who enriches my travels—and my life—gets the most thanks of all.

—Larry Bleiberg

For my part, I have to thank my longtime colleague, friend, adviser, and co-author, Larry Bleiberg, who rescued me when my day job threatened to eat this book, not to mention my life. And most especially, I have to thank my husband, Stetson, who soldiered on throughout endless weekends of spousal absenteeism as I poured over the computer instead of tidying the house or hosting friends for dinner. I'm a lousy excuse for a wife, but a helluva travel companion.

—Jane Wooldridge

The publishers also wish to thank Jane Sunderland for editing the book, Nick Rosenbach for researching it, Judith Klein for her keen eye, and Melissa Phillips, our design intern.

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