Live like the locals - Summer edition

By Victoria Gilbert

Most locals will tell you, summer is their favourite time of year. The Niagara region is rich with patio life, endless walking paths and cycling trails and of course fine dining with locally produced wines and beers to quench your thirst after a day of exploring.

Cycle or Walk The Paths Near Fort George

Fort George | 51 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON | 905-468-6614

Fort George is a military post that defended Upper Canada against American attacks, but it also makes a great backdrop for a bike ride or a walk. Locals are commonly found walking their dogs or heading out for a bike ride along the well-maintained path which goes right by the Fort and leads to the Niagara River. Enjoy the blue waters of the Niagara River flowing from Niagara Falls as you spread out your picnic or roast a hot dog over on one of the many open grills, available to anyone who visits. If you want to explore Fort George, it’s a happening place in the summer, where the Fort staff cover a variety of topics of a bygone era from 10am-5pm, May 1 to October 31.

You can find this happening at the Fort all week long!

Weekends in July and August, the Fort has these great offerings!

Flag raising and lowering ceremonies

Hear the sounds of the 41st Fife and Drum Corps as the flag is raised to begin a new day. Watch it lowered at dusk to signal the end of day.

Musket Demonstrations

Watch the flash of fire and hear the blast of a Brown Bess musket fired by a squad of the 41st Regiment.

Fife and Drum Demonstrations

Decoratively uniformed 41st Regiment Fife and Drum Corps parade around Fort George performing 18th and early 19th century music. Hear the pre-dawn reveille bugle wake-up call, the opening notes of the corps’ daily job as the Fort’s clock and timekeeper for soldiers’ routines. Learn how they were also an essential low-tech walkie-talkie with the high-pitched fifes and low-pitched drums sending musical signals across great distances to direct artillery, cavalry and troops on a chaotic

battlefield. (Parks Canada 2019)

From Wednesday to Sunday, these amazing displays are on at the Fort!

Fire Power Demonstration

An infantry and artillery display highlighting the skills and tactics of the British Army during the War of 1812. This demonstration shows how the British Army used the simple technology of the Brown Bess musket to the greatest effect with skirmishing, line firing, cavalry defense, and the bayonet charge - interspersed with the devastating fire of field artillery. Smell the smoke and feel the explosions that made an 1812 battlefield a very dangerous place to be. (Parks Canada 2019)

Musical Performances

Hear the sounds within the barracks and officers’ quarters of historical compositions that would have been popular during the Napoleonic era. It’s a neat opportunity to hear classics played on reproductions of late 18th and early 19th century instruments.

Noon Day Gun

Feel the blast of the noon day gun at this authentic canon firing demonstration.

Period Kitchen

Visit kitchens from another time to look at and imagine another life. If you’re lucky, the chefs at the Fort will be baking cookies, breads, cakes, pies, or puddings from a historic recipe collection for you to try.

Explore the Fort

Choose your own adventure through the Fort: explore the carefully restored buildings with costumed interpreters and listen to stories that will take you back 200 years.

Photos courtesy of Jon Nicholls Photography / Shutterstock.com

Queenston Heights Restaurant

14184 Niagara Parkway, Queenston | Open for lunch daily and for Sunday brunch 905-262-4274 | niagaraparks.com/visit/culinary/queenston-heights-restaurant

Simply the best view for lunch in the region. The servers wear black and white and walk with the ease of many years’ experience beneath the high wooden ceilings and chandeliers of the perfectly appointed historic restaurant. It is no wonder most of the people working at Queenston Heights restaurant stay for decades. The windows overlooking the wide blue Niagara River provide a breathtaking view! “This has been my office for 30 years,” says Christine, a friendly server who gestures to the river after placing a large platter of steaming polenta and greens on the table. Chef Bill Greenan has created a hearty menu filled with local fare, ideal for pleasing tummies on any Ontario day. The portion sizes are large and the prices reasonable, which is why Queenston Heights Restaurant continues to attract locals.

Located 15 minutes north of the falls on the Niagara Parkway, at the foot of Brock’s Monument, Queenston Heights Restaurant is open seasonally to the public for its award-winning Sunday brunch along with light fare and beverages on the patio.

The Blind Pig

9989 Lundy’s Lane, Niagara Falls | Open 11:30am-2am 7 days a week 905-358-9744 | blindpigniagara.com

With local beers like Oast House and Silversmith on tap and daily specials which are arguably the best deal in the Falls, this popular lunch, and after work pub is where scores of locals go to relax and unwind. An exposed brick interior with comfortable booths and what you’d expect from Canadian servers – down to earth, friendly, and happy to chat to you about the food served or what you did that day, makes this cozy gastro-pub in the heart of Niagara Falls a solid option. For those with gluten allergies, The Blind Pig offers an exclusively gluten sensitive menu for your eating ease.

Eco-Wine Tours

3620 Moyer Road Vineland, Ontario | Tours start out of Vineland Estates Winery 289-407-5537 | bwhikes.com

Local hiker and biologist, Owen Bjorgan, leads you on a tour of nature out of Vineland Estates Winery, where walkers can expect to sip wine and wander in nature with an exuberant local guide. Bjorgan has logged thousands of hours exploring the natural areas of the Niagara region and once spent 37 days hiking the Bruce Trail by himself, so you know you’re in experienced hands.

“We spend part of the time walking in and on the perimeter of the vineyard and then we step in and out of the Niagara Escarpment and the old growth forest along the Bruce Trail.”

The Eco-Wine tours include information about the “Niagara Escarpment’s relationship with the vineyard and how the wine is a product of that relationship,” says Bjorgan.

“The idea is the soil beneath your feet is a product of not just the viticulture but also the environment; and with the forest and the Escarpment, you get the product you are tasting right now from this land.”

Whatever you may choose to do during your summer visit to Niagara, you will no doubt be delighted! TM