An Ontario Thanksgiving
It is rare that Bob and I spend the Thanksgiving Day holiday at home. In fact, since we married in September 1998, we have spent only one Thanksgiving Day holiday at home. The majority of our Thanksgiving Day holidays have been spent in Virginia at Bob’s brother’s house or in New Hampshire at his sister’s house. Last year we spent Thanksgiving Day at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia. This year we decided to spend the Thanksgiving Day holiday in Ontario, Canada.
Both Bob and I worked until noon Wednesday, November 23 . At approximately 1:00 PM we left home en route Niagara Falls, Ontario. When we left Warren, the sky was heavily overcast giving the day a gloomy look. As we approached Buffalo, New York, the sky began to clear. By the time we reached Canada the sky was blue, and the sun was shining brightly.
We crossed into Canada via the Peace Bridge. It was a speedy crossing; no delay. We followed the QEW to Niagara Falls. We arrived at our hotel (the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel) around 3:30 PM. While checking in, I asked to purchase a shuttle pass. On June 30, during our last stay at this hotel, we purchased a shuttle pass. We found the shuttle very convenient and planned to ride it again this visit. However, we learned that the shuttle stopped running, for the season, on September 4. The hotel desk clerk assured us that we would have no difficulty finding parking by the falls on Thursday, as it is a weekday and not a Canadian holiday.
We retired to our hotel room for about 1 1/2 hours before going to dinner. We chose to dine at the Swiss Chalet, located a couple blocks from our hotel. We enjoyed rotisserie chicken dinners. Bob added BBQ ribs to his chicken dinner. We shared a slice of vanilla cheesecake on a graham cracker crust topped with strawberries in syrup. After dinner, on our walk back to the hotel, we stopped at a pet store, where we contemplated bringing home a present for our kitty.
Don’t you think Patches would like this Kitty Nest?
On Thanksgiving Day we visited Niagara-on-the-Lake, where we spent about an hour browsing the shops and taking pictures. Bob purchased a pair of polarized sunglasses for $6.00 and a Christmas present for me that I picked out (a lighthouse bird feeder!).
Prince of Wales Hotel at Niagara-on-the-Lake
Bell Tower at Niagara-on-the-Lake
George Bernard Shaw statue at Niagara-on-the-Lake
We have visited Niagara-on-the-Lake several times. This is the first time that we saw this statue. I enjoy seeing something new whenever we return to a place that we have been before!
We made a few photo stops, along Niagara Parkway, on our drive back to Niagara Falls.
Brock’s Monument in Queenston Heights Park
We met a couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They climbed to the top of Brock’s Monument, while on their honeymoon. They wanted to climb to the top of the monument again, to see if they would be able to do it. The monument, though, was closed for the season. I didn’t even know that you could climb to the top of this monument. That climb is a *must do*. The view towards Lake Ontario in the north and Niagara Falls in the south on a clear day would be magnificent!
The Niagara Whirlpool and Whirlpool Aero Car
We have stopped at this attraction several times over the years. I have yet to ride this car across the Niagara River. I might become brave enough one day to step on board!
We returned to Niagara Falls in the early afternoon. The hotel desk clerk was correct in her determination that parking near the falls would not be difficult to find. Paid parking was plentiful. We could have parked for free at IHOP, where we ate breakfast; however, we didn’t feel like walking from there to the falls. As we planned to entertain ourselves at the casino, we opted to park in the casino garage. We learned that parking would be free if we gambled using a players card. If we didn’t gamble parking would have cost CAD$20. Our first stop in the casino was at Guest Services, as we did not have players cards. We spent a couple hours in the casino. It would have been less expensive to pay for parking! We ate dinner at the Market Buffet, located in the casino. It wasn’t a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner but good nonetheless.
After dinner we walked down Niagara Parkway, enjoying the Winter Festival of Lights displays as well as the lighted falls.
the American Falls
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Mickey Mouse
Winter Festival of Lights displays and Skylon Tower
We returned to our hotel around 7:00 PM. We planned to drive around Dufferin Islands to see the Winter Festival of Lights displays there, but forgot!
We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day holiday, although the weather could have been warmer! I’m thankful, though, that we didn’t see any snow and ice, as was the case 6 years ago!
The Beauty Around Us 
6 Responses to “An Ontario Thanksgiving”
Great photos, Linda, and it looks like you two had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I love Niagara-on-the-Lake. George and I visited there in 2002 –and drove around that area for awhile… In fact, I like the entire Niagara area on the Canadian side… Love seeing all of the colors (Festival of the Lights)… I hope we can get to Niagara sometime in the winter… I'd love to see the ice around the waterfalls….Thanks for sharing.Hugs,Betsy
Hi Linda, what a lovely time you two had at Niagara on the lake. It is a pretty place and your photos are wonderful.
How wonderful, great photos Linda. Must have been a fantastic Thanksgiving for you and Bob. I was at Niagara Falls several years ago with my sister but never visited Niagara-on-the-Lake. Hopefully Gregg and I will enjoy that trip one day. It's on our bucket list.
I think I would have enjoyed a visit like this…didn't look like there were any people at all. I just hate to fight crowds.
I really enjoyed your night photos. They were all very good. Your trip brought back memories of the trip we made in 2002. I would really like to make a return visit in the future.
All the best for the new blog Linda.Excellent photos. The bridge on the Niagara looks interesting.. 🙂