We're a mid-twenty's couple headed to St. Catharine's for 2 nights/3 days for our 1st anniversary. We are wondering what the Fodorites recommended doing there!?!

We are taking our bikes and will do the wine tours (do you still bring a roll of quarters to taste?). We will spend a day in NOTL enjoying the town/shops, might head to Inn on the Twenty (is it worth it?) We are staying at a B&B called Sandcastle. I've been to N. Falls & Toronto, but now I want to explore the small towns inbetween!

Anotherwords, anyone who has been there/lives there, let me know what is enjoyable about the area! Thanks - Kristy

Definitely take in a play at the Shaw Festival in NOTL. Also, eat at the Tiara Restaurant in the Queen's Landing hotel.

I have heard good things about On the Twenty, but I haven't been yet. I am headed to NOTL for 5 plays in August and might try it then.

After NOTL, I will be headed to Stratford for more plays.

Check at the first winery you go to for an official Ontario Wine Route map. That will give you a good reference for most of the wineries in the area's names and locations. On the Twenty for lunch or dinner is very good. So also are Hillebrand, Peller Estates, Vineland Estates and Peninsula Ridge winery restaurants. My favorite is Vineland Estates, when the weather is good and you can dine on the outdoor deck.

Yes, take some change for tastings as most have gone the fee for tastings route. Some waive the fee if you are buying a quantity of wine, or if you are tasting a preview from the wine list prior to eating in their restaurant.

Most of the wineries are found on/near Highway 81 between Grimsby and Jordan, on Niagara Stone Rd (Hwy 51)in Niagara on the Lake, along Lakeshore Rd. in Niagara on the Lake, and then continue on the Niagara Parkway almost to Queenston.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Thanks for your info! Will the wineries be open on Sunday? And I gather that I will be better off driving into NOTL and leaving on a bike from there? (We are bringing our own bikes) Is this true princessjudy? Thanks for the locations, that was a mystery to me!

And Lauren, I would love the theatre, but my husband finds it painful, so I'll have to wait for a ladies weekend up there before I make it to that!

All the wineries will be open on Sundays, they are big tourism days. The only days they may be closed are Stat holidays.

If you are talking about a winery bike tour, then yes drive to NOTL and if you have not already decided, I think Peller Estates would be a good place to start.

Here's the official site for the wineries, not all are listed or on the map, as it involves a fee and a membership.
http://www.wineroute.com/home.htm
you can email them directly for more details and you can also download a map.
Check out the page on the site that lists which wineries serve food (formal or informal).
http://www.winesofontario.org/caldine.htm

On the Twenty is a good restuarant to go to. I highly recommend wine tours - there is a wine route you can follow - especially like Inniskillen and Chateau des Charmes. Make sure you try ICE WINE - a local specialty. Also very good theather in NOTL at the Shaw Festival - they have a web site. Casino Niagara only about 15 minutes away if you like Casino's.

You'll definitely want to head for the Niaraga Parkway with your bikes. There's a fabulous bike path (bring a picnic) all along with magnificent scenery. You can park for free at Queenston Heights - you might want to bicycle from there to NOTL and back. While in NOTL, be sure to head for the bike path and gazebo along the lake. Another great destination is Port Dalhousie - see www.portdalhousie.com. And, it would be great fun to bike through Welland past all the amazing murals. For a map see http://www.iaw.on.ca/~town/muralmap.htm

On the Twenty is definitely worth the drive and the tariff. It's just as nice for lunch as for dinner. In daylight, the gardens beyond the dining rooms are gorgeous. Right in St. Catharine, though, is the Blue Mermaid with a lovely restaurant upstairs (reserve a table in one of the corners) with tableside preparations, and a terrific piano lounge (couches, cocktail tables, arranged in intimate seating areas) downstairs. See www.thebluemermaid.com.

I am not sure why you would stay in St. Catherines rather than NOTL or Niagara Falls. It is a small industrial town (GM)and not partictularly attractive compared to the others!

If it's the Sandcastle B&B we've driven by, though the address is St. Catharine's, is a very short walk in a nice neighborhood just steps from the Lake and only a mile and a half or so west of Port Dalhousie Harbor.