Ridgeway Ontario is a smaller, less crowded version of Niagara on the Lake
The Buffalo News
10/12/2014
For the past several summers my husband and I have headed across the border to southern Ontario for an overnight getaway to celebrate our anniversary. While the general plan involves spending the night in Niagara-on-the-Lake and seeing a Shaw Festival production the following day, we also like to include a visit to other destinations in the area.
This year we decided to check out Ridgeway, which is part of the town of Fort Erie. For folks older than 35 the name Ridgeway will sound very familiar since it is the town to drive through to get to the now-closed Crystal Beach amusement park.
Ridgeway is reminiscent of Niagara-on-the-Lake, but on a smaller scale; it has a variety of boutique shops and restaurants located along Ridge Road, its main thoroughfare. It has the same quaintness as Niagara-on-the-Lake minus the crowds of people.
Ridgeway, named after the limestone ridge that runs through it, was once known as Bertie Township. One point of interest in the town is the site of the Battle of Ridgeway, a Canadian National Historic Site, which is located near the intersection of Garrison and Ridge roads. On June 2, 1866, an Irish-American revolutionary group of Civil War veterans, known as the Fenians, invaded Canada in a failed attempt to create an independent Irish republic. The site features outdoor interpretive panels that explain the story of the raid.
Visitors also can learn more about Ridgeway and Fort Erie at the Fort Erie Historical Society (www.musuem.forterie.ca), which is located along Ridge Road about a block from the main shopping area. We didn’t stop there on this trip but have visited the museum in the past. Located in the former Bertie Township town hall, the museum focuses on the history of the area, including everything from the Fenian Raid to the Crystal Beach amusement park.
We arrived in Ridgeway shortly after 10 a.m. and found parking in the large lot that is located adjacent to the Friendship Trail, a 16 km hiking/biking trail built on an abandoned railway corridor. From 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays, the parking lot is turned into a farmers’ market, with vendors specializing in locally grown fresh produce, baked goods, teas, meat pies and hand-made items. Across the street from the parking lot is a splash pad, a popular place for kids to cool off in the summer.
We spent a couple of hours browsing the shops. One of my favorites was Unique Creations Artisans Outlet (www.ucao.ca), where we spent time perusing a large selection of paintings, photos, jewelry, accessories, candles, home décor and more. All items are made by Canadian artisans. I found a bracelet with a blue heart that perfectly matched the outfit I was wearing that day. Naturally I asked my husband to buy it for me for our anniversary. I also found a bracelet I knew my daughter would like.
The shop next door, Schmittz & Gigglez, carried a variety of retro candies and British imports. I found a couple of Pez dispensers I knew my youngest son would love. We also browsed in the Downtown Dollar & Discount, which had a lot of unusual items, including toys, novelty items, party supplies, school supplies and holiday décor.
Across the street, First Impressions and Lasting Impressions carried a variety of decorative items for the home, as well as clothing and accessories. A few doors down, Three Ferrises Boutique (www.threeferrisesboutique.com) has a nice selection of fashions and accessories. Some of the other fashion and accessory stores in town included the Black Cat Boutique, which has unique clothing geared mainly toward teens and younger women. I tried on a few outfits at A Renaissance Woman (www.arenaissancewoman.ca), an upscale consignment shop that has very reasonably priced one-of-a-kind jewelry, accessories and clothing.
There are giftware sections at both of the drugstores in town, Brodies and Boggio & Edwards IDA. You can even get Crystal Beach suckers and Crystal Beach sugar waffles at the latter. Lakeshore Book & Arts has a nice selection of books, as well as artwork and home décor items, while Under the Moon (www.underthemoon.ca) features fine art, antiques and art books.
When lunchtime rolled around we had several restaurant options. If we wanted very casual or takeout, there was Stewarts Fried Chicken/Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlor or the Chip Shack, a seasonal take-out only snack bar.
We wanted to have a more leisurely sit-down meal, so our choices included Maria’s Family Restaurant, the Trailside Bar & Grill (www.trailsidebarandgrill.ca), which had a sign outside advertising its Friday fish fry, as well as burgers wraps and wings, and Ridgeway’s Restaurant (www.ridgewayrestaurantandcatering.com), where we decided to eat. Since it was a warm August day, we opted to eat outdoors.
Since we wanted to head to Niagara-on-the-Lake after lunch, we didn’t have the opportunity to stop by the Sanctuary Center for the Arts (www.thesanctuaryarts.org), a former church building that now houses an art gallery featuring local artists, as well as a performing arts center. The Arts Council of Fort Erie is headquartered here (www.forterieartscouncil.com). Also located in the building is the Brimstone Brewing Company, (www.brimstonebrewing.ca), a craft-beer nanobrewery. Its tap room is open for beer tastings and food pairings on Thursday and Friday evenings and from noon to midnight on Saturdays.
For more information, visit www.ridgewayont.ca.
The Buffalo News
10/12/2014
For the past several summers my husband and I have headed across the border to southern Ontario for an overnight getaway to celebrate our anniversary. While the general plan involves spending the night in Niagara-on-the-Lake and seeing a Shaw Festival production the following day, we also like to include a visit to other destinations in the area.
This year we decided to check out Ridgeway, which is part of the town of Fort Erie. For folks older than 35 the name Ridgeway will sound very familiar since it is the town to drive through to get to the now-closed Crystal Beach amusement park.
Ridgeway is reminiscent of Niagara-on-the-Lake, but on a smaller scale; it has a variety of boutique shops and restaurants located along Ridge Road, its main thoroughfare. It has the same quaintness as Niagara-on-the-Lake minus the crowds of people.
Ridgeway, named after the limestone ridge that runs through it, was once known as Bertie Township. One point of interest in the town is the site of the Battle of Ridgeway, a Canadian National Historic Site, which is located near the intersection of Garrison and Ridge roads. On June 2, 1866, an Irish-American revolutionary group of Civil War veterans, known as the Fenians, invaded Canada in a failed attempt to create an independent Irish republic. The site features outdoor interpretive panels that explain the story of the raid.
Visitors also can learn more about Ridgeway and Fort Erie at the Fort Erie Historical Society (www.musuem.forterie.ca), which is located along Ridge Road about a block from the main shopping area. We didn’t stop there on this trip but have visited the museum in the past. Located in the former Bertie Township town hall, the museum focuses on the history of the area, including everything from the Fenian Raid to the Crystal Beach amusement park.
We arrived in Ridgeway shortly after 10 a.m. and found parking in the large lot that is located adjacent to the Friendship Trail, a 16 km hiking/biking trail built on an abandoned railway corridor. From 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays, the parking lot is turned into a farmers’ market, with vendors specializing in locally grown fresh produce, baked goods, teas, meat pies and hand-made items. Across the street from the parking lot is a splash pad, a popular place for kids to cool off in the summer.
We spent a couple of hours browsing the shops. One of my favorites was Unique Creations Artisans Outlet (www.ucao.ca), where we spent time perusing a large selection of paintings, photos, jewelry, accessories, candles, home décor and more. All items are made by Canadian artisans. I found a bracelet with a blue heart that perfectly matched the outfit I was wearing that day. Naturally I asked my husband to buy it for me for our anniversary. I also found a bracelet I knew my daughter would like.
The shop next door, Schmittz & Gigglez, carried a variety of retro candies and British imports. I found a couple of Pez dispensers I knew my youngest son would love. We also browsed in the Downtown Dollar & Discount, which had a lot of unusual items, including toys, novelty items, party supplies, school supplies and holiday décor.
Across the street, First Impressions and Lasting Impressions carried a variety of decorative items for the home, as well as clothing and accessories. A few doors down, Three Ferrises Boutique (www.threeferrisesboutique.com) has a nice selection of fashions and accessories. Some of the other fashion and accessory stores in town included the Black Cat Boutique, which has unique clothing geared mainly toward teens and younger women. I tried on a few outfits at A Renaissance Woman (www.arenaissancewoman.ca), an upscale consignment shop that has very reasonably priced one-of-a-kind jewelry, accessories and clothing.
There are giftware sections at both of the drugstores in town, Brodies and Boggio & Edwards IDA. You can even get Crystal Beach suckers and Crystal Beach sugar waffles at the latter. Lakeshore Book & Arts has a nice selection of books, as well as artwork and home décor items, while Under the Moon (www.underthemoon.ca) features fine art, antiques and art books.
When lunchtime rolled around we had several restaurant options. If we wanted very casual or takeout, there was Stewarts Fried Chicken/Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlor or the Chip Shack, a seasonal take-out only snack bar.
We wanted to have a more leisurely sit-down meal, so our choices included Maria’s Family Restaurant, the Trailside Bar & Grill (www.trailsidebarandgrill.ca), which had a sign outside advertising its Friday fish fry, as well as burgers wraps and wings, and Ridgeway’s Restaurant (www.ridgewayrestaurantandcatering.com), where we decided to eat. Since it was a warm August day, we opted to eat outdoors.
Since we wanted to head to Niagara-on-the-Lake after lunch, we didn’t have the opportunity to stop by the Sanctuary Center for the Arts (www.thesanctuaryarts.org), a former church building that now houses an art gallery featuring local artists, as well as a performing arts center. The Arts Council of Fort Erie is headquartered here (www.forterieartscouncil.com). Also located in the building is the Brimstone Brewing Company, (www.brimstonebrewing.ca), a craft-beer nanobrewery. Its tap room is open for beer tastings and food pairings on Thursday and Friday evenings and from noon to midnight on Saturdays.
For more information, visit www.ridgewayont.ca.
