Silver and Gold Magazine Winter 2014-2015 | Page 26

Welcome the Winter Season Vacation! Winter may bring its own issues when it comes to snowy, cold weather, but in my opinion, it is one of the most fun times of the year! There are so many things to see and do. There are numerous craft and Christmas shows on, but there are also some fabulous places to visit and enjoy the season’s bounty – from church suppers, to Christmas shows and craft sales, to local farm markets like Josmar Acres in Lynden that are dressing up their barns and offering a jolly good time with tasty warm cider, farm fresh eggs, maple syrup from their own bush, Christmas décor and bird seed for our feathered friends. Worth paying them a visit! www.josmaracres.com Niagara Region certainly has much to offer, and it’s not that far, really... Here you can always stop at the Falls and see the special light displays, especially those along the parkway. En-route there are of course numerous wineries, have you visited Konzelman Estate Winery yet? They make deliciously unique wines that you can bring home to share with family and friends. Konzelman is situated on the south shore of Lake Ontario in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the owners’ have a long history of wine making, so it’s sure to be good! www.konzelmann.ca On the way back, another fantastic stop is to visit Coles Florist in Grimsby to see their Christmas Cottage – a true hidden gem, displaying the Niagara Region’s largest collection of Christmas decor, which fortunately is all for sale! The garden centre is well stocked, and a unique service they offer is the “Four Season Program”: You pick the seasons you’d like beautiful planters and they’ll take care of the rest by delivering a new insert and taking the old away. www.colesflorist.ca About an hour’s drive from Hamilton, visit the Simcoe Christmas Panorama River of Lights simcoepanorama.ca This year the light shows are from Nov 29th to January 4th and there are various coach tours available that will take you there, with many sights to see along the way, including venues such as Will’s Christmas Tree Farm in Flamborough – why not get out in the country and see how the trees are actually Also a super place to visit this winter is Nigh’s Sweet Shop in Stevensville (between Niagara Falls and Fort Erie), for that homemade taste of perfectly crafted specialty chocolates... Looking to satisfy the holiday’s “chocolate fix”? Nigh’s could very well be the best little chocolate shop you’ve ever indulged in! www.nighs.ca 26 – By Marianne Vogel For more articles, recipes & resources click here: www.silvergoldmagazine.ca