We had a few hours to kill before we had to head back to the Toronto airport after checking out of our hotel in Niagara Falls, so we drove the twenty or so minutes to Niagara On The Lake.  It was probably one of the best decisions we made that whole trip.  The drive was gorgeous.  The road ran along Lake Ontario, which could be viewed through the orange, yellow and red leaves of the autumn trees.

We passed about fifteen wineries, both large and small, on our way into town and we vowed to stop into one on our way back out.  We didn’t really have a plan in mind for once we arrived, so we just kept taking turns that we thought would lead us to the lake.  We finally made it to a park on Lake Ontario, with a gorgeous gazebo and a path that led along the shore.

We walked along the path a ways.  The Toronto skyline was faintly visible across the lake, which provided us with a nice bookend for the trip.  It was a beautiful day for a walk along the lake, but we were limited on time, so we hopped back in the car and started driving again.  This time, our random choices took us past a cute boutique hotel, a beautiful golf course and through a neighborhood of beautiful lake houses.

Because we had not destination in mind, we wound up on our way out of Niagara on the Lake, towards the airport.  We were heading out a different way than we came in and I was so worried we would miss out on all of the beautiful vineyards in the area.  Luckily, we spotted Jackson Triggs Winery up the road and jumped on the chance to check it out.

The tasting room was set in between rows and rows of vines, which were a perfect emerald green in the sunshine.  We went in with the intention of only splitting a flight of three wines between us, but wound up sharing two flights.  We tried a Brut, a Sauvignon Blanc, a White Blend, a Merlot, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Red Blend.  They were all excellent, made more so by the wonderful woman pouring for us, who was knowledgeable about the wine and super nice.  We ended up leaving with a bottle of the Merlot, which was to be saved for a special occasion.

We had to get the rental car back to the airport by 4:00pm, which made us very early for our 7:45pm flight.  This ended up being a blessing, because as soon as we walked into the airport, we were hit with the news that our flight was cancelled.  We ran to the United Guest Service desk to see if we could get on another flight, where they informed us we had been re-booked on a 9:00am plane the next morning.  She took one look at our faces and offered to give us stand by tickets for a flight that boarded in 40 minutes.  We dropped off our luggage, ran through security and customs and made it to the gate with minutes to spare.  Our guardian angel at the guest service desk must have called ahead because we had tickets waiting for us.  Once we were actually on the plane, I had a moment to reflect on our vacation, and what a wonderful trip it was.

Have you ever been to Niagara On The Lake?  Did you stay overnight or just visit?