Wine and Waterfalls, A Day Trip From Toronto

                   Being from America I’ve always had this picture of Canada being this wild wilderness type place. After spending a few days in Toronto I was second guessing this belief. So I thought I would take a trip out of the city. Lucky for me AirBNB has a wonderful selection of day trips led by locals who really know their stuff. I chose a trip that took you to see waterfalls and wine.. Who doesn’t like waterfalls and wine??? Well me… Waterfalls I’m good with.. Wine.. mehhhhh… not really my thing… or so I thought.

            The day started with the meet up at a local Mcdonalds, there I got to meet the others in my group. I actually enjoy group trips. Random people are thrown together for a day of adventure. I understand that group trips are not for everyone but I like the comfort of knowing that when I travel alone someone will notice if I go missing. This group was made up of several age groups and nationalities which made it even more interesting than usual. Once everyone was loaded into the van our guide Alan started our trip out of the city.

           The first of our stops was a place called Tiffany Falls. We made a roadside stop in a very unassuming place and all piled out of the van. Standing on the side of the road and looking at a small path that led into the woods I was questioning my life choices. But you’ll never find adventure on the side of the road so onward I went into the gloomy dark woods… and I’m so glad I did. The small path wound its way through the woods following a small stream and over a couple of well-constructed footbridges. A winding path led us through the forest and finally ending with a beautiful waterfall. Alan explained to us how the falls were formed and that they were named after the first doctor in the area. And all of that was very interesting but the view took the words right out of my mouth. It’s a beautiful half moon waterfall surrounded by a gorgeous forest. It was a wonderful start to our adventure.

          Our next stop was another waterfall. This one had a bit more ominous name. It’s the Devils Punchbowl, a beautiful waterfall in a circular shape. While the waterfall itself is beautiful the different colored layers of stratified rock is amazing. While there are many stories on how this area got its name the most common is that God would never name his creation after himself so he named it after the devil. A short walk around the falls is a wonderful little bakery where we got to sample some irresistible sweet treats a lot of them specific to just this area. Oh, boy were they good.

           Down the road a little more, we start to see the familiar rows of vines. Were headed to the Vineyard. I have to be honest wine has never topped my list of things to try but, I’m on an adventure so I’m just going with it.

             We arrive at the Sue- Ann Staff Estate and are quickly welcomed in the most adorable way. We met Brix, a fabulous Bernese Mountain dog. He is the face of Sue-Ann’s Estate. We all filed into a beautiful kitchen where we were taught how to taste wine. The first two I was able to hold down but for someone who doesn’t like wine that was an accomplishment. Let me go further saying that according to my companions, who did drink wine, it was some of the best. Then we moved on to a wine that’s native to the area and probably one of my favorite drinks. If you have never tried ice wine OMG you don’t know what your missing. According to our wine instructor, ice wine is made at the end of the growing season and once the grapes freeze on the vine they are harvested and made into the sweet concoction that is ice wine. This scrumptious dessert wine is definitely something you should try if you’re ever in the area.

         Once everyone was feeling very relaxed we headed to our last stop of the trip and by far the coolest, Niagara Falls. The falls were found by a French explorer in 1678. Since then it has become one of the most well-known landmarks in the United States and Canada. Throughout the years people have come from far and wide to see these imposing waterfalls. Some have even tried to jump into them in barrels. WTH??? These sensational falls were 12 thousand years in the making. The roar of the water is deafening. On the day that I had the pleasure of viewing them the ice had yet to melt and with a drizzle of rain it was a bit cold but still spectacular.

While the view was breathtaking I found the history to be fascinating. Nikola Tesla as a boy looked at Niagara Falls and said that someday he would harness that power and with the help of some extremely talented people that’s exactly what he did. In 1895 Niagara Falls became the first hydroelectric plant in the world. While the falls are beautiful it’s almost overshadowed by the crazy immense power.

            After a full day of yummy wine and frozen falls, we all piled back into the van and headed back to Toronto. This was a wonderful day. I made some new friends and got to see some of the natural beauty Ontario has to offer.