Hamilton Remembers
During the month of November, we take the time to remember our veterans, the brave men and women who have served our country and people by participating in conflicts throughout history. No matter how recent the battle, or how old the veteran, they have all helped in protecting us and the ones we love. They deserve to be respected and honoured, which is why we have Remembrance Day. To those interested, we have assembled a day trip tour in Hamilton, known as Hamilton Remembers.
Parked in Hamilton Harbour, the HMCS HAIDA is our first site. Once a fearsome warship, it is now not only the last of its kind, but is also owned by Parks Canada to be used as a National Historic Site and a historical artifact. Tour guests will not only learn about the technology the ship uses, but also about life on the ship, as participants will be able to take the tour inside, it’s a very unique experience.
Following that, we will head to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The museum features both flyable and static displays of aircraft used by the Canadian military from World War II up to the present day as well as numerous workshops. The museum has highly interactive displays such as combat simulators, interacactive video displays, photographs, memorabilia, and even the ability to climb into the cockpit of real fighter planes. It’s the perfect opportunity to get hands on with history.
Our tour is set to give our guests an intimate look at the history, culture, hardships and triumphs of Canadian war veterans over the years. By being so close to the past, we will all be able to remember those who fought for us.
Scarecrow Festival Tour
This is an interesting tour, we begin with a guided tour of the Christ Church Anglican Church in Meaford, which features an exquisite array of colourful and detailed stained-glass windows. The windows were assembled using fragments of glass from damaged churches in Europe during World War II, and pay tribute to the men and women who served overseas during the era.
Afterwords we will be visiting the Coffin Ridge Boutique Winery for a tour and tasting. Careful research has been put into how the grapes thrive in cold climates and clay soil to create wines that enhance the nature of foods and relationships. Coffin Ridge features reds and whites, rose and fruit wines as well as hard cider and non-alcoholic beverages to suit a wide array of tastes.
Next up we stop by Meaford Hall for a catered lunch, then we will take a tour of the town, only things aren’t normal across the town, it appears the town has been invaded! A Scarecrow Invasion is taking place! Scarecrows are everywhere! From shops, to lamp posts, to houses, and more! There are also competitions and parades that take place for the scare crows.
Following that is a visit to Beautiful Joe Park, a park named after a horribly abused dog from the town until it was rescued, a dog which Margaret Marshall wrote a novel about in 1893, which became a literary classic and the first Canadian novel to sell over a million copies. The park promotes the ethical treatment of animals and values of Joe’s story.
And finally before we depart for the day, we will be taking a snack stop at Grandma Lambe’s Apple & Apple Products. Featuring home grown ingredients, Grandma Lambe’s features fresh fruits and vegetables, along with jams and pies that are as sweet as can be.
Everyday Heroes
Heroes exist outside of comic books, heroes are everywhere. From the men and women who serve to protect, to the people responsible for supplying your family with food on the table, heroes are much more common than you may realize. To honour these people, we are taking a tour throughout London, Ontario to appreciate our Everyday Heroes.
We start our tour visiting the site of the creation of insulin, the Banting House. There are over 9 million Canadians currently living with diabetes who depend on insulin to continue to live healthy, productive lives. To say that Frederick Banting is a hero to the many people affected by diabetes, whether they be the people with diabetes or their friends and families, is a great understatement.
Following this we will stop at the Carolinian Winery for lunch and tastings. They feature over a dozen new fruit wines made with berries located on site along with homemade comfort foods.
Canadians have placed faith in our soldiers to keep us and the world from harm, which is why we will be visiting the RCR Regiment, featuring the history of the Royal Canadian Regiment. With this tour, we will be able to truly appreciate what most would consider real heroes. Visitors will see timelines galleries that trace back to 1883, as well as view memorials, medals awarded to soldiers, and the equipment and weapons issued to soldiers for over a century.
Entertainment is certainly not an easy task, as various men and women work extremely hard to present captivating shows on stage. We’ll stop for a backstage tour and tea at London’s most prominent theatre, the Grand Theatre. Witness the gorgeous Proscenium Arch, learn about the famous actors who have provided their talents on stage, and perhaps hear a thrilling ghost story along the way.
With enough history under your belt, it will be time to do some shopping! The people who supply us with goods and services everyday are heroes too! Whether you are set to shop for things for home, clothing, gadgets, art, books, sports equipment etc. or if you would rather stop at a cafe or health and beauty center, visitors will have the opportunity to bring home unique gifts and experiences with them as we conclude the day.
Rum Runners Tour
Prohibition was an unpredictable and age filled with glamour and excitement difficult to match at any other time in history, inducing the birth of speakeasies, flapper girls and blind pigs. Gangsters fought to secure a share of the illegal liquor business and mobsters like Al Capone relied on Windsor as the main supplier. Our Rum Runners Tour takes you back in time to what was the Roaring Twenties.
On this tour, we will get to learn about the secrets used by bootleggers to smuggle liquor across the border, and see where they would hide out to avoid being captured. This is certain to be an entertaining, and educational experience!
We will enjoy one of the famous riverfront roadhouses and be greeted by Bertha Thomas, who served many Hollywood movie stars and some of the most notorious gangsters at Edgewater Inn.
Following that unique encounter, we head to the Canadian Club Heritage center, where we will get to taste Canada’s most famous whisky and meet the colourful “King Canada” who used to ship liquor daily to Al Capone in Chicago.
Next up, we visit the church made famous by “The Fighting Parson” and meet the gun toting Methodist minister. After which we will view the mansions in Walkerville paid for by rum running profits and lunch will be served at one of their famous haunts. One thing for sure, you will enjoy this tour!
Escape To Nature
Canada is well known for the abundance of nature, dense forests and sparkling waters, if you’re eager to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and truly take advantage of our beautiful country, we’re offering our Escape to Nature tours of Erie North Shore to you!
Our initial stop may seem like an average fisherman’s shanty on the outside, but inside is one of the most interesting and friendly small town museums in Canada, the Port Dover Maritime Museum. The museum features a wealth of history with exhibits of shipwrecks and their artifacts. we will get to take a tour of the harbour with a net maker, where you will learn all about the area and it’s unique artifacts. Following that we will be on a river cruise aboard the River Rider.
Along the beach strip we will stop for a lunch consisting of perch and chips at Fisherman’s Catch in Port Dover. After that we will be visiting Canada’s first forestry station in the small hamlet and fishing community of St. Williams. With a population of 400 people, it also houses Backus Mill, one of the only mills to not be burned down during the war of 1812.
Finally, we will be stopping for a guided tour at the Bird Studies Canada site in Long Point. Focused on migratory birds and local breeding, it is a non-profit research and monitoring station committed to involving Canadians in research for the conservation of wild birds. 174 species are said to be nesting there, so there’s always the possibility of witnessing a few birds that will be completely new to you!
