Celebrate Mother's Day in Burlington!

Celebrate Mother's Day in Burlington!

She’s the one who kissed our boo-boos away, lends an ear and is there for us through thick and thin – thanks MOM!  With only a week until Mother’s Day you still have time to plan the perfect celebration for your mom, grandmother or other special lady in your life.  From events to brunch to gift ideas, Tourism Burlington is here to help.

If you are looking for a special event to share with your mom consider heading to Ireland House at Oakridge Farm for their Queen’s Jubilee Mother’s Day Royal Tea.  This celebration to honour the Queen’s 60^th Jubilee includes live entertainment, tea workshops, horse & carriage rides, gardening demonstrations, hands-on activities, a visit from “the Queen” and tea parties (1:00pm, 2:30pm & 4:00pm).  Tickets for the tea party are sold in advance.  What a great way to enjoy this special day at this historic site. 

For mom’s that prefer something a bit more outdoorsy, plan to visit Crawford Lake for their wildflower walks for mom.  This guided walk through the park woodlands begins with a spring slideshow then you head outside where a guide will accompany you and explain the natural and cultural history of the area wildflowers.  Post walk, mom can relax with a serving of Nature’s Tea. 

For mom’s that like a bit of entertainment, the Halton Region Museum celebrates mother’s day with their spring jazz series featuring the George Grosman Quartet.  Spend the afternoon enjoying the sounds of this outstanding jazz quartet and noshing on some light appetizers.  Tickets should be purchased in advance as a limited number will be available at the door.

The best gift “fore” mom.  On May 12th and 13th at Hidden Lake Golf and Lowville bring your mom out for a round of golf and she plays free when accompanied by a full-paying green fee and purchase of a power cart. Consider adding brunch at Lowville to your day out only $12.95 per person from 9am-1pm.

For the sweetest mom consider spending the day exploring the Burlington Chocolate Trail.  This self guided trail of all things chocolate includes 5 chocolatiers making amazing creations; five restaurants featuring decadent desserts; six artisan food producers with a wide variety of chocolate treats and two spas where you can relax with a chocolate treatment.

When is brunch not just brunch - when you head to the Royal Botanical Gardens for their Mother’s Day brunch. Enjoy entertainment and spectacular food prepared at the Gardens Café.  Your package includes shuttle service to the garden areas where mom can view the Tulip and Lilac blooms.  Reservations are required.

Burlington is home to such an array of great restaurants that you are sure to find the perfect spot to treat your mom.  Here is a listing of restaurants offering Mother’s Day brunch/buffet:

Alloro; 11am-2pm - Sunday Brunch

Beaver & Bulldog; starts at 10:30am - Mother’s Day Brunch

Downtown Bistro; 11am-3pm - Mother’s Day Brunch & 5pm-9pm - Mother’s Day Dinner

Honey West; 11am-4pm - Mother’s Day Brunch & 6pm, 8pm - Mother’s Day Dinner

Jake’s Grill &Oyster House, Lunch & Dinner Specials, live jazz & gift for mom

LaCosta Nuova; 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm - Italian Style Buffet

Local Eatery & Refuge; All day - Mom’s enjoy a complimentary entrée*

Martini House; Mom’s meal is on us, restrictions apply. One Mom per table of four.
Pepperwood Bistro; Mother’s Day Buffet

Red Canoe Bistro; 10am, 11:30am, 1:30pm - Mother’s Day Buffet        

Spencer’s at the Waterfront; Mother’s Day Brunch

Stone House Restaurant; 4pm-8:30pm - Sunday Buffet        

Water St. Cooker; Sunday Brunch

If you are looking for the perfect mother’s day gift we have some suggestions to fit every budget.  Flowers are always nice and chocolates (check out our chocolate trail vendors) are a guaranteed hit. For those looking for something more unique consider visiting Art Etc. at the Burlington Art Centre where you can find Canadian handmade items ranging from jewelry to pottery and more.  If mom is a gardener, head to the Shop at the Gardens (RBG) for the perfect gift.  For the foodie, look no further than Springridge Farm, they carry a wide variety of gourmet goodies and cookbooks, as well as home and garden gifts.  Downtown Burlington is home to many one of a kind shops that are sure to please even the hardest to buy for mom.  For fashion, head to Joelle’s, Mirella’s Ladies Boutique, Ohh!! Beautiful Things, Pearl Street Fine Shoes, Promises and Lace and the list goes on!  For home décor and gifts think Artist’s Walk in the Village Square, Centro Garden, Fairhome and Stir Kitchen.  Visit the Downtown Burlington website for a complete list of retailers.  Of course you can always find what you’re looking for at Mapleview Centre or Burlington Mall and if you can’t decide a gift certificate is always appreciated.

Of course some moms are happy with a homemade card and gift and we think that is just great too! 

Happy Mother’s Day 

 

Tourism Burlington celebrates National Tourism Week with 2 contests!

Every day the staff at Tourism Burlington are busy working to promote our great city to visitors and residents.  Once a year Canada takes a week to celebrate tourism and we couldn’t be more excited!  National Tourism Week runs from Monday May 14th to Sunday May 20th and we are going to be promoting the “hidden gems” of Burlington.

At tourism we love to have fun and what is more fun than a contest with a chance to win great prizes?  We’ll tell you – it’s two contests!

The first contest is our Attractions “Hidden Gems” contest.  Each day a member of our tourism team will become a hidden gem at our local attractions.  Follow us on Twitter with hashtag #HiddenGemsBurl for hints to help you be the first person to find us on location* and win a gift valued at $50.00 compliments of the attraction we are visiting. *you must find us in person to win

Once we are found we will tweet our exact location at the attraction so you can meet up with us and pick up your free Tourism souvenir and our 2012-13 visitor guide. We will give you a hint now…we’ll be the ones wearing the green tourism golf shirt or jacket. Plus we’re giving you a schedule of where we will be so you just need to follow us on Twitter and head to the location(s) of the day to find us.

Monday May 14th we will be heading to Bronte Creek Provincial Park** and Springridge Farm.  At Bronte Creek you will be challenged to find us in the park that includes over 10km of trails, an 1800’s farmhouse, a children’s play barn and a campground.  The first person to find us at this location will win Ontario Parks gift certificates and a 500ml bottle of Bronte Creek Maple Syrup. What a delicious prize! With so many great hiding places we don’t know where to pick.  Next we will head to Springridge Farm and while we would like to just sit in the bakery all day and enjoy their delicious baked goods we might be a bit too obvious.  However, there are lots of nooks and crannies within the gift shop and bakery/café or maybe we’ll head outside and spend our time in the family fun yard or a top the escarpment lookout.  One thing is for sure, we never leave the farm empty handed and neither will you.

Tuesday May 15th you can find us at the Royal Botanical Gardens** and The Crossroads Centre.  The Royal Botanical Gardens is a great location to explore and you might find us inside the RBG Centre hiding amongst the indoor blooms or checking out the gift shop.  Maybe we’ll tuck ourselves away somewhere in the 400 acres of display gardens. Our choices include the Rose Garden/Hendrie Park Gardens, the Laking Garden or with the tulips (which are in bloom) at the Rock Garden.  Be sure to leave some extra time to visit the RBG after you find us, you won’t be disappointed. We are looking forward to heading to Crossroads Centre for the afternoon.  This hidden gem is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year with many excitingevents.  We are excited about with all the unique hiding spots we have to choose from. Will we be in the studio where 100 Huntley Street is telecast live daily. Maybe we will be at one of the stops along the way during a tour of their state-of-the-art facilities. (Conducted every Monday through Friday at 8:30 am - 1:00 pm).  We could be enjoying a bite at the Towne Square Cafe or maybe relaxing somewhere along the Walk Of Faith. If you have not had the chance to visit Crossroads Centre, we would encourage you to make this one of your stops.  The first person to find us at this location will win a gift bag with some goodies inside, a free lunch at the Towne Square (for that day) and a $50 donation in your name to one of the various humanitarian projects Crossroads has partnered with this year (Wells for clean water in Uganda, Children in Cambodia who are victims of human trafficking, an orphanage in Ukraine, or slums of Calcutta).  Wow something for you and something to give back!

Wednesday May 16th we head mid-town to Burlington Mall & the Burlington Mall Farmers’ Market.  We’ll start our day outdoors at the Burlington Farmers’ Market (open 8am-2pm). You will find everything from apples to zucchini at the market and I know we will be loading up on delicious local food while we are here. Will you find us munching on Shriner's Creek Kettle Popcorn, buying some spring annuals from  Hutchinson Farm or noshing on some yummy produce from one of the many vendors here at the market…you’ll have to wait and see.  Next we head indoors to the Burlington Mall. You will need to stay focused which is challenging when there are so many great stores to shop in.  From department stores to specialty shops we have a lot of choices if we decide to go “in-store” or we might hunker down in the food court and enjoy a bite to eat. We’d probably stand out on the kids rides in the mall but there are lots of spots for us to sit and people watch while we wait for you to find us. 

Thursday May 17th we take on Downtown Burlington and because there are a plethora of locations to choose from we’ve decided to hide twice!  We love hunting for unique items at the downtown shops that feature everything from fashion to furnishings which would be perfect for multi-tasking – who says you can’t shop and be a “hidden gem” at the same time?  There is always the chance we will hide out at one of the great eateries - do we slip into a cosy bistro or chill out on a patio, so many choices.  Maybe we’ll park ourselves in Village Square in the heart of downtown or relax at an outdoor locale.  We know that we will find the perfect spots and we hope you have fun finding us.

Friday May 18th is going to be a great day.  We visit the Joseph Brant Museum** and the Burlington Art Centre.  Joseph Brant Museum is not only a big part of Burlington history, it’s also home to many collections and historical information and this year they celebrate their 70th anniversary! So the question is where will you find us? Will we be checking out The Gilded Age: In Pursuit of Pleasure - Fashion in Edwardian Times exhibit in the Eileen Collard Gallery or soaking up some history in the Burlington History Gallery. Even if you are not the first to find us your trip to the museum will be worth it. But if you are the first person to find us at this location you will win a prize pack of goodies from the Museums of Burlington gift shop!  After our visit to the museum we will be heading across the street to the Burlington Art Centre.  For those that haven’t been, we can tell you that it’s home to seven guilds and the world’s largest collection of contemporary Canadian ceramics.  But what you want to know is where to find us.  We could be viewing one of the many exhibits on display including High and Low, the work of Sour Cherry Pottery artists Tony and Sheila Clennell, Immigrant: New Works by Rosemary Sloot  or the Burlington Guild of Handweavers and Spinners - Juried Exhibition.  However, we do enjoy shopping as you have probably guessed by now so we might be found in the Art Etc. Gallery Shop wandering the aisles trying to decide which one of a kind piece we’d like to add to our collection.

Saturday May 19th we take on the great outdoors with a visit to Crawford Lake Conservation Area**.  Conservation Halton has six amazing parks and Crawford Lake is one of our favourites.  The 15th century Iroquoian Village would make a perfect hide-out with its rustic longhouses. Did you know that Crawford Lake is a rare meromictic lake? Perhaps we’ll spend our time cruising the surrounding boardwalk or find a spot along the 19km of trails (which connect to the Bruce Trail!).  Plan to spend the day at this location, there is so much to see and do!

Sunday May 20th we continue our visits to Conservation Halton parks with a trip to Mount Nemo** and we will also be heading to Ireland House at Oakridge Farm**. Mount Nemo has one of the best cliff ecosystems on Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment and your challenge will be to find us somewhere in the midst of the boulders and cedars along the trails.  Visiting Ireland House is like stepping back in time as you tour the house that reflects the life and times of three generations of the Ireland family. This means that we will probably be easy to spot in our modern garb – maybe they will lend us a period piece to wear.  Of course at Ireland House we also have the option to head outdoors and pick a spot somewhere on the 4 acres of woodland, gardens, outbuildings and picnic areas.  If you want to get a head start scoping out this location be sure to visit the Queen's Jubilee Mother's Day Royal Tea on Sunday May 13th. If you are the first person to find us at this location you will win a prize pack of goodies from the Museums of Burlington gift shop!

We hope you have an opportunity to get out and visit the attractions in our “Hidden Gems” contest.  Remember to follow us on twitter for exact times and location clues at #HiddenGemsBurl. 

**Entrance fees are applicable at these locations.

If you think you know Burlington then this is the contest for you. Our second and equally awesome contest is the “Hidden Gems” photo contest.  Every day from Monday May 14 – Sunday May 20 we will be posting the “hidden gem” photo on our website, facebook and twitter.  Name the location of the “hidden gem” photo of the day by commenting on the photo via facebook or tweeting the location to us with the hashtag #HiddenGemsBurl.  One correct entry will be chosen at random each day and will receive a prize valued at $50.00.

Last but not least we want to remind everyone that there are lots of ways to celebrate Burlington and be a tourism ambassador.  Send an e-card, enjoy our local sites and attractions with a stay-cation, and encourage your friends and family to come and visit (don’t worry we have the perfect guest suite for them).

Happy National Tourism Week from all of us at Tourism Burlington!

2012 Easter Events in Burlington

A sure sign of spring is the arrival of that cute little rabbit known as the Easter bunny.  For those with children you know that the excitement of searching for hidden treats from a furry little friend is second only to awaking Christmas morning.  For those looking to enjoy some family fun there are two great Easter themed events happening over Easter weekend.

Hunting for eggs @Springridge

Head to Springridge Farm April 6th to 8th for their Easter festival which includes an Easter egg hunt with the Easter bunny!  Other festival activities include “Peter Rabbit's Eggcellent Easter Puppet Show”, pedal tractors, wagon rides & farm tour, pony rides, BBQ and face painting.  Plus your kids can enjoy the fun farmyard which includes an animal barn, giant sandbox, corn trail, straw bale jumping and everyone will get a workout climbing to the escarpment lookout.  Be sure to visit the market, gift shop and bakery – you won’t leave empty handed!  The “jam-team” at Springridge has also been working hard over the winter and have created a very special limited edition, Diamond Jubilee Jam in honour of the Queen, don’t miss out - last year’s Royal Wedding Marmalade was a sell out!

Another great family fun event is the Easter egg extravaganza at Mountsberg Conservation Area running April 6th to 9th.  Youngsters can join in the Easter egg hunt and children 10 years and up can participate in the Scavenger Hunt.  Other Easter activities include a colouring book station, bubble station, candy jar guess and Easter jeopardy.  Make sure to leave plenty of time to visit the playbarn, visit with the farm animals and check out the Raptor Centre. 

If you haven’t had a chance to get out and enjoy the maple syrup festivals you still have time, both Mountsberg and Crawford Lake continue to April 9th.

Kids of all ages will be excited to visit Chocolate: The Exhibition at the Royal Botanical Gardens running to April 15th. Visitors to the Exhibition will have the opportunity to explore interactive displays, visit the cacao marketplace, participate in the chocolate chase scavenger hunt and a variety of programs running throughout the day.  For those wanting to get more hands on consider registering for the Incredible, Edible Easter Basket program with Chocolatier David Levy from Chocolate Tales on Monday, April 2nd. 

Casteleyn Easter Goodies

For those looking for a culinary delight consider the self-guided Burlington Chocolate Trail, a decadent day of all things chocolate in Burlington.  Check out the video of our day on the trail.  Be sure to visit the chocolatiers including Walker's Chocolates, Casteleyn Belgian Chocolatiers, Longo Brothers Fruit Market (Walkers/Hwy 5), Purdy's Chocolates and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on the trail to pick up all your Easter goodies!

If you are planning to dine out, many local restaurants feature Easter specials.  Good Friday (April 6) Jake’s Grill & Oyster House will be featuring a fish fry available for dine-in or take out.  April 7th and 8th at the RBG Centre the famous Easter Brunch returns, this time with added chocolate features. Take a stroll through the Gardens and catch some early blooms, then join us in the Café for a delicious spread.  Seatings at 10am and 1pm. Reservations are required.

Sunday April 8th the following restaurants will be offering an Easter Brunch:

Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel and Conference Centre is featuring a wonderful combination of culinary specialties to appeal to everyone's appetites from 11am-1pm.  They will also have a colouring contest and treats for the kids. Call 905-639-4443 for reservations.

The Easter Champagne Sunday Brunch at Spencer’s on the Waterfront features an Easter egg hunt, live entertainment, bar service and a seafood extravaganza including lobster.  $47 per adult, $21 per child (4-12yrs), call 905.633.7494 for reservations.

LaCosta Nuova will feature an Easter Italian Brunch with seatings at 11am and 1pm. Adults $28.95, Kids under 10yrs. $11.95, Kids under 5yrs eat free.  Call 905.634.7421 for reservations.

Stone House Restaurant will feature a delectable Surf & Turf Steak & Seafood Buffet from 11:30am-8:00pm. Only $35per person, reserve your table now at 905-632-1316.

The Water St. Cooker  is having its annual Sunday Brunch (right through dinner), and reservations are filling up very fast!  Emma’s Backporch will be featuring breakfast until 2pm.  Call 905.634.2084 to reserve.

Pepperwood Bistro will be featuring an Easter Brunch with seatings at 11am & 1pm.  $25.95/person.  Reservations can be made at 905.333.6999.


Join Tyandaga Golf Course for Easter Brunch. Seating times are 10:30a.m., 12p.m. or 1:30p.m. $27.99/Adult, $9.95/Child (5-12) under 5 are Free. Call Tony to make your reservation 905-336-0006, ext. 15  

Don’t forget your four-legged friends, have your pet's picture taken with the Easter Bunny on Sunday, April 1st between 11:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Burlington Humane Society’s Bunny Snap.

For those looking to stay active over Easter, consider signing up to participate in the Good Friday 5km, 10km and Kids’ Bunny Hop races by Burlington Runners.  The races begin at 8:50am at Aldershot High School and you can find race details and registration information on their website.

Other great outdoor activities include visiting Conservation Halton Parks, Bronte Creek Provincial Park, Royal Botanical Gardens all of which have excellent walking/hiking trails.  You can also head to the Burlington Waterfront to walk/bike along the scenic trail or visit one of our many parks to enjoy a day out.

Our visitor centre will be closed on Friday April 6th and Sunday April 8th and open regular hours on Saturday April 7th and Monday April 9th. Our administrative offices will be closed Friday-Monday over Easter.  You can also visit our website 24 hours a day or reach us on Twitter and Facebook.

Happy Easter!

Burlington – the apple of our eye!

Fall is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy the cooler temperatures and fruits of the season.



Chudleigh's Farm



 Instead of visiting the grocery store, consider heading to one of our local farms to stock up on farm-fresh fruits and vegetables.  Burlington/Halton are home to many pick your own apple farms including: Applevale Orchards or Bousfield’s Apples and Cider both on Derry Road in Burlington, Chudleigh’s Farm or Willis Family Fruit Farm in Milton or William’s Orchards on Hume Court or Wheelbarrow Orchards in Halton Hills.  Nothing tastes better than an apple straight from the tree! 

Many of these farms also have “entertainment” such as children’s play areas, wagon rides, and more.  Let’s get out and get pickin’!



Applefest

On Sunday September 25th you will want to head to Ireland House at Oakridge Farm for the Applefest Fall Fair - an old-fashioned fall fair right in the city!  You will enjoy the fruit of the season and can take part in family fun activities including scarecrow making, pony rides, face painting and more.  In addition to all the other great activities happening throughout the day, you will have a chance to tour the museum and see demos of pioneer apple schnitzing and old-time apple cider making. There will be artisans and performers on hand to keep you entertained and when you get hungry just stop by the country BBQ and pick up some lunch.  Top it off with a delicious apple treat including apple blossoms with caramel sauce, apple cider and of course, apple pie and you have the making of an amazing day.  For those that rise early, you can enjoy a pancake breakfast from 9-11am featuring country-style homemade pancakes and specialty syrup.  Admission to this event is by donation although some activities and food are at an additional charge.



Springridge Harvest Festival



Springridge Farm

For those that want apples without the picking you can stop by Springridge Farm for apples and apple cider in the farm market and apple crumble in the bakery.  Not only does Springridge Farm feature an amazing bakery, farm market and gift shop but, beginning weekends on Saturday September 24th they will be running their Harvest Festival.  This family friendly event features activities throughout the day including a professional puppet show, wagon rides to the 5-acre corn trail, a Boo barn, pony rides($) and face painting.  If your kids (and you) are looking for more fun head to the onsite fun farm yard which includes the new spiderweb climber and farm yard pipe slide.  You can visit the animals in the farm barn; hike up the hill to the escarpment educational lookout; play in the giant sandbox; try your hand at milking the plywood cow; work your way through the witch’s mouth corn trail, tricky trails and corn maze and more!  After working up an appetite enjoy lunch with their weekend BBQ or stop by their bakery for a sweet treat.  Admission is $10.00 per person (ages 2 and up).

Not a baker?  No problem, enjoy a delicious meal and top it off with apple goodness at many of our Burlington restaurants including:

• The Water Street Cooker are featuring a homemade giant cookie with local (Paula Red) apples roasted in white balsamic vinegar and ice cream.
• The Downtown Bistro are featuring a house made apple crumble with apples fresh from our Burlington Mall Farmer’s Market.
• The Black Bull Restaurant & British Pub are featuring Chudleigh's Apple Blossom and ice cream.
• The Red Canoe Bistro has been visiting the Burlington Mall Farmer’s Market for fresh apples to create, Flash smoked "Marigold" Chicken, Chevre and Apple stuffing, local Beauregard Yam Mash, Roast Market Apple and Shallot Jus.

We hope you are ready to enjoy the fall and we look forward to sharing with you all the great things to do year round in Burlington.

From Our Own Backyard

Guest Blogger: Niki from Springridge Farms

We are looking forward to all of the local, seasonal foods Ontario has to offer over the summer! At Springridge, we can’t get much more ‘local’ than enjoying the strawberries grown right in our own backyard on Bell School Line. Even though strawberry season is winding down for us in July, we hope our Springridge friends will continue to “eat local”.

Over the next few months, Farmer John and Farmer Tom will keep our barn market stocked with the freshest produce, grown in Ontario, by some of their farming friends. The first sweet peas of the season are now available in our market and soon we will have sour cherries, sweet cherries, new potatoes, raspberries, blueberries, peaches and corn.

In celebration of local food, we are hosting an Evening with Lynn Ogryzlo, culinary expert and author of The Ontario Table. With a background in Niagara’s wine industry, Lynn has shared her knowledge as a food, wine and travel writer. She has developed more than 1400 recipes devoted to local and seasonal food. Her latest book, The Ontario Table is more than a cookbook; it is an agricultural journey designed to introduce you to the people, food and culture of Ontario’s local food.

Lynn Ogryzlo will also highlight her Buy, Eat, Drink and Think Local Challenge. She is rallying for consumers to adjust their shopping habits and make an effort to spend just $10 of their grocery budget on local food each week. This will lead to an influx of money staying in our own communities. 

We invite you to join us on Wednesday, July 13 from 5:30pm-8:00pm for an evening of hors d’oeuvres featuring local, seasonal farm foods, special guest Elizabeth Baird - Food Editor Emeritus of Canadian Living, after hours shopping and an exclusive book talk and signing. RSVP to events@springridgefarm.com as space is limited.

We are also welcoming our friends from A Taste of Burlington at the event. This summer they are focusing on local food promotion and encouraging restaurants to include Ontario ingredients on their menus. This summer’s A Taste of Burlington is taking place from July 18 – August 1 and is a wonderful opportunity to sample some of Burlington’s finest restaurants that help make the city a growing culinary destination. Look for the ‘Eat Local’ logo on menus.

Eat local all year ‘round! Try freezing or preserving your Springridge strawberries so you can enjoy them in the depths of winter. Just hull the berries, place whole on a cookie sheet and freeze. Package quickly and return to freezer. Or try Foodland Ontario’s recipe for Freezer Strawberry Jam.

Bon Appetite!

Opening Weekend at Springridge Farm

Spring has sprung and welcomed us with a lot of variable weather; yesterday managed to be a gorgeous day and the perfect fit for my first visit to Springridge Farm with my nephew. We drove the 20 minutes north of Burlington to Bell School Line in Milton to experience the history and fun synonymous with this farm. The farm is open 9am to 5pm daily until Christmas but I thought in order to beat the crowds I knew would come out on a day like yesterday, we arrived shortly after opening to a relatively quiet farm.

On our short walk towards the Fun Farm Yard entrance, we were greeted by 2 roosters and a hen inside a small chicken coop. Their gorgeous coats and bobbing heads were a warm welcome from the slight chill in the air. My nephew couldn’t keep his attention on these birds for too long as he saw much more fun around the farm that begged for him to play with. We ran up towards the Fun Farm Yard cash register and were greeted by 2 very sweet women who took the time to tell us about the farm animals like Rocky the Rooster, pony rides, 2 new farm yard pipe slides, pedal tractors and when the next wagon tractor ride was scheduled for. After paying our admission and receiving our orange admission bracelets, we were off and entering our first corn trail which was empty except for the two of us. After running through it back and forth a few times, I managed to pry my nephew away to head over to the barn storing the rest of the farm animals. We purchased some animal feed and fed my nephews favourite farm animal, the goats. He had the attention of most of them all wanting to lick his hands full of feed! He turned around and noticed some chickens, roosters and hens; we saw turkeys and a peacock too! My nephew then saw another child running along hay bales and decided he wanted a turn, so off we went to run along hay bales they have next to the farm animals.

Our fun continued throughout the morning with a wagon tractor ride that provided us with some farm history, their growing crops and views of all of Halton, including Mount Nemo Conservation Area, Burlington, Milton, Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto and even some buildings overlooking Niagara Falls. After our tour by tractor of Springridge Farm, we attempted a pony ride upon Drag but unfortunately, my nephew was quite shy and wouldn’t try the trek so we ventured indoors into the bakery and gift shop.

The gift shop at Springridge Farm is a restored 19th century barn nestled on the side of the Niagara Escarpment with 2 levels of gorgeous outdoor merchandise, jewellery, preserves and of course, some home-made treats dating back to the time of the Hughes family, the farms original owners. I did purchase their Royal Wedding Marmalade created as a toast to the happy couple, HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton who are to wed later this month. Not only did I pick up some Royal Wedding Marmalade, I purchased some pickled hot pepper rings, wild blueberry jam, their original unbaked apple pie and some other great home decor items.

Springridge Farm was a very friendly, family-oriented farm devoted to providing their customers and visitors with the best; I know I will become a repeat visitor during their many festivals including their Easter Festival, Harvest Fall Festival and Christmas Open House. For everything Springridge Farm, visit their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter. And as always, you can follow Tourism Burlington as we explore Halton Region through our social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and FourSquare. Visit our Information Centre in downtown Burlington to get your brochure of Springridge Farm and start planning your summer now!