Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA offers the perfect destination for family travel. The light-fi lled display galleries offer relics and stories, as well as the opportunity to try on authentic copies of 1812 uniforms or to heft a real militia rifl e (www.niagara fallsmuseums.ca). The best way to see more Niagara attractions is to invest in one of the four Niagara passes which can be purchased on-line or in person at the Niagara Parks Welcome Centre or at any of the Niagara Parks attractions (www. niagaraparks.com). These tickets combine entrance to several attractions and include unlimited transportation for two consecu- tive days on WEGO, the integrated transportation system. They are a bargain, and include an audio tour for your MP3 player, downloadable from the website. Another way to experience Niagara is by taking a hike through the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, one of more than 30 Niagara conservation areas. Part of the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and home to a host of bird species, mammals, reptiles, fi sh and fl ora, including some 37 different types of wild orchids, it is a natural treasure in every season. If you are a cyclist, the Niagara Parkway is perfect for a bicycle excursion, particu- larly since the introduction of the bike train that allows you to travel with your own two-wheeler ( www.biketrain.ca ). The WEGO can also carry bicycles. Meander down the river and you will fi nd history on all sides. Queenston Heights, the site of a decisive battle between British and American soldiers during the War of 1812, is now an historic site with a towering statue of Sir Isaac Brock at its top, and a good restaurant with views of the river. The Laura Secord Homestead and the Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum are impres- sive stops for early Canadian history enthusi- asts. Linger at the historic McFarland House to tour the grounds and herb garden and sip tea in the glass conservatory. Fort George National Historic Site is an accurately restored fort where costumed interpreters re-enact history ( www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn- nhs/on/fortgeorge/index.aspx ). RiverBrink Art Museum is a quiet gem, housing Group of Seven works as well as historic maps and early paintings of Niagara Falls (www. riverbrink.org ). TAKE TO THE STAGE IN NIAGARAƒONƒTHEƒLAKE Niagara-on-the-Lake is well known for the Shaw Festival (www.shawfest.com) and in 2016 will feature Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance and Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. But this historic town also offers good shopping along the historic main streets and carefully restored inns and manor house hotels such as the elegant neo-Georgian Queen's Landing ( www. vintage-hotels.com) or the intimate Harbour House Hotel (www.harbour househotel.ca). The Prince of Wales Hotel is a Victorian style hotel located close to the Shaw Festival theatres and the shopping area. For a unique private stay, there is a two-bedroom loft apartment above the historic Greaves Jams & niaGara-on-tHe-LaKe • toUriSM PartnerSHiP of niaGara/nataSCHia WieLinK PeLLer eStateS • toUriSM PartnerSHiP of niaGara/Jeff SPeeD BirD KinGDoM • on toUriSM ONTARIO