Winter Travels - Part 1 - Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-theLake

Most people seem to travel in the summer to exotic places where they can lounge on the beach all day long. Or they travel in winter to those same exotic places just to get away from the cold.

I always feel like the odd one out on this topic because I love winter. I'm also not a beach person. I grew up on the Jersey Shore, but I still prefer mountains to the ocean. I would rather sit around a fire pit at a mountain cabin, wearing jeans and a sweater, than lay on the beach in a bikini trying to get a good tan. That being said, I'm not opposed to exotic beaches. A trip to Hawaii several years ago was one of the best trips I ever went on! But given the choice, I tend to choose colder, more mountainous locations.

For the past 6 years I've done a lot of traveling in Canada. I follow figure skating closely and have managed to go to the Canadian National Figure Skating Championships for 5 of the past 6 years. It has been a great opportunity to take a winter vacation. The location of the championships changes each year so I buy my tickets and then plan a vacation based on whatever city we are in that year.

The downside to traveling to Canada in the winter is that you'll find about half of the local attractions in each city, closed for the season. The upside to this is that it's easy to decide what to see, because you don't have to choose between too many options with too little time! You'll also find yourself in touristy locations without all of the tourists, which makes for more enjoyable experiences (in my personal opinion).

This past years Canadian Nationals were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I'd never been to Nova Scotia so I jumped on the chance to go. We ended up planning out a 2 week trip that took us to see friends in Buffalo, New York first.

When I was living in Washington state, one of my best friends was my friend Allison. She was the first friend I made in Washington and we have remained good friends to this day. Her husband was stationed on Whidbey Island with the Navy and when he got out of the Navy they moved back to their home town of Tonawanda, New York - which is right next to Buffalo. We've started an annual tradition of going to the ice wine festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario each year. I've tacked this onto the beginning or end of my Canadian vacation for 3 years now.

The Niagara Wine Region area of Ontario is the world's largest producer of ice wine. What's ice wine, you ask? We didn't know the answer either at first. My very basic explanation of it is this:
The grapes freeze, and then juice is squeezed out of them. Because they're frozen, there are only a few drops of juice. This creates a thicker, sweeter wine. Bottles of ice wine are about half the size of a normal bottle of wine and twice as expensive. But it is absolutely delicious! A more thorough explanation of ice wine can be found here: All About Icewine

During the ice wine festival you can buy a Discovery Pass that gives you 8 tickets for tastings at 8 wineries of your choosing. Each winery gives a sample of wine along with a sample of some kind of home cooked food. The food varies from appetizers, to main courses, to desserts.

This was Ross' first trip to Ontario and his first experience with ice wine. Allison, her husband, and I decided to try some new wineries this year, but we also took Ross to our favorite ones.

Before meeting up with Allison and her husband Steve for the day, Ross and I drove out to the town of Jordon, Ontario (part of the Niagara Wine Region) to Flat Rock Cellar. We wanted to sample their new ice wine - Patrick Chan On Ice. Patrick Chan is the reigning National Champion in Canada for men's figure skating. This past year made him an 8 time national champion. He recently got his name on his own ice wine. He personally sampled and picked out the type he was going to name after himself with the winery.  We decided to check it out simply for the novelty of it. It turns out that it wasn't just a novelty. It was actually the best ice wine that we tasted this year. We went home with a bottle of it for ourselves and a bottle for the people that I work for. We also carried it with us to the last day of the National Championships and during a practice session for the Exhibition Gala we were able to get Patrick Chan to autograph the bottle!

At Flat Rock Cellar

 It's a blurry picture, but the only one we have of Patrick Chan signing the bottle

 Ross and me with Patrick Chan and our autographed bottle of his ice wine

Once we met up with Allison and Steve, we set off to visit our favorite wineries. The first of our favorites is Chateau des Charmes. This was the first winery that we tried several years ago and the one that introduced us to ice wine.  Click here for my personal review of Chateau des Charmes from our first visit in 2013.

 

Allison and me at Chateau des Charmes

Our other favorite, and our "must do" every year is Peller Estates. We stumbled onto this place somewhat accidentally our first year. At every winery we stopped at, at least one person asked us if we had been to Peller Estates yet to try their marshmallows. We were a little confused about the excitement. We had seen them listed in the Discovery Pass brochure but we just assumed that marshmallows were simply marshmallows and we opted to try places with food that sounded more interesting. However, after multiple people mentioned it to us we decided to go see what all the hype was about. We were glad that we did! It turns out that their marshmallows are homemade and have ice wine in them! They are absolutely delicious and after that year we found ourselves being the people asking others if they had gone to Peller Estates yet. Not only are the marshmallows delicious, but the atmosphere there is a bit different from the other wineries. Its more casual and relaxed - because of the marshmallows. They have fire pits outside where you can roast them and there are always tons of people there. Each year it has been the most crowded winery that we've stopped at. They also tend to give out two samples of ice wine instead of one. If you're ever in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area during the ice wine festival stopping at Peller Estates is a MUST. My personal review is here.

 

 Ross with his very first ice wine marshmallow

 Allison and Steve

 All of us roasting our delicious marshmallows

Ross and me

We checked out a few other wineries, but Chateau des Charmes and Peller Estates remain two of our favorites to this day.

After a fun day of ice wine, we wrapped up the evening at the Irish Harp Pub in downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake. Click here for my personal review. Somehow, in a restaurant that was so crowded you could barely move, we managed to get the best seat in the house - right next to the fireplace, which, after a VERY cold day, was absolutely perfect! 

The day after our Discovery Pass tastings, Ross and I headed off on our own to a tour of Konzelman Estates Winery. We had stayed at a hotel in Niagara Falls for a night and when the owner heard we were going to the Ice Wine Festival she gave us a pass for a free tour and tasting. Konzelman is unique in that it is the only winery in the area that actually sits right on Lake Ontario. The wine was great, but instead of going home with ice wine, we ended up going home with a bottle of their peach wine - which I highly recommend! Click here for my personal review of the tour.

 

 Konselman Estates Winery

 

 Ross and me by the Konzelman Vineyard

Ross and me on the Konzelman Tour

Of course, the Niagara Region has more to offer than just ice wine. Just down the road from all of the wineries is the famous Niagara Falls! Ross had never been before so of course, I had to take him to see the falls. Personally, I love visiting Niagara Falls in the winter. There are almost no people around so you don't have to fight through the ridiculous crowds of tourists like you do in the summer. Granted, its freezing. And the mist from the falls turns into tiny mist pellets that hit your face, but its absolutely beautiful to see the falls with all of the ice surrounding them. The mist covers everything in the area turning it into a beautiful winter wonderland.

 Amazing that even with hardly any people there, we still couldn't get a picture without someone else in the background.

He wasn't as excited as I was about winter

Ross' next Canadian experience was trying the delicious dessert that is known as a BeaverTail. I tried my first BeaverTail in Ottawa a few years ago and loved it. It's simply fried dough that looks like the shape of a beaver tail and then topped with some kind of sickeningly sweet topping. Canadians love them, especially Canadians who live in Ottawa (which is where the original BeaverTails stand is). They're all over Canada though so Ross has his first taste at a stand in Niagara Falls.

 

As for lodging on this trip, I have to make two recommendations. We spent 4 nights in the Buffalo/Niagara area (we flew into the Buffalo airport). Our first night and last night were spent in the Rex Motel in Niagara Falls. This was the second time that I stayed there and both stays have been beyond excellent. It's an interesting place. From the outside it looks like an old run down roadside motel. The price (at least the price in winter...I don't know the average price for summer) seems to concur with the run down motel look. We paid about $55 CAD which at the time equaled about $40 USD. While I love things that are inexpensive, that price had me worried the first time that I stayed there. Typically, its unlikely that you're going to have a good experience at a hotel when the cost is only $40 a night. But the Rex Motel defies that theory. It has consistently been in the #1 spot on TripAdvisor (here is their review page), and the reviews aren't lying.

Yes, from the outside it looks old and run down. But the inside is so well cared for and loved by the owners. A family from Bulgaria came to Ontario, bought the place and fixed it up. They decorated every room with a different theme and it is absolutely SPOTLESS. I honestly think it's the cleanest hotel that I have ever stayed in. The owners also go out of their way to make sure that you are comfortable and that you have every thing you need while in town. This was the place that gave us the free tour pass for Konzelman Estates. We also got great recommendations for places to eat. All I can say is don't let the price of this place scare you away. The customer service is excellent. It is by no means a 5 star resort, but if you want clean, comfortable and customer service oriented - this is the best place by far. Click here for my review from this past January. And click here for my original review from 2 years ago.

In Niagara-on-the-Lake we stayed a wonderful Bed and Breakfast in the historic downtown area - the Rogers Harrison House. Our experience was excellent and we would definitely recommend them to anyone. My personal review is here and tells you all you need to know about our experience. 

 

The Rogers Harrison House in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

 Side yard of the Rogers Harrison House

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our trip: Halifax!

Washington, Arkansas - A Town of History

I hate long drives. This fact seems to go against my love of traveling, but the truth is, there is nothing I hate more than sitting in a car for hours and hours on end. So how do I reconcile my hatred of long drives with my love of traveling? By finding all the unique places to stop along the way!

Long drives aren't as bad when you can break them up into shorter drives.

It's truly amazing what you can find when you look for it. Travel planning sites often leave out the smaller things to do in an area. Sometimes you have to really search for things to do, but if you know where to look, then you will be surprised at how much you can find.

When I travel, I try to look at all the small towns that will be on my path to my final destination. I also scope out the brochures in hotel lobbys and gas stations along the way.

Don't always assume that the biggest attraction is the best attraction. Roadside stops are pretty interesting too. They can range from the cheesy to the historical and anything in between.

Washington, Arkansas was one of these places for me. Information about it was buried deep inside a travel magazine in our hotel in Hot Springs. It caught my attention because it said "Washington State Park". It's a slightly confusing name because my first though was "Washington State? But we're in Arkansas." Upon further reading it really says, "Washington - State Park". The town of Washington, Arkansas is a State Park.

We were going to be passing near this town on our way back to Texas, so we decided to divert our route a little to stop by. I love history, and the best history is REAL history. new buildings that are meant to look like old buildings are interesting because they allow you to see what something was like in the past, but original buildings are just amazing to see.

Washington is an almost completely preserved pre-Civil War era town. It's truly incredible for only being a state park. Most buildings have been restored and are now open to the public. It's literally an entire town. Not all of the buildings are original to the town of Washington. Some have been moved there from other nearby towns and restored (and placed on the sites of original homes that burned down). Some buildings have been completely rebuilt (like the blacksmith shop) and some are post Civil War era (the 1914 Schoolhouse) but all in all, this is an amazingly preserved piece of history.

Outside of the park, the town of Washington has a whooping 148 residents (according to the 2000 census) and one single restaurant (that is part of the state park). It's a small, hidden place that I wish more people knew about!

Unfortunately, due to the fact that this is a state park, not a national park, funding is lower than funding for a national park, and this seems to make the state park run less effectively. There are approximately 30 buildings in the park, but not every building is open every day. The number of buildings open seems dependent on the number of employees they have for the day, so they rotate which ones are open and which ones are closed daily. This place would have incredible potential as a national park. That being said though, it's a pretty amazing state park. If you're passing through this area, definitely stop to check it out!

Click here for information on all of the buildings pictured below.

  This is where we ate lunch - great home cooked southern food!

 Williams Tavern Restaurant

 1874 Hempstead County Courthouse

 Inside the 1874 Courthouse

 Inside the 1874 Courthouse

 Washington has the oldest continuous operating post office in the state of Arkansas (it changed buildings but never stopped operating)

   The current post office

 The original Washington post office building

 Washington Presbyterian Church (undergoing renovations while we were there)

 The armory - now a weapons museum

 (Unfortunately I do not remember what this building was - though it may be a kitchen. I will have to look around and update this when I find the answer.)

 Me in front of the 1836 Hempstead County Courthouse

 A school room inside the 1836 courthouse - the building was used as a school at one point.

 Inside the 1836 Courthouse

 The oldest Magnolia tree in the state of Arkansas

 

 Ross and me by the oldest Magnolia tree

 oldest Magnolia tree in Arkansas

 Site of the blacksmith shop where the original Bowie knife was made

The blacksmith Shop

The blacksmith shop

One of the  cats that has made its home inside the blacksmith shop

Historical re-enactor explaining the development of the Bowie knife (i.e. it didn't originally look the way it does today.)

The Crazy Cat Lady in me had to pet the blacksmith cats of course!

1914 Schoolhouse

Hot Times in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Hot Springs, Arkansas. I have to admit that I never heard of it until I started planning for our Diamond Mine Trip. Ross is from Arkansas and when I started trip planning he started throwing out suggestions of things to do in the area. Hot Springs was the first place that he mentioned. He had grown up about 2 hours away and had visited as a kid, but didn't remember much about it.

 Waiting for our Hot Springs Ghost Tour to start
(click here for my review of our Ghost Tour)  
 

I had planned this trip as a way to see a good friend before she moved back to the East Coast, and as a way to check Arkansas off of my list of "states to see". My friend was only going to be in the area for a day, so Ross and I added an extra day to the trip for ourselves and visited Hot Springs.

First, it should be noted that I rely heavily on reviews when I plan my vacations. TripAdvisor is my favorite site, by far, for reviews. I've found that other sites either group reviews by "most popular" instead of in chronological order, or they seem to be full of angry people complaining about things. TripAdvisor seems to have the best amount of REAL reviews. By "real" I mean that all people - happy people, content people, and angry people - all review their experiences. I have yet to find a place that has made me feel misled by this review site. Sometimes you do have to take the reviews with a grain of salt and make your own decisions based on your own knowledge. For example, I love history and I love staying in old historic hotels. However, many times, reviews will be negative towards these places and they will say things like "The rooms were small", "the walls were thin", "It was old and falling apart". In my mind, that doesn't mean it's a bad place. It means that it's a historic place and I have to just accept that not everyone appreciates historic buildings. 

So taking that into account, the reviews of Hot Springs were very mixed. Some people loved it. Others hated it. After reading reviews for various attractions in the city, it seemed pretty clear that a lot of visitors looked at Hot Springs as a run down town, full of crime and debauchery. That did have me a little concerned. However, when we got there and learned more about the town, we learned that this town has ALWAYS been full of crime and debauchery! While that may not appeal to everyone, to me there is something interesting about the fact that this town has always centered around illegal activities, while also being known for their hot springs! Of course, I don't want to be wandering around in a crime ridden town, but I never felt unsafe while I was there, and after learning the history of the town, it's easy to appreciate the town in its current state (even the bad things about the town). For the record, I didn't find the town to be as run down as some reviewers made it sound. I found the people in it to be very friendly and welcoming and the sites to see were one of a kind!

But that being said....who doesn't appreciate a business that simultaneously functions as both a mortuary (specifically a drive through mortuary) and a bordello?

  

So for starters: Hot Springs is the boyhood home of Former President William Jefferson Clinton. I knew that he was from Arkansas, but had no idea that we were headed to the town that he grew up in. Knowing the history of the town, and knowing that Bill Clinton grew up there during the town's heyday, makes me feel like I understand him a little better now - seriously. But that's a whole different story!

Hot Springs is very obviously proud of the fact that Clinton grew up there as can be seen by these pictures:   

The boyhood home of former president Bill Clinton - now a private residence

 

 

This is inside a gourmet popcorn store. Go inside to buy popcorn and visit the Bill Clinton shrine!

Aside from their love of our former president, Hot Springs is clearly know for their hot springs. Having seen hot springs in other locations, I wasn't really prepared for the experience in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I had expected something akin to hanging out in a really hot pool, which is how my experience has been elsewhere. The experience is completely different here though. Instead of just bathing in a pool of hot water, this town built multiple bath houses around the natural hot springs that are found there. People would come from all over the world to receive the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of the water here. Many of these people were sick, and had been given a prescription to go to these bathhouses. Others just came for the therapeutic benefits. All of them spent a lot of time in Hot Springs while they were visiting the bathhouses, which is where the crime and debauchery creeps into the city's history.

First stop: Our hotel. When I travel, I try to avoid the large chain hotels if I can. It's not always possible (especially if I am traveling with my cats), but if I can find a family run hotel that has good reviews and is affordable then I choose that one. I like supporting local businesses and sometimes it's just nice to get away from the corporations of the world. We choose to stay at the Alpine Inn in Hot Springs. It is a smaller, old roadside motel that is now run by a husband and wife from Scotland. Don't let the fact that it looks like a roadside motel deter you. The owners were two of the friendliest people I've ever met and the rooms were spotless and well cared for. Each room had a theme (We stayed in the Havenwood room) and you could tell that a lot of care went into making this place a nice place for guests. The rooms are smaller, because of the fact that it's an old roadside motel, so it may not be something you would like if you want a lot of space in your hotel room. But if you can get past the size of the room, you will love this place!

Click here for my personal review of the Alpine Inn.

 

Me sitting outside our room at the Alpine Inn

 View of the Alpine Inn from our room

 The Alpine Inn

As much as I enjoyed our stay at the Alpine Inn, I would still choose to stay somewhere different the next time I return to Hot Springs. To be clear, this is NOT because of anything wrong with the Alpine Inn. I highly recommend them to anyone visiting. They are affordable, clean and comfortable - everything you could want in a hotel. The reason I would choose differently, is because once I saw another hotel that I had considered, I regretted not making reservations at that one! The Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa in downtown Hot Springs looks like an experience in itself. I had debated making reservations here because the reviews were very mixed. Some people loved it and some people hated it. The bad reviews seemed like legitimate reasons to not like a place so I was torn. The price was higher than the Alpine Inn and in the end I decided that it wasn't worth the risk. I chose the cheaper option because it had better reviews. 

Once I saw the Arlington though, I decided that it would probably be worth it to stay there. It's an old historic hotel that sits at the very end of Bathhouse Row. My love of historic hotels made me regret not choosing the Arlington in the first place! It's a building full of history! Famous people, including gangster Al Capone, have stayed in this hotel. There is a bathhouse right inside the hotel and some of the rooms even have the water from the hot springs running into their bathtubs. This will be a must do the next time we're in town.

The Arlington Hotel. The grassy area is the location of the original Arlington Hotel which burned to the ground in 1923.

  

Hot Springs exists as a town because of the hot springs there (common sense there right?) People have been bathing in the hot springs for hundreds of years! Native Americans considered this area to be sacred and the fact that people still visit the springs today speaks to how much people value this place. The United States has turned the area into a National Park to protect it, while still allowing people to enjoy it. 

 

Bathhouse Row

 Bathhouse Row

Today there are 8 bathhouse buildings still standing. They were built between 1892 and 1923.

Bathhouse Row

Only two of them still remain open as a bathhouse though. One has been turned into a brewery and restaurant. Another one is now the National Park Visitor Center and museum, and a third is the National Park gift shop. The other 3 are closed to the public, but you can still walk past them and up to their doors, and read information that is posted about them.

 

 

  
The two that remain open as bathhouses are Quapaw Baths and Buckstaff Baths. I did a lot of research before this trip because I wanted to visit one of the bathhouses and get an authentic experience. Both sit in the boundary of the national park, but they are privately owned companies.

We opted to go to Buckstaff Baths.

Click here for my personal review of Buckstaff Baths.

 Buckstaff Bathhouse

Both Bucksaff Baths and Quapaw Baths have good reviews, but we opted for Buckstaff because it gives visitors an authentic bathhouse experience. Quapaw Baths still uses the mineral water from the hot springs but it is set up as a modern day spa. The only thing historic about Quapaw Baths is the building itself. The rest has been modernized. I can't speak from personal experience but the consensus seems to be that if you want to go to a modern day spa, then Quapaw is the perfect place to go.

 

Quapaw Bathhouse

On the other had, Buckstaff Baths still functions the way it did when it was first opened. All of the equipment is historic and you get an authentic historic experience. If you're looking for a modern day spa then you won't find it at the Buckstaff Bathhouse. But if you're looking for a historical experience you will definitely find it here!

Me, sitting on the porch of the Buckstaff Bathhouse

Since Buckstaff is a functioning bathhouse, pictures aren't allowed to be taken inside. However, the Fordyce Bathhouse is now the National Park Visitor Center and Museum, and you can take as many pictures as you want in there. While the Fordyce seemed much fancier than the Buckstaff, the set up and equipment was basically the same, so the following pictures were taken in the Fordyce Bathhouse.

Click here to read my personal review of the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center.

Fordyce Bathhouse - now the National Park Visitor Center

When we got there, Ross was taken to a locker room on the first floor where the men's section is. I was taken by an old fashioned elevator (complete with an elevator operator) to the second floor where the women's section is. The first thing they have you do is get undressed, then you are wrapped in a sheet and brought to a huge bathtub filled with 105 degree water and an antique whirlpool pump. I'm 5'2 and about 100 pounds and I have to admit that it was a bit uncomfortable until I figured out how to settle myself in there. I felt like I was either going to float away or drown at first! 

Sitting in one of the tubs at the Fordyce Bathhouse

The next step was the steam cabinet. This was, by far, my least favorite experience. You are put into a literal cabinet with only your head sticking out. I'm not sure how hot it was in there but I am certain that I sweated off at least 5 pounds while I sat in there. I was only in there for 5 minutes but I was about to let myself out if my attendant hadn't come back when she did!

Next was either the Sitz Bath or the hot towels. I was taken to a table to lay on and I was wrapped with hot towels on my arms, legs and back, while a cold towel was placed on my head. I was given cold mineral water to drink and laid there for about 20 minutes. The steam cabinet was awful, but the hot towels were wonderful!

The Sitz Bath is exactly what it sounds like. You sit in it. It's supposed to be therapeutic for your lower back, so only your butt and lower back go in the water. 

Sitz Bath and Steam Cabinet in the Fordyce Bathhouse

Sitz Baths at the Fordyce Bathhouse - thankfully the one that I used at the Buckstaff Bathhouse looked much cleaner than these! (though it was just as old) 

The final step is a needle shower. It's basically a shower that sprays out at you from all angles, and the water is much cooler than the rest of the experience. After the needle shower you can go into a cool down room if you want to, and then the whole experience is over (unless you opt for a massage package - which I didn't).

Needle Shower at the Fordyce Bathhouse

I have to admit that I was incredibly surprised at how good I felt when it was all over! It was a HOT day, and this building had no air conditioning. Couple that with the 105 degree water and I was expecting to be on the verge of passing out from heat stroke when I was finished. Amazingly, I walked outside and felt incredible! Maybe there really is something to these mineral water baths!

Ross and me on Bathhouse Row

Ross and me in the display bathtub at the National Park gift shop. Look how huge this tub is!

Outside of the bathhouses, the National Park is a beautiful piece of land. It's not very big, but what's there is worth a stroll through. There is a Promenade to walk on behind the bathhouses, which will take you on a quick 15 minute walk. It's longer if you decide to go off on some additional trails, but we choose to just stay on the main Promenade.

Click here  for my personal review of the Grand Promenade.

 

One of the hot springs on the Promenade

 

water fountain midway down the Promenade - that water is about 145 degrees

 "The Cascade" - a waterfall of 145 degree water

me by The Cascade

 

Full view of The Cascade

Ross and me at the end of the Promenade walk, in front of The Cascade

The end of the National Park (the picture further up was taken at the opposite end)

After our National Park experience we decided to check out the town. Our first stop? The Gangster Museum of America! It was this museum that taught us a lot about the history of Hot Springs. I highly recommend a visit here if you ever visit the area. It explains so much about why the town is the way it is, and you'll learn all about Al Capone and other famous gangsters that spent a lot of their time in Hot Springs. It's not necessarily the best museum I've ever visited, but the history lesson that you'll get by taking a tour was well worth the time and money.

Click here for my personal review of the Gangster Museum of America. 

entrance to the Gangster Museum

 Just hanging out with Al Capone in the Gangster Museum!

And finally, we enjoyed a decent meal at the Ohio Club - a famous bar in Hot Springs. To me, the most interesting thing about the bar was the bar itself. It is carved out of one solid piece of wood and is over 200 years old. The history nerd in me loved that!

Click here for my personal review of the Ohio Club.

200 year old carved wooden bar inside the Ohio Club

The Ohio Club Bar

We had a great time in Hot Springs and I would personally love to go back one day! We couldn't leave town without filling up some jugs with the delicious mineral water! The best thing about the town? There are free water stations set up for people to come and get water. While we were filling up our souvenir jugs, there was a guy there filling up an entire car load of water bottles! It was definitely delicious tasting water!

 

 

  

The water was HOT!