Niagara On The Lake, Ontario

What better way to celebrate Mother's Day than a jet boat ride down the Niagara River? That's what I was thinking. We planned a secret adventure day for our mom's, and told them nothing about it. They needed to dress comfortably, and not eat too much right before we picked them up. Some mom's like surprises. My mom Linda, says she does. Shay's mom Linda sometimes doesn't, but I think deep down she does! They were in for a treat!

We picked up the Linda's at their respective homes and headed towards the lake. First stop, Picard's Peanuts. This was a surprise enjoyed by all. If you aren't familiar with the Niagara area then you might not know about a particular snack shop called Picard's. Here you will find ice cream, fudge, chips, a variety of chocolate and chocolate covered snacks, and the delectable chip nut. This is a delicious peanut, covered in a delicious chip coating, covered in a delicious chip flavour. They have every flavour imaginable and free samples to boot. Once you have sampled the chip nut there is no going back, so stock up!     

Can you spot the photo bomber?

After many samples, loon calls, and photo ops, we were off to our next destination. Shay's Linda, knew the area, so as we continued heading toward the water, she knew we were headed for Niagara on the Lake. She kept guessing as to what the surprise might be, but we kept telling her no! Then as we approached the water, and signs for Whirlpool Jetboating Tours, she made the comment, "It's not Jet boating! You will not get me on a jet boat!" Little did she know...

Two very apprehensive Linda's await the boat...

So you may be wondering, why the pictures of Jackets and Hoodies? It was an hommage to Shay's sister Jordin and her husband Brad. We couldn't resist.

So we wanted to plan an adventure for our moms. We like doing fun things, and we like hanging out with our moms, so what better than planning something fun to do with our moms?? They have a wet jet boat and a dry jet boat. It was only 9 degrees and somewhat stormy, and even if it was 30 degrees and clear skies, there would be no way our moms would want the wet boat. After experiencing the "dry" boat, I don't think I could handle the wet either.

So the dry boat promises a fun, safe, dry race through the rapids of the Niagara river, with some 360 degree turns, level 5 rapids, and historical sites. 

Not our boat...

Linda's in front of the Dry Dome boat

 The tour guides hand you jackets, gear you up, and get you onto the boat. They take your picture, and sell it to you for 20 dollars. Or you can pass your camera to the people in line behind you, and have them take your picture for free!

They putter around the harbour, windows open, explaining some of the forts and sites as you slowly pass through. Then they close the windows...to the best of their ability, and do some racing and spinning.

We were concerned when the windows weren't closing properly at the beginning. The 'window girl' was new, and didn't quite have the hang of it. After the first spin, the windows were opened again which was ok, because after the spin, a little fresh air was a relief. Then they would close them and we would drive towards the rapids. Going through the rapids in a dome covered jet boat is different. When you hit the rapids, you cannot see as the water pours over top of the boat. It can be disorienting. And the so-called 'dry' boat, leaked through the roof, just a little. There was a steady drizzle above my head after each plunge. But it was tolerable.

Get ready for liftoff!

So, the rapid racing, and spinning were fun. The guide was young, and enjoyed commentating the event, and refrencing various Will Ferrel movies. The windows would open after each jaunt through the rapids, so the guide could re-tell everything that just happened. Well, apparently the water was wilder that day, but as our guide was mid-story, the boat hit a wave sideways, while the windows were up, and water surged through, knocking the guide over, and soaking the right side of the boat. The floor was now covered in water, and it was necessary to keep your feet up to keep from soaking your shoes.

Shay and the Linda's were amazing sports. The guide laughed it off and and the kids on the boat thought it was great. We went through a few more rapids, and the front left side of the boat got a face full of water through one of the windows that hadn't closed properly.

Close the windows!!!

In their defence, it was an extremely rough day, it was stormy, and I assume the girl on the windows was new, at least he kept telling us that (which did not bode well for our confidence in him).

We eventually made it back safely, our feet a little wetter, and got off the boat. It was here that we saw how wet some of us actually got. My Linda and I weren't too worse for wear. Shay's Linda was a little wet in the seat, and Shay took the brunt of it, and was soaked in the rear. The four older people in the seats behind us were completely soaked. We wouldn't have cared so much, if they had told us to bring a change of clothes or be prepared to get wet, but this was the dry tour, and we had plans for the rest of the very cold day, and no dry clothes. 

We didn't want to be complainers, because it was an adventure (even though I was the woosiest after reaching dry land), but the Whirlpool company was great. They were extremely apologetic and refunded the tickets for everyone who got wet!

So onwards to the rest of the day.

Outside the Irish Tea Room

We dried off with some hand dryers in the bathroom, drank the complimentary hot chocolate and headed out to the shops. Niagara On The Lake is known for Chocolatiers -mainly fudge, and little artisan shops. We visited Greaves Jams and Marmalades, a favourite of the Linda's, a few other trinket shops, and The Irish Tea Room, which is a store of souvenirs from Ireland, that has a cafe at the back. It is definitely worth waiting for. This cafe has delicious teas and ciders, and a bountiful array of gluten free desserts and lunches. My mom and I split a chicken curry potato Boxty (a potato crepe with chicken curry inside) and bought gluten free lemon cheesecake to go, which was unbelievable and barely made it home.

After a run through the rain, and hail, we made it to Zee's Grill at the Shaw Spa and Hotel for dinner, directly across from the Shaw Theatre. We were a little worried given the fact that we made a patio reservation several weeks earlier when the weather was more cooperative, but the veranda was pleasantly cheerful, completely covered, with heaters at table intervals so we were comfortable.

The menu was very tasty. We sampled the cheese and chacuterie to start. A variety of meats and cheeses with some delicious housemade mustards, and maple and fig preserves. We shared the mussels and a couple salads -the compressed watermelon and strawberry salad and the garden vegetable. All very good. I believe most foods, especially the meats, cheeses and vegetables arelocally  sourced. For mains, the ladies all went for Lobster Poutine. If there is a poutine main on the menu I have to try it. This one did not disappoint. It was right up there with the Gnocchi poutine at Mildred's Temple Kitchen in Toronto. Shay had the halibut, and said it was decent, not as good as the mussels, but decent.

We sampled the chocolate truffels and dipped strawberries, and could not eat another ounce of food. We carried ourselves back to the car, and returned the Linda's safely. A very fun adventure indeed!