There’s no better time than 2017 to visit Canada, and Windsor, Ontario can be your best bet for some good and frequent Canuck love.
Being Canada’s fourth most ethnically diverse city is certainly a highlight in Windsor’s culinary scene, but here are 7 other reasons you need to pay a visit in 2017.
Canada Named Best Travel Destination for 2017
Let’s just start by putting this one out there: Lonely Planet named Canada the best travel destination for 2017. Did our Prime Minister meandering around topless happen to play a role? It’s possible, but, there are many other reasons, too.
You don’t to spend money on a plane ticket. With Windsor, Ontario being the gateway into Canada for most of Michigan, Ohio and other states, hop in the car and make it easy on yourself come get a taste of Canada for yourself. 4.5 hours from Chicago. 3.5 hours from Columbus. 1 hour from Ann Arbor. 5 minutes from Detroit. It’s the perfect distance for a weekend getaway.
Oh, and for those who enjoy useless little tidbits of trivia info: if you are entering Windsor, Ontario, through the bridge or tunnel connecting it to Detroit, Michigan, you’ll actually be heading south into Canada.
Speaking of which….
Windsor is Canada’s Deep South
As the southern most tip of Canada, the Windsor region is along the same latitude as Northern California, Rome, Italy and even further south than Bordeaux, France. So, throw out your frozen tundra stereotypes when it comes to Canada’s banana belt.
Windsor’s location leads to many benefits, including longer and warmer springs and summers compared to the rest of the country. This also allows us to have fantastic soil for growing amazing food, which our many farm-to-fork restaurants are taking advantage of. It also puts us along the along the same latitude as other top wine growing regions across the world, such as Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Tuscany. Good thing we have more than a few handfuls of wineries to call our own!
It’s Canada’s 150th Birthday!
2017 is Canada’s 150th birthday and we’re looking spectacular for our age…and we still know how to have fun!
To celebrate the sesquicentennial (yes, that’s actually a word and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with Sasquatches), the Canadian government is making entry into National parks and historic sites free of charge.
Point Pelee National Park is Canada’s southernmost and smallest national park and just a 50 minute drive from downtown Detroit, Michigan. To totally blow your mind, it’s also where flying squirrels and cactus call home and over 370 species of birds have been recorded, proving those stereotypes of a cold Canada wrong once again.
The quaint town of Amherstburg, just 20 minutes outside of Windsor, is home to the historic site, Fort Malden. Formally known as Fort Amherstburg, it was built in 1795 to fight off (successfully) an American invasion. Sorry, not sorry.
It’s Also the 2ooth Birthday of the Bicycle
Canadians like to have a good time, so why not celebrate another birthday?
Now, you don’t have to worry about not having ridden a bike in years. Windsor is flat. Very flat. When you also throw in breweries (Bikes & Beers cycling tour), wineries (Wine Trail Ride cycling tour) and restaurants and pubs (Friday Night Lights) as stops to break up the distance, you’ll pedal off in such a great mood you’ll think you could take on the Tour de France, next.
Pssst. Here’s a little secret for you. If you’re going to take part in any of those bike tours, use the VISITWINDSOR2017 promo code for 15% off until December 31, 2017.
We Have Lots of Great Canadian Craft Beer
We told you to throw out the Canadian stereotypes, but this is one is actually true. We love beer and we make damn good brews, too, with breweries like Walkerville Brewery and Frank Brewing Co. winning provincial and national awards.
Just a stone’s throw across the river from Detroit, the Windsor beer scene has been booming over the last year or two. So, if you’re a beer lover, come drink some good ol’ Canadian craft beer that you won’t be able to get in the USA.
If you’re visiting in October, there’s also the popular Windsor Craft Beer Festival that takes place to truly take your beercation to the next level.
We have North America’s Largest Distillery
If you’re into something a little more stiff than beer, we’ve got you covered, too.
Windsor is the birthplace of Canadian Club whisky and it’s still distilled here today. It’s also home to J.P. Wiser’s, one of Canada’s best selling whisky family and North America’s largest distillery, so you can bet there’s a lot of history to be tasted and talked about. Considering over 70% of the alcohol in the United States during prohibition came from this innocent little city, you can just imagine the types of characters and history you’ll experience. Rum running? Check. The Purple Gang? Check. Al Capone? Check.
One of the best ways to experience, and taste, this liquid history is through the Drinks of Walkerville walking tour which was named an Ontario Signature Experience. Since your brain gets thirsty, too, along with sampling the goods, you can learn about the architecture and a few well known, and not so well known, tales and folklore of the neighbourhood. Take a note that this tour is the only way to actually get inside the distillery. It’s that awesome. Oh, and it gets better. You’ll also get a commemorative bottle of whisky on the tour.
Another way to enjoy the rum running history of the city is with The Rum Runners Tour, which offers an absolutely fantastic interactive bus tour with live performers that will set you back to the roaring twenties and prohibition.
Your Money is Worth More Than Ours
With an American dollar that’s worth approximately 30% more than the Canadian dollar ($100US = $130CDN), it means you get to have approximately 30% more fun. Who doesn’t like to have 30% more fun?
Also add that the Windsor region has continually been ranked as one of the most affordable in Canada and, of course, Canada’s world renowned hospitality and “niceness”, it’s a win-win!
If you come pay us a visit to take advantage of our smorgasbord of food, drinks and more, don’t forget to share your experiences with us using the #WindsorEats hashtag.
