PATRICK MULLIN
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Nov. 08, 2006 12:00AM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2009 1:11PM EDT
Three weeks of wine
Niagara region, Ont.
Timed to coincide with the beginning of the shopping crunch and the arrival of weather that drives people indoors, the wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake have banded together to hold the sixth annual Taste of the Season. The festival runs for the next three weekends and has 17 wineries taking part. All you have to do is buy a passport, and you'll have access to wine tastings, tours and seminars on serving and pairing with food. It's both a showcase of what's new in Niagara and a fundraiser for Second Harvest's programs to feed the hungry.
Cost: $40.
When: Saturday and Sunday, as well as Nov. 18-19 and Nov. 25-26.
Where: Various locations around Niagara, 1½ hours from Toronto.
How: Call 416-408-2594 or visit wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com.
Home-movie matinees
Port Dover, Ont.
Once a few decades have passed, even the most ordinary film footage can become a fascinating window into the past. This Sunday, the Port Dover Harbour Museum is hosting its fourth annual showing of local home movies from the 1927-to-1967 era, featuring submissions from the public, edited into thematic segments. Accompanied by live music, The Last Home Movie Show includes glimpses of the Port Dover waterfront in the 1940s, pleasure boats, swimmers, ice harvesters, scenes of commercial fishing, wrecks and rescues, and parades. This is one idea that every town ought to try.
Cost: $15.
When: Sunday at 2 p.m.
Where: Lighthouse Theatre, 247 Main St., Port Dover, 2½ hours by car from Toronto.
How: Call 519-583-2221 or visit http://www.lighthousetheatre.com.
Black gold tours
Petrolia, Ont.
Texas might be the place that struck it big, but Ontario is the one that struck it first. The earliest commercial oil well in North America began pumping black gold in the 19th century, down in the province's southwest corner. Drive around the area today, and you'll still see pumps see-sawing as they draw oil from the ground. Petrolia Discovery, a park-like museum, is a good spot to learn about Canada's lesser-known oil fields, and offers guided tours (as long as you call ahead). What makes it an attractive destination right now is the chance to buy tickets for a January raffle featuring prizes of $500 a year -- or 12.5 per cent of a well's total oil revenue -- for a decade. Where else do you get the chance to be an oil baron?
Cost: Tours cost $12 a family; raffle tickets cost $10.
When: Ongoing.
Where: Petrolia, three hours west of Toronto by car.
How: Call 519-882-0897.
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