YOUR WINTER GETAWAY GUIDE TO STRATFORD
Escaping to a small town for the weekend, and getting lost as I explore new restaurants and activities, is one of my new favourite things to do.
My boyfriend John and I recently celebrated our 4 year anniversary. We thought the perfect way to celebrate was to do just this- escape to a new small town for the weekend.
We chose that small town to be Stratford, Ontario.
If you’re looking to experience a getaway to Stratford, Ontario continue reading as I share activities and restaurant recommendations that you won’t want to miss out on, and places that I didn’t get to visit this time, but are already on my list for our next visit.
Ultimately, this blog post is to help you create the best weekend in Stratford, Ontario.
DINING:
I will start off by sharing my favourite restaurants we visited during our trip. For those of you who personally know me, you know how much I appreciate a great dining experience, and know that I will never recommend a place that I didn’t absolutely love. I work with many different local restaurants, so good food and a great dining experience is something I strongly value. Here are some of my Stratford favourites:
breakfast at the parlour inn
BREAKFAST:
At THE PARLOUR INN: Our favourite breakfast spot we visited was The Parlour Inn. Although the menu is quite limited right now, seeing that they offer Eggs Benedict is all we needed to know (I’d recommend viewing the menu prior to your visit to make sure they offer something that you would enjoy). We both love a great Eggs Benedict, and The Parlour Inn did a fantastic job making them.
BREAKFAST SPOT THAT IS ON MY LIST FOR NEXT TIME:
Romeo’s Corner Cafe
COCKTAILS + WINE:
THE RELIC LOBBY BAR: We visited The Relic Lobby Bar for after dinner cocktails and it was a great experience. The atmosphere and vibe was perfect, and their cocktails are delicious.
BRCH & WYN: Visting Brch & Wyn for a wine tasting and charcuterie ended up being one of my favourite experiences in Stratford.
During the day Brch & Wyn is a trendy and cute coffee shop. At night it becomes a fun wine bar where you can enjoy nibbles and delicious wine. Brch & Wyn offer a selection of different wine tasting experiences which includes four different wines with a 3oz pour for each glass. We visited here before enjoying a late dinner, and I’m already looking forward to returning.
LUNCH + DINNER:
the best pulled pork sandwich i’ve ever eaten
@ Mercer Kitchen
MERCER: We dined at Mercer Kitchen and Bar for lunch and I had the best Pulled Pork Sandwich that I have ever had. Also, The Blushing Mojito was terrific.
PAZZO: Pazzo is an Italian restaurant and was the most perfect place to enjoy our anniversary dinner. Pazzo specializes in their pizza and pasta dishes (the Italian Stallion pizza was our favourite), but if you have a sweet tooth like me you’ll definitely enjoy their dessert menu as well.
LUNCH AND DINNER SPOTS THAT ARE ON MY LIST FOR NEXT TIME:
The Bruce
The Alley
Revival House
ACCOMODATIONS:
THE BRADSHAW LOFTS:
We enjoyed our two night stay at The Bradshaw Lofts. The location of this AirBnB was perfect for us as it is walking distance to downtown Stratford. Considering how great the location is, we were able to walk almost everywhere we wanted to visit.
The host did an incredible job at making the check in process simple and seamless. They also were very quick and responsive to any questions we had.
This AirBnB has a small kitchen which made it a great option to do some cooking during our stay. We decided to dine at restaurants for our entire trip, but it was great to have this option.
ACTIVITIES:
CHRISTMAS TRAIL:
CHRISTMAS TRAIL VOUCHERS
If you’re reading this- this is your sign to enjoy the Christmas Trail!
It’s almost the Holiday season, and the Christmas Trail was a fun way to help get us in the holiday spirit. Doing the Christmas Trail made me feel like a kid again. I felt like I was on this extravagant scavenger hunt that lead us all over Stratford while supporting amazing local businesses along the way. It was such a fun way to explore Stratford even more.
”So tell me more about the Christmas Trail?…”
The Christmas Trail is available to enjoy until December 20th 2021. It is $30 + HST which gets you 6 vouchers to redeem at the store of your choosing. There are 26 stores you can redeem your vouchers from, all giving you a fun, different gift that you can either enjoy yourself, or save it for the holidays and give it to someone you love. You can make your Christmas Trail purchase at the Destination Stratford office or at Bradshaws. Once you have made your purchase you will receive a map of all the stores that are included, where they are located, and a description of what gifts you can receive at each store.
LIGHTS ON STRATFORD- WINTER FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS:
Another fun winter activity that I wish I had the chance to enjoy is the Lights on Stratford- Winter Festival of Lights. This starts December 17th and goes until January 28th. Every night from 5pm-10pm you can enjoy a free experience to visit the Winter Festival of Lights.
GOOD TO KNOW INFORMATION:
Here’s some information I wish I knew prior to our trip:
We were able to walk almost everywhere we wanted to visit (this was because we had our accommodations in such a great location).
I made the mistake of wearing high heels the entire two day trip. If you’re planning to walk instead of drive when you’re in Stratford, BRING COMFY SHOES! I’m sharing this with you so your feet won’t hate you, and you don’t make the same mistake I did!
Stratford is around a 2 hour drive from Niagara Falls. It’s also approximately a 2 hour drive from Toronto. Wherever you are travelling from make sure to find out how far the drive is before you go so you have the most time to enjoy your trip!
I want to know…
Have you had the chance to visit Stratford, ON? If you have, let me know in the comment section how your experience was, as I would love to hear your input!
Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps you plan your next and best trip to Stratford.
Courtney
