Niagara-on-the-Lake was a popular place for people to soak up the beautiful April sunshine Monday afternoon.
And some swear there’s no place like NOTL at this time of year.
“There’s no better place in Canada to be than Niagara-on-the-lake in the spring,” said resident Anne Browne.
Browne was at Simcoe Park with her husband Jim Fowlow and her son Jackson, who was visiting from Toronto.
“We spend half our time here and half our time in Newfoundland,” said Jim Fowlow.
The three agreed that the breeze, the trees and the flowers make NOTL a special place to be as warm spring temperatures take hold.
“There’s life here, you know,” Browne said.
The family brought their bikes and were cooling themselves in the shade at the park.
“We love biking. We like to put our car away,” Jim Fowlow said.
They were not the only ones putting the car away.
A family of motorcyclists was taking a break with a few coffees in the Tim Hortons parking lot at the corner of Mary and Mississagua streets.
John Hibben said he’s been riding for about 35 years and was there with his life-long friend Rob Knapp and his wife Chrissy Knapp.
They were joined by friends and in-laws Scott and Dora Michaud.
Most were decked out in leather jackets and thick leather boots to protect them on their ride.
“This is great riding weather right now. It’s not too cold, it’s not hot. Beautiful,” Hibben said
“You can wear all your gear and be comfortable,” he added.
They’ve been out on the bikes almost 10 times this spring, a welcome change from a “long, depressing” winter, he added.
Hibben rode in from St. Catharines, the Knapps came from Niagara Falls and the Michauds set out from Thorold.
Usually the group waits for the snow to melt and the temperatures to rise before they break out the bikes.
Hibben told The Lake Report he and Rob Knapp started riding with dirtbikes and eventually graduated to motorcycles.
Today, it’s more of a family affair.
“Everybody rides. That’s a great thing, too,” he said.
Back at Simcoe Park, Irish tourists James and Joti Thompson were with their two-year-old daughter Kashi.
James was pushing their daughter on the swing while his wife dangled her feet in the empty swing next to them.
“Oh, it’s glorious,” Joti said, glancing around at the sunlit park.
“We live in Ireland, so our winter is very wet,” she said.
The family spent their Easter weekend at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls and thought they would stop for an hour in NOTL before heading back to Mississauga.
Joti said her daughter “loves a good park.”
The family of three weren’t the only ones visiting from far away, though.
Woori Cho travelled with her mom from Vancouver.
Cho said her mom loves to travel and the two were checking out Toronto, Quebec and Niagara Falls on this trip.
A tattoo artist by trade and originally from South Korea, Cho sat relaxing at Queen’s Royal Park and looking out at Lake Ontario, the warm sun on her back.
After a “long and cloudy” winter, it was just what she needed. “We’ve been waiting for springtime for like a month.”
“It’s so beautiful.”
Of all the places she and her mom have been on their trip from Vancouver, Cho said seeing Niagara Falls was the highlight.
