Travel: Exploring London, Ontario

A Weekend Escape to London, ON

This summer, I want to explore and enjoy as much of Ontario as I can. We're so lucky to live in such a beautiful province that has so much to offer!

We kicked off this summer goal with a weekend in one of Southwest Ontario's larger cities- London.

I haven't been to London for about 13 years. I used to compete on a dance team and our annual competition was in London. However, since then, I've only ever driven through on our way to other destinations in Southern Ontario. It was about time I stopped to see what London has to offer - and verdict?  I was very happily surprised!

We found London has a nice combination of small town and big city vibes. You can definitely find quiet time as well as bustling night life here. Not to mention the up and coming culinary scene.

Below, I've shared from of my favourite places to eat and some fun things to do during a visit to London, Ontario if you decide to plan your own weekend escape!

Where to Stay

We stayed at the Hotel Metro, which is a boutique hotel right beside Convent Garden Market. We found the location to be perfect for us as it was walkable to Richmond Street and to many of the other places we wanted to go.

                            

I also loved that the rooms were exceptionally spacious. We stayed in the Loft-style King room and it was perfect for us. I loved the high ceilings and exposed brick walls.

The room definitely had a special style and ambience. Despite the construction going on right outside, we heard nothing and slept very well on their extremely comfortable beds.

Black-out curtains are what we are used to at home, so they were a welcome change from standard hotel drapery. I slept like a baby and I'd highly recommend this hotel for comfort, location and ambience.

Where to Eat

The Bag Lady

The Bag Lady is the perfect place for brunch. It's a quaint vintage variety store and breakfast is served all day. The food here is delicious to say the least and it's affordable too!

We had the loaded Breakfast Burrito and the Breakfast Pizza - a thin and crispy crust, topped with eggs, veggies and cheese. It was all so delicious. I might have to go back for this!

DolcettoDolcetto is a lovely Italian restaurant with a relaxed and modern atmosphere. They serve great homemade pizzas, pasatas and other Italian dishes.



You can also find traditional brunch items on the menu on Sundays. We went for the Fico (Fig) Salad, Salmon Picatta with lemon, capers and angel hair pasta as well as the Portofino Pizza (mozzarella di bufala, house made spicy sausage, rapini and chilies.

The food here was great and especially loved their decor and patio.

Los Lobos

Los Lobos is a modern Mexican restaurant with a fantastic patio. If you sit outdoors, make sure you take a look at the wall art inside, it's outstanding! 

I loved the stuffed poblano pepper with rice, chorizo, salsa and cilantro. I'd also highly recommend their margaritas and tacos. We tried the pork belly, chicken thigh, cauliflower and carnita tacos - they were all delicious!

Hunter and Co

This was probably my favourite culinary stop over the weekend. Hunter & Co. offers a unique experience with chef-crafted dishes that are full of flavour. Personally, I loved the experience of dining here.

The menu is tapas style and they recommend ordering four to five dishes to share. Each dish comes out one at a time so you can fully enjoy and appreciate the flavour combinations.

I loved everything we ordered but my favourites were the stuffed boneless chicken wings and the cashew shrimp. The dishes were so delicious, I can see why this restaurant is always bustling! The service was also excellent and I'd highly reccommend dining here.

The Bungalow

The Bungalow is a low key restaurant with a family friendly vibe. We sat outdoors to enjoy the weather. This restaurant has been featured on the TV show, "You Gotta Eat Here" and I'd heard so much about the famous burgers that I decided to give one a try.

Hubby and I shared some grilled salmon with a salad and a lamb burger. I loved the long list of toppings available so you could get the perfect combo. I went with grilled pineapple, sauteed onions, tomato and jalapenos. The list of fancy and house made condiments was equally as long and impressive.



The burger was perfectly juicy - I'd say succulent even, and was quite honestly the best burger I've ever eaten. If you're a burger lover, I'd say - you gotta eat here.

The Tea Lounge

The Tea Lounge is a lovely place to stop in for an afternoon indulgence. They have over 150 varieties of ethically sourced tea. The owner, Michelle, also makes sure to pick the best quality leaves and teas to ensure that her customers maximize on the health benefits.

What I loved it that she also ensures all her suppliers, farmers and growers are paid fairly for their work. Got to love a company that has ethics at the heart of what they do.



We enjoyed the serenity of their porch and had a little down time as we sipped a beautiful blooming tea. You can also try their newly launched, lunch experience which includes soup, salad and a cheese board (or go for the vegan cheese board).



Our tea guide, Spencer, gave us a wonderful education about the proper way to pour and prepare tea. As a tea lover, I found this to be so interesting and loved learning more about one of my favourite beverages.

Haven's Creamery

Just down the road from The Tea Lounge is Haven's Creamery. They are a small batch ice cream shop and focus on bringing a high quality product to their customers.

I loved the ambience and the delicious ice cream which really hit the spot during the summer heat.

Roli Poli Ice Cream

If you're looking to try something different, you may want to stop in at Roli Poli's on Richmond Street. They specialize in hand rolled ice cream. Choose your ingredients (fruits, candies, toppings) and they are hand mixed into the cream.

 Then the cream is frozen on a stainless steel plate and rolled by hand. The result is paper-thin ice cream rolls which are then topped with fruit and whipped cream. 

Things To Do

There are so many ways to spend some time in London and I had the opportunity to explore quite a bit when I was in the area.

Richmond Row  

Richmond Street (also known as Richmond Row) is the main street for shopping and browsing in London, Ontario. There are over 200 businesses in this area including, but not limited to, clothing boutiques, health and beauty shops, restaurants, bars and pubs.

We spent some time walking up and down the street, admiring the rooftop beer garden at Toboggan and the churches we passed.

My favourite shop here was a peaceful botanical haven called "Grow and Bloom". I just loved the decor, ambience and the little home decor treasures that I found here!

London Libations Pedal Pub

One of the reasons I wanted to come to London for this weekend was to experience their brand new Pedal Pub. This is something I've wanted to try out for the last few years while on vacation but it never worked out. I was so excited to learn that this experience is now available in Ontario. The Pedal Pub is a giant bicycle that seats about 10 pedallers, 1 driver and 5 people who can just enjoy the ride. London Libations offers a two hour tour with stops scheduled at some of London's craft brewhouses.



The tour I was on stopped at Anderson Craft Ales and The London Brewing Co-op . We had 4-6 tastings at each stop.

Pedal Pub costs about $60 and was such a  fun experience. We rode with a group of friends who were celebrating a birthday. This is the perfect group activity. It was an exciting way to get from brewery to brewery and perfectly safe as a designated driver does all the steering.

Currently, there's a facebook contest going on, check it out for a chance to win passes for a London Libations Pedal Pub tour!

Budweiser Gardens

While visiting London, I had the chance to catch a show at Budweiser Gardens. But it wasn't just any show, it was my first Cirque Du Soleil experience! I saw a breathtaking show called "Crystal". It was a classic Cirque show with acrobats, jugglers, corde lisse and lots of stunts but it was all on ice!
Added to that, was the indoor snow fall, live music, incredible lighting and ice dancing. It was a magical experience!



If you're in town and Cirque isn't, you can always catch other shows at the Gardens. This summer, Shania Twain will be in town, as well as the Smashing Pumpkins. The Gardens will also host Keith Urban in the fall.

Tree Trekking

If you love physical activity, make sure to check out Boler Mountain for an amazing tree trekking adventure. It's an outdoor adventure park that consists of rope bridges, swinging tires, wooden platforms and swings that connect between trees.

Did I mention the park is suspended about 40 feet above ground? It's definitely an exhilarating way to test your strength and agility. I enjoyed channeling my inner Indiana Jones and trekking from platform to platform.

Don't miss the zip-line course which consists solely of zip-lines of various lengths. It's so much fun and will really give you that free-flying experience. If heights aren't your thing, Boler Mountain also has hiking trails and bike rentals that would suit anyone who'd rather keep their feet on the ground.

Covent Garden Farmer's Market

One of my favourite things to do in any city I'm visiting is to check out the local farmer's market. It's a great way to get to know a community and to become a part of it.



In London, I loved wandering through the rows of market vendors at Covent Garden Farmer's Market. It's a large indoor market in the heart of downtown London.

At the market you can find fresh local produce, craft batch condiments, gourmet jams and delicious cheeses. You will also come across bakeries, florists, homeopaths and Kombucha brewers. On Thursdays and Saturdays there is also an outdoor market featuring local artisans, wineries and growers.

Jill's Table

This is a lovely foodie stop with incredible local sauces, jam and honey. At Jill's Table, you'll find the perfect hostess gifts as well as some amazing kitchen tools and gourmet ingredients. You can also take a hands-on cooking class taught by guest chefs, each with their own areas of expertise.

                                    

Victoria Park

We stumbled upon Victoria Park as we explored Richmond Street and just loved it! It's a large green space in the middle of the city and was a great place for a stroll. If you're planning to visit with your family, Victoria Park would be a great place for a picnic and some outdoor fun for kids. Many outdoor festivals are held here, so definitely check out what's on in local events while planning your trip.

We had a great time exploring London, Ontario for a weekend. It's a lovely city with a great food scene and lots to do! If you have any favourite things to do or see in London, please let me know in the comments below or on Instagram @angeliesood.


A special thank you to my friends at Ontario's Southwest and London Tourism for partnering on this post. As always, all views and opinions expressed are my own. 

Travel: Slowing down in Strathroy, Ontario

A Peaceful Ontario Escape

Do you ever find, that you plan a trip to relax but then being in a new place is so exciting that you want to try to do everything? Sometimes, you really just need to getaway from the go, go, go and escape somewhere where they value the slow and simple life.

That's what drew me to visit Strathroy, in Southwest Ontario. It's just a few hours away from Toronto (in Middlesex County) but it seemed like a trip back in time.

The pictures of small Victorian era homes and quaint streets made me feel like this was really the perfect place to slow down, relax and reconnect with myself.

In case you need to the hit the pause button too, here are my recommendations for a peaceful, little getaway.

Where To Stay

The Clocktower Inn and Bistro

When visiting Strathroy, I'd highly recommend you check in to the Clocktower Inn. It's a beautiful historic building that has been standing since 1889. It's so pretty, we took pictures of it from the street before we realized that's where we were staying!

Originally this building was a Postal and Customs office. Now, it houses a lovely inn and awesome bistro-style restaurant.

The rooms here have a cozy but elegant vibe. The beds were comfortable and I loved the original crown mouldings and the Victorian style draperies.

My favourite part of the room was definitely the bathroom. The bathrooms here have been newly renovated with heated floors, beautiful tile-work and my favourite- a beautiful claw foot tub!

I had the best time taking my book with me for a nice long bubble-bath. It was so relaxing and the ambience really made it feel like I had stepped back in time.

Where to Eat

Clocktower Bistro

The restaurant at the Clocktower Inn was fabulous. I loved the exposed brick wall in the dining room and the fact that the bistro seemed to be a local hot spot for weekend fun. The atmosphere was very lively and exciting.

Since it was NBA Allstar weekend, we also enjoyed watching the Slam dunk competition in the adjacent pub.

The main attraction here is the food. Chef Mark Graham is the Chef and owner of the Inn and Bistro and he takes great care to plan a menu that celebrates fresh, local and made-from-scratch dishes.

We ordered French Onion Soup to start and shared a fresh Beet and Goat Cheese Salad. The flavours were all spot on and we both enjoyed every bite! (It was hard to pick from the many house made dressings on the menu but we went with an apple cider vinaigrette).

Next, we tried the Lamb Burger and the Rack of Lamb with a wild mushroom risotto. Our mains were so delicious - we are still talking about them.



If you can eat here, you definitely should and we throughly  enjoyed both dinner and brunch at the Clocktower.

Rusty Wrench

We stopped in at local Brewhouse and Pub, The Rusty Wrench for a quick bite. They opened their doors late last year and have a mission to bring great craft beers as well as a world inspired food menu that caters to most dietary requirements. I loved trying their housemade Kombucha and signature beers. 

What to Do

Relax

When you finally get a chance to show down, you definitely need to take the opportunity. I made sure I took the book I'm reading and some bubble bath with me to remind myself to slow down and take some me time.




Strathroy is a small town and they are all about mindful, simple living. It was just what I needed. Take advantage of the fact that things are quieter here in the evenings and enjoy some time in your hotel room. I loved using the bathtub in my room at The Clocktower Inn and snuggling up with my hubby to watch a movie.

Shop

My husband and I have a love for antiques and we really enjoy looking around speciality markets when we visit small towns with history. I was so excited to find out that there is an Antique Mall in Strathroy!

I had so much fun wandering the aisles and looking at the great collectibles at the Strathroy Antique Mall. I even made a few exciting purchases - an antique lantern, a copper teapot and some beautiful Bone China tea cups and saucers. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit to see what you may find!

Connect with Nature

Strathroy is the perfect place to connect with nature. We visited the Texas Longhorn Ranch and it was the highlight of our trip.

Our guide helped us saddle up for a winter trail ride and it was so serene! The beautiful forested trails and the white snow made us feel like we were in scene from a romantic movie.

We could hear a few streams that weren't frozen over, the birds in the trees and  wind in the trees. We were on the lookout for a family of deer or some rabbits.

We had clean air to breathe and the quiet you need to just be in the moment. With the sun shining down on us, this was the perfect way to spend the day and an experience we won't soon forget.

I'd highly recommend you make some time for a trail ride if you're visiting and don't forget to warm up afterwards with a cup of hot apple cider in their Texas style family room.






Trail rides are approximately $50 per adult for an hour and would be beautiful in any season. I thought it was interesting to find out that they also offer unique overnight "Glamping" experiences in covered, western-style wagons.

One thing's for sure, I will definitely be back to visit this ranch again!

I loved getting away for an overnight that truly allowed me to disconnect from the world and reconnect with myself. "Me time" is a luxury these days and one that is so important to indulge in as much as you can.

My visit to Strathroy presented me with the perfect opportunity for a relaxing escape from the busy city life, giving me the chance to slow down and exhale. The positive effect it had on my state of mind and sense of well being was really something you should experience for yourself.

A special thank you to my friends at Ontario's Southwest and Visit Middlesex for sponsoring this post. As always, all views and opinions are my own.