Le fjord du Saguenay au Québec est spectaculaire: Holland America cruise

Out to Sea blog

Our latest posting about cruising on Holland America's Eurodam on the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec can be found on our sister site:

https://outtoseatravel.blogspot.com/2019/05/le-fjord-du-saguenay-au-quebec-est.html?fbclid=IwAR1zML61HMeOsMELGrbG2JX5oYx5v-PM2U6AHhzcRjs59YDQQu7pbldOWQ0

Live music season has returned to the Blue Mountains

(News Release)

  A stacked season of incredible live music at Blue Mountain and South Georgian Bay

 

Blue Mountains, Ontario. May 22, 2019 --- Live music is the lifeblood of green season in Ontario’s premiere four season destination.

For 2019, the selection of incredible musical acts has grown and evolved to include a myriad of genres, cultures, flavours, and sounds.

 

Every day, all summer long, visitors and music lovers alike can take advantage of award-winning festivals, amazing headliners, and emerging talents all across the region.

 

The Blue Mountain Village location lends itself perfectly to taking in a great live show. With a distinct energy that sets it apart from other venues in the area, the Village stage is the beating heart of music at the foot of the mountain.

This year, we welcome over 90 free concerts to the Blue Mountain Village.

 

Peak to Shore Music Festival

 

The 2019 Peak to Shore Music Festival kicks off July 17-21 at 12 venues across the region and features 35+ concerts.

The beat goes on as music milestones rock the summer; Motown's 60th party . . . Stones rock Canada . . .

   One-Tank Trip for May 18/19

    By Jim Fox

   The hits just keep on coming as this year marks several milestones in music history.

   They’ll really be dancing in the streets as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas sang at Motown’s 60th anniversary weekend from Sept. 21 to 23 in Detroit.

   The Motown sound changed America as it emanated from songwriter Berry Gordy’s home studio started with an $800 loan from his family.

Motown Museum dubbed Hitsville U.S.A. (Barbara Fox)

    At 2648 W. Grand Blvd., the house now is the home of the Motown Museum, nicknamed Hitsville U.S.A.

   That’s where the Four Tops, David Ruffin and the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and Stevie Wonder became famous.

   And, don’t forget Michael Jackson & the Jackson 5, the Marvelettes, Gladys Knight & the Pips and Lionel Richie & the Commodores.

Niagara Wine Region growing taste for craft beers, including Wayne Gretzky

   One-Tank Trip for May 11/19

 

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Niagara Region – already known for its world-class wines – is acquiring a taste for craft beers.

   “Niagara is earning a growing reputation among beer lovers and foodies for its thriving craft brew scene,” said publicist Stephen Murdoch.

   “Just as the best wines reflect the area where they are produced, Niagara’s craft beers capture the unique charm and personality of the region and the passion of the brewmasters behind them,” he added.

How many “growler jugs” of craft beer are there on the wall at Lock Street Brewing?

    New entries include Lock Street Brewing in St. Catharines and Bench Brewing in Beamsville opening their doors recently.

   Niagara now pours at more than a dozen craft beer operations producing award-winning brews that are building a growing audience.

Warblers and Whimbrels Weekend at Presqu’ile Provincial Park – May 18-19/2019

PRESS RELEASE

BRIGHTON, Ontario -- The Friends of Presqu’ile Park are pleased to announce that despite the grey, cold, it really is spring.

While birds have been trickling back north for a couple of months, the big wave of tens of thousands of songbirds and shorebirds that migrate through Presqu’ile Provincial Park, are arriving this month.

 

Parula - David Bree photo

These are some of the most beautiful and sought-after birds for birdwatchers and this weekend is packed with activities designed to introduce visitors to these birds and the fine art of bird watching. 

On both Saturday May 18 and Sunday May 19, we will start out with an ultra early bird walk for the ultra keen at 6:30am from the Lighthouse Centre.Want to sleep a bit longer?  We will also offer a repeat bird walk starting at 10am from the Lighthouse Centre.

Justin Bieber museum exhibit extended, gets major refresh

‘Justin Bieber: Steps to Stardom’ adds new pieces to collection

STRATFORD, Ont. – A year after it opened its doors, a one-of-a-kind museum exhibit devoted to Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber has been given a major overhaul.

The Stratford Perth Museum — located in the small southwestern Ontario city of Stratford where Bieber grew up and launched his meteoric rise to the top of music charts as a teenager — has added more than two dozen new pieces of memorabilia provided by Bieber and his family to the collection.

 The revamped “Justin Bieber: Steps to Stardom” exhibit has taken place for the popular exhibit’s one-year anniversary.

“We’ve got some fantastic new items that Justin and his family have lent the museum,” said John Kastner, General Manager of the Stratford Perth Museum.

“This isn’t just a finetuning of the collection, it’s a real refresh. We wanted to make sure that people who may have been to see the exhibit before will really notice the changes if they come again.”

The museum worked closely with Bieber and his family members to ensure the exhibit gives an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the musician’s extraordinary path to success — beginning from his early days as a youngster in Stratford before he was discovered, to his present status as one of the world’s top-selling names in entertainment.

It's all happening in Toronto this spring and summer (2019)

WHAT’S NEW & HAPPENING IN TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA – SPRING 2019

TORONTO, CANADA (April 4, 2019) – Spring is in the air in Toronto, Canada’s Downtown, as the ever-changing city welcomes new openings, and experiences to its spring line-up.  The season will not disappoint, with festivals, attractions, anniversaries and more! Read through our latest “What’s New” for a full list of updates and happenings around Toronto.  

Tourism Toronto photo

HOTELS

Hotel X Toronto by Library Hotel Collection will add Canada’s first Guerlain Spa opening late spring/early summer. Guerlain, a French perfume, cosmetics and skincare house, among the oldest and most prestigious brands in the world, will complement the hotel’s expansive 8100 square metre athletic center, 10XTO. The partnership will create an exclusive new menu of personalized treatments focusing on beauty and wellbeing while using signature products for facials, massages and body treatments. The Guerlain Spa at Hotel X Toronto will offer ten treatment rooms with views overlooking Lake Ontario.

Hotel X Toronto will also add a fine-dining Mediterranean restaurant and bar to its collection. Pétros 82, set to open this spring, will feature airy dining room featuring an open kitchen and high-ceilings, two full-service bars, outdoor patio, Pétros 82 lobby bar and three flexible private rooms that accommodate 20 to 60 guests. Reflecting the hotel’s dedication to the community and sustainability, the restaurant is focused on providing flavourful, all-natural dishes, farmed fresh and sourced locally.

On Saturday, April 6^th, the Omni King Edward Hotel’s popular Afternoon Tea will transform into a Royal Baby Shower Afternoon Tea featuring a special menu in celebration of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s baby. The tea will be served in the Sovereign Ballroom from 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM.

Hockey, baseball and golf halls of fame and museums are a winner for visitors

   One-Tank Trip for May 4/19

   (c) By Jim Fox

   “He shoots, he scores!”

   That phrase, coined by hockey play-by-play legend Foster Hewitt, was repeatedly heard during the era of superstars Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky.

   Now the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto pays homage to the most-prolific scorers with 9 & 99: The Howe-Gretzky Exhibition.

   Referring to their jersey numbers, this is an exhibit “unlike any other,” said Kelly Masse, director of corporate and media relations.

  Superstars Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky are being memorialized at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

    Visitors to the exhibition, on now through next March, can “witness the greatest compilation of milestone artifacts and rare personal memorabilia,” she added.

   Hall curators hand-picked the items from their family collections that reveal the “legacy and indelible bond of ‘Mr. Hockey (Howe)’ and ‘the Great One (Gretzky)’.”