Road alert: getting to Niagara this week
QEW, Burlington to Hamilton: overnight lane restrictions may affect both directions.
QEW Niagara-bound off-ramp to Glendale Avenue: closed 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday, Oct. 22. Follow posted detours if you arrive late.
Thorold Stone Road, between Portage Road and Stanley Avenue: paving is tentatively set for two to three nights this week.
Sunday, Oct. 25: the Niagara Falls Marathon brings road restrictions around the tourist district. Allow extra time near Fallsview Boulevard and Murray Street.
Check Ontario 511 before you leave. Schedules can change with weather and site conditions.
This Week’s Standouts
Frightmare in the Falls
Fri., Oct. 23 to Sun., Oct. 25, Niagara Falls Convention Centre, 6815 Stanley Avenue. Ticketed. Guests include Peter Weller and Barbara Crampton. They do not appear every day, so check appearance days before you pick a ticket.
Dia de Muertos in Niagara
Sat., Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., The Exchange, 5943 Sylvia Place, Niagara Falls. Free admission, free parking and a parade.
Hallowe’en Candy Trail
Sat., Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., downtown St. Catharines. Free, with trick-or-treating at downtown businesses. Register in advance, one ticket per group.
Fort George Ghost Tours
Oct. 23 to 25, Niagara-on-the-Lake. $25. Tickets are advance only, none sold at the tour. It is a two-hour outdoor walk in dim light, so wear comfortable shoes.
Trunk or Treat
Sun., Oct. 25, 5 to 7 p.m., 680 York Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Free, one ticket per family, reserved on Eventbrite.
Local Insider Tips
Skip the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tour-bus crunch in Niagara Falls. Table Rock around 6 p.m. gives you golden hour over the Horseshoe Falls, then walk to Clifton Hill as day-trippers head home.
Niagara Falls parking: city lots such as Ellen Avenue are an easy walk to Clifton Hill and usually beat private lot rates. Rates change, so check signs.
Niagara-on-the-Lake parking: when Queen Street meters are backed up, park at Fort George and walk about 10 minutes to lower Queen Street.
Marathon runners: bib pickup is at Hall A of the Convention Centre on Friday or Saturday only, none on race day. A shuttle loops between the Convention Centre and the start line on Sunday.
Rain plan: Ripley’s Night of Frights at Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks is included with admission. A Taste of Ireland plays the Convention Centre Thursday, Oct. 22.
Halloween Trivia
Halloween did not start in Canada. Who brought it here in the mid-1800s, and which ancient festival is it rooted in?
Think you know the answer? Reply directly to this email with your guess!
Worth Booking Now
Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31. Book these now, or browse our Halloween events guide.
Fort George Ghost Tours: Fri., Oct. 30 and Sat., Oct. 31, $25, advance only. Halloween night is likely to sell out first.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Oct. 29 to 31, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines.
Closing
If you’re enjoying this newsletter, and we hope you are, forward it to someone who’s trying to sort out their weekend plans. It’s how most new readers find us.
Till next week…
Tim
Niagara Digest
P.S. Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe free to get it every Tuesday.
(Trivia Answer: Irish and Scottish immigrants, who brought it from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest.Irish and Scottish immigrants also adapted the jack-o’-lantern to the native pumpkin.)