The holidays are a pretty good excuse to make a day — or a weekend — out of eating, shopping and exploring somewhere new.
Across Southwestern Ontario, local makers are filling shelves with gifts worth wrapping, wineries, cideries and restaurants are serving up seasonal flavours and holiday markets, lights and performances are giving you plenty of reasons to stay out a little longer.
From building a locally sourced holiday table in Windsor-Essex to shopping your way through Sarnia-Lambton and pairing dinner with a show in London, here are three delicious ways to make the most of the season.
Jump ahead:
- Take a Holiday Shopping Trip You Can Taste in Sarnia-Lambton
- Make a Night of It in London
- Fill Your Holidays with Local Flavour in Windsor-Essex
Take a Holiday Shopping Trip You Can Taste in Sarnia-Lambton
Holiday shopping doesn’t have to mean a trip to the mall.
In Sarnia-Lambton, you can fill your gift list with locally made food and drink, wander holiday markets, stop for a memorable meal and even turn the whole thing into an overnight escape.
Shop Local, Sip Local
Shale Ridge Estate Winery & Nordic Spa
- wine and cider tastings
- food pairings
- December 5–6 holiday market
- countryside/spa experience
- potential overnight angle
Munro Honey & Meadery
- local honey
- mead
- new session meads
- edible/local gifts
Twin Pines Orchards & Cider House
- locally made gifts
- baked goods
- award-winning cider
Downtown Market Sarnia
- gourmet local food
- local gifts
- apparel
Make the Shopping Trip an Experience
Potential stops:
Widder Station
- November 21–22 holiday market
- lunch
- winter walking paths
- sled hills
M.E. Thyme at DeGroot’s Nurseries
- seasonal meal or house-blended tea
- dining inside a greenhouse
- browse the nursery afterwards
Forest Glen Herb Farm
- local herbs for holiday cooking
- food gifts
- dried gifts
- wreath and holiday workshops
Close with the idea of turning a few stops into a full-day route or pairing them with an overnight stay.
Make a Night of It in London
In London, the holiday outing doesn’t have to end when the shopping bags are full.
Start at a festive market, settle in for a great dinner and finish the evening with theatre, live music or a holiday performance.
Start at the Market
Holly Jolly Market at Covent Garden Market
- international food alongside holiday classics
- carousel
- Ferris wheel
- horseback rides
- downtown afternoon/evening outing
Merry Market at 100 Kellogg Lane
- holiday market
- culinary options throughout 100 Kellogg
- other on-site experiences
- easy place to turn a market visit into a full evening
Make Dinner Part of the Occasion
Potential restaurants:
Cintro on Wellington
- elevated dining
- Canada’s 100 Best recognition
Hunter & Co.
- cocktails
- small plates
- lively atmosphere
David’s Bistro
- intimate
- elevated downtown dining
Then Catch a Show
Potential pairings:
A Christmas Carol at the Grand Theatre
- November 24–December 27
A Christmas Story at Canada Life Place
- confirm exact event details before publishing
Broader opportunities:
- Centennial Hall
- London Music Hall
- seasonal concerts and performances
Dinner, drinks and a holiday show? That sounds like a pretty good reason to make a night of it.
Fill Your Holidays with Local Flavour in Windsor-Essex
In Windsor-Essex, the holidays are an invitation to shop, cook, sip and celebrate a little closer to home.
Find Something Made Here
Introduce the Made Here for the Holidays concept and Holiday Gift Guide.
Potential points:
- locally owned shops
- Canadian-made and locally sourced products
- foodie gifts
- stocking stuffers
- gifts for hosts
- buyable experiences
- hotel packages / gifting a getaway
CTA: Windsor-Essex Holiday Gift Guide
Build Your Holiday Table Locally
Shift from gifts to the meal itself.
Potential points:
- locally sourced holiday recipes
- W.E. Heart Local partners
- ingredients for a locally inspired holiday table
- local food producers
- Mention Oxley Estate Winery (soup dish to the left below)
- Gallette is the piz
- encouraging visitors to bring Windsor-Essex flavours home for holiday entertaining
Pour Something Local
Highlight Windsor-Essex’s wine, spirits, cider and brewery experiences.
Potential points:
- EPIC Wineries holiday wine pairings
- locally sourced cocktail recipes
- Barrels Bottles & Brews
- Elf on the Bar Shelf
- visit breweries, cideries and distilleries
- pick up something local for the holiday table or as a gift
See Windsor-Essex Light Up
Finish the section with the Holiday Lights Pass.
- four light festivals
- November 14–January 7
- encourage visitors to turn the lights into a larger holiday outing
- pair the experience with dinner, drinks, shopping or an overnight stay
Make a Little More of the Holidays
You don’t need another reason to eat something delicious over the holidays — but a road trip certainly doesn’t hurt.
Shop for gifts made close to home in Windsor-Essex, follow local flavours through Sarnia-Lambton or dress up for dinner and a show in London. However you spend the season, there are plenty of ways to turn an ordinary holiday outing into something worth travelling for.
