Fashion Mode

Niagara is a picturesque destination all four seasons of the year but it's particularly beautiful during the summer months when the city is literally in full bloom. If you've considered a retirement community in Niagara, why not spend a week or two visiting, touring around and getting a feel for the community.

The Falls
Horseshoe Falls attracts visitors for the famous photo ops year round and after filling your camera with magnificent shots of the falls, there's still much to see and do.

Tour Queen Victoria Park - the Floral Clock
The face of the time-keeping Floral Clock at Queen Victoria Park in the heart of the city is photographed nearly as much as the falls. Westminster chimes inside the back of the clock toll every quarter hour and its color comes from nearly 16 thousand beautiful viola flowers in spring and four cultivars of alternanthera plus green and grey Santolina Sage in summer and fall.

Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens
A quick drive up the Niagara Parkway leads to the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens where students at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture are known to love studying. The rose garden alone features more than 2400 roses and the park is home to one of Canada's loveliest collections of ornamental shrubs and trees.

Oakes Garden Theatre
Events and concerts are a summertime routine at the Oakes Garden Theatre stage featuring the falls in the background. If you haven't seen enough of the city's unique parks yet, there's McFarland House and Old Fort Erie both boasting "kitchen" gardens where old fashioned horticultural favorites are grown today, just as they have been for generations.

Laura Secord Homestead and the Mackenzie Printery
Fall and winter at Niagara are breathtaking with the changing leaves and the many choices of hiking trails around the falls. Trails are from a quarter mile in length to two miles through spectacular forest and vantage points. During the cooler months Niagara has many stories to tell between the walls of the historic sites like the Laura Secord homestead and the Mackenzie Printery.

Whether you love exploring alone, with a tour group or with friends and family, you won't run out of options in Niagara.

Niagara is Age-friendly
An inviting reason to retire to Niagara is that it is an age friendly community with the fourth largest percentage of seniors in Canada. Seniors in Niagara are known for giving back to the community by way of volunteerism, staying active in politics, community events and second or even third careers.

Holiday Retirement at Stamford Estates
The Stamford Estates Holiday Retirement community in Niagara Falls, invites guests to set up a tour to include a complimentary dinner if you're considering the option to retire to Niagara. Their amenities include the option to entertain family and friends in the private dining area and community members enjoy craft rooms, fireside lounges, chapel, billiards room, onsite beauty parlor and barbershop. There's no reason to become bored at Stamford; the activity programs are geared to seniors of varying fitness levels and appear to be enjoyable to everyone involved!

After delving into the highlights of the Niagara area, I personally look forward to visiting, not only for the many gardens and parks and the historic stories that the city is built upon but also for the natural beauty of the surrounding areas all seasons of the year; and I particularly love knowing that Niagara is an age-friendly city.