Brookfield Place
30 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5E 1X8

The Hall of Fame was well organized and filled with hundreds of thousands of of displays, artifacts, memorabilia, videos, NHL Zone, Upper Deck Collector’s Corner, Canadiens Dressing Room, Esso Theatre, Stanley Cup Dynasties,, Hartland Molson Theatre, Global Game Encounter, Panasonic Hometown Hockey, Verizon Great Hall & NHL TrophiesVirtual Tour – Verizon Great Hall, NHLPA Be A Player Zone, TSN/RDS Broadcast Zone, 2K Sports NHL2K Zone.

Basically there’s something for people of all ages, from interactive games for kids to getting the opportunity to do the commentary on actual NHL game action, not to mention special sections on the greatest players and teams of all time. Fans can easily spend half a day marveling at the impressive collection of items and reading the historical footnotes.

How can you be a true hockey fan and not visit the shrine of hockey? The price was about $15 for the day pass (see prices below). The main gallery has videos and electronic games where you can participate in simulated playoff action. There are halls and halls of pictures and plaques commemorating every great player and event in the games long history. Then there’s the holy grail of hockey, the Stanley cup. As you browse through all the displays etc, you’ll notice that every pro team has a small nook where its best players and achievements are catalogued.

Then there’s a rink where you can imagine yourself as part of one of the winning teams (closest I’ll ever get to being in a real hockey game). You can easily spend a couple hrs if you really want to cover everything  adequately. When it is busy (like on the weekends), you may have to wait in line to see some of the sections or try some of the electronics. We went the same day there was an NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and The Washington Capitals, so with Ovechkin in town, this place was packed as well.

Contact :
Info line…………..(416) 360-7765
Switchboard……..(416) 360-7735

Rates :

General      $15.00
Youth (4yrs-13yrs)     $10.00
Senior (65yrs+)     $12.00
Children 3 & under     Free

Hours of operation (check for extended March Break and Summer hours)
Monday-Saturday …9:30am to 6:00pm
Sunday…………… 10:00am to 6:00pm

View Larger Map

Since we all had different things on our agenda to complete on this day we decided to go to Swiss Chalet Rotisserie and Grill, since we figured there wouldn’t be a wait and the food is cheap and not bad. We were right in assuming that there wouldn’t be a crowd, so we were seated as soon as we walked in. If you’ve been to one Swiss Chalet restaurant, there’s no difference in the interior, service and food you get.

I’ll list what we ordered, along with any comments and finish up with my final thoughts, as well as info on this specific Swiss Chalet restaurant.

We started off with a couple appetizers, pop and coffee for myself. All pop, coffee and tea comes with free refill and I must admit that their decaf coffee is really good.

Chicken Spring Rolls - Hand-rolled with Rotisserie Chicken, green onions, carrot slivers & peppers. Served with plum sauce.

This is a hit with Caron and the girls since (as far as they can tell) there’s no cabbage as in the ones you get when you order Chinese food. Word of caution though… allow them to cool a bit before you bite into one. A combination of being greedy and hungry meant that I burnt my mouth when I took a large bite as they looked so appetizing.

We also got:  Crispy Dry Ribs – Lightly seasoned outside, tender & meaty inside. Served with sweet chili sauce.

This must be fairly new to Swiss Chalet since I don’t remember it being on the menu the last time we dinned in (we usually get take out), so we thought we’d give it a try. Truthfully, it’s nothing special. Other than being a bit salty, it’s probably not the best way to serve ribs. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had the rack of ribs that’s served and I can honestly say that for a “non” BBQ joint, their ribs are excellent. Not these though. I’m not one to waste, so I was stuck finishing up the plate.

For our main courses we went traditional…

Rotisserie Quarter Chicken (paid additional for white meat), served with Chalet dipping sauce and our choice of side (rice, fries, salad or baked potato). Caron had the white chicken option which had an additional cost and the rest of us had the dark meat with fries. Kieana had her 1/4 chicken dinner with the Caesar salad and she also ordered an additional side 0f baked potato. There was a friendly bet that She (Kieana) could not eat her complete meal… I’m still waiting for the $10 I won

Andrew, Kieana’s boyfriend had accompanied us for lunch and he had the Chicken on a Kaiser – Chunks of moist Rotisserie Chicken on a Kaiser roll with Chalet sauce for dipping. Which also came with a side. He had ordered a baked potato, but got fries instead which we pointed out and got it corrected. I asked Andrew to take a pic for me to share with my readers, but I’m not sure if he thought he was doing something wrong and would get in trouble with the staff, but here’s the pic he took quickly… (the sandwich is somewhere in that pic)

Overall Thoughts ( Swiss Chalet Rotisserie And Grill Upper Ottawa, Hamilton)

If you looking for ok food at reasonable prices (cost us about $100 with tip for the 6 of us) you won’t be disappointed. Our server could have been a bit more available to us since the restaurant was not busy, however it did get busy during our meal. There were a couple times when we did have to search her out and her personality was not as outgoing as you’d expect for a person working in the service industry.

The fresh cut fries were amazing and probably one of the reasons why we keep eating at Swiss Chalet locations (the chicken is also very tasty). I’m sure it’s probably a hit (for them to promote it in their ads), but the “dipping” sauce that comes with each “chicken” meal is terrible. This is what I picture laundry water to taste like. Sorry Swiss Chalet, you should be promoting your gravy instead.

Here’s some info on this location of Swiss Chalet (see the google map at the end of this post):

1575 Upper Ottawa St.
Hamilton, Ontario
L8W 3E2
Tel: 905 389 9904
Email: swiss1753@cara.com
Website: http://www.swisschalet.ca

HOURS: MONDAY – SATURDAY: 11:00AM TO 10:00PM | SUNDAY: 11:00AM – 9:30PM
DELIVERY NUMBER: 1-866-439-0439 | PHONE: 905-389-9904

View Larger Map

Since it was a Thursday night and we went with the expectation that we’d have to wait for a table as it was also prime dinner time. I guess people were either out shopping or cutting back due to the season and recession, but we were seated immediately.  Now if you’ve been to one East Side Mario’s you should know what to expect, so I won’t bore you with the fact that the inside decor tries to mimic scenes from New York or that it’s a bar / restaurant that servers up Italian food.

Service.

Our server Marina was excellent. Always on time with everything, kept asking if we needed anything else and if the food was “ok”. She seemed confident in her job and her personality showed that she genuinely cared about the people at her table. She was there, but never overbearing. Since our daughters wanted to get home on time to watch “Vampire Diaries” Marina even joked with them and got us out in time. Great job Marina.

I’ll just run through what we ordered…

We didn’t order starters as we were on a budget, was a bit pressed for time and we knew that our dishes would come with unlimited salad and that amazing garlic home loaf. Plus, we were hungry and wanted to dig into actual food.

Tehya had been out earlier with her friends for a Christmas dinner party, so she was ordering this visit and Kieana and Indy decided that since they can never finish their meals that they would just share one. BTW, there were no fees as some other restaurants charge for sharing. They order they “build your own pasta” where you could choose which type of pasta you wanted and the sauce.

Details: Build Your Own Pasta – Choose Your Pasta And Sauce Combination PASTA: Spaghetti, Penne, Farfalle, Linguine, Orecchiette, Bucatini. SAUCE: Napolitana, Arrabbiata, Alfredo or Bolognese meat sauce. $10.99

They ordered the Penne with the Arrabbiata sauce, since they’re like their “pops” and love spicy food.According to them it was a good balance of rich tomato sauce and heat. And yes, it was enough for both of them as the portion was fairly large. though it didn’t look that way, since it came in a bowl/plate type dish which was very deep.

Caron ordered what she always orders, even after knowing that since they changed their menu she no longer liked that particular sauce. She also got the build your own pasta, with the penne but with the Bolognese meat sauce. Yup, she complained just as she did the last time we  were there. Quite honestly it tasted like something out of a jar or can that you’d pick up at the grocery store for under a buck. East Side Mario’s really need to go back to the old way they used to prepare this sauce as this one is a true  let-down.It’s a good thing her meal came with unlimited salad.

I opted for the classic…

Spaghetti and Meatballs Bolognese – Tasty meatballs simmered with our Italian Bolognese sauce, made the authentic way with both pork and beef. $13.99

This is a true classic and must say that it was EXCELLENT, even though as mentioned I don’t like pasta all that much. I usually order my dishes extra spicy and the people in the kitchen did it perfectly. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the meatballs were full of flavour and tender. It was not that grainy sort of meat texture you sometimes get with terrible meatballs.

The salad we opted for (came with the pasta dishes and were unlimited) …

Garden Salad – A large individual portion of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, red onions, black olives and croutons tossed in our signature house vinaigrette.

Caesar Salad – A large individual portion of romaine lettuce, bacon pieces and seasoned croutons tossed with our creamy Caesar dressing (make sure you top with fresh grated cheese and fresh black pepper – it makes a big difference)

The tasty garlic home loaf (we had about 4)

Overall a great evening out that cost us under $80 (we didn’t order any booze), besides the crappy experience with Caron’s meal it still is a restaurant we’d go back. Great Service!

Address:

1389 Upper James St.
Hamilton, Ontario
L9K 1B2

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Store # 33725

(905) 574-3890 Phone
(905) 574-6813 Fax

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Mon – Thurs 11am – Midnight
Fri – Sat 11am – 1am
Sunday 11am – 11pm

BTW, the coffee served is also excellent.

I must confess, though their curry dishes are probably the best (Caribbean style) you can get in Toronto (possibly outside Trinidad and Tobago), their stew dishes like chicken, red bean and fish as well as their callaloo is somewhat mediocre. But then, I’m a budding chef who specializes in these foods so I can be a bit more objective. And I’ve been spoiled by my mom who’s an expert in Caribbean cooking.

Contact Details:

Drupati’s Doubles & Roti Shop

925 ALBION RD, Toronto, ON M9V 1A6

Phone: 416-745-4189

You MUST Order.

1. The doubles. I’ve had doubles from Trinidad, Miami, NY and Toronto and without a doubt the doubles at Drupati’s can rival the best from Trinidad and Tobago, the home of doubles. The bara, curried chickpeas and the wonderful hot sauce that makes up the doubles at Drupati’s is simply mouth watering.

2. The Pholourie. Little dough balls deep fried and served hot, with spicy dipping sauce.

3. Don’t miss out on getting a chicken roti. Though many people tend to get the boneless (white meat) I love the added flavour you get from the “boned” chicken roti. Basically a flatbread stuffed (folded) with curry potato and chicken cooked in a rich curry sauce. The type of curry you can only find in the Caribbean. Not as pungent as many of the East Indian curries, but loaded with flavour. Plus the herbs used in pre seasoning and marinating the meats are very unique to the Caribbean.

4. Snacks – There’s kurma, pone (a cassava cake), preserved fruits (like red mango,and plum) and how could one forget the currant roll. That wonderful pastry filled with currants, in layers.

5. Their bus-up-shut roti is well done as well.

Some Negatives…

- closes on a Monday. Don’t people eat on Mondays in Toronto?

- establishment is very small and the interior is very basic. No money or creativity was spent on this place. If you’re new to Caribbean (pick up your order and leave) type restaurants, you’d even think the place was dirty from the lack of any real care as far as the customer’s experience is concerned.

- I’m not sure if it’s vented well, but I hate smelling like curry when I leave the restaurant. On entering you’re overwhelmed with the smell of what’s cooking in the back and that smell does stay on your clothes. Now, don’t get me wrong.. I love walking into a restaurant and getting the rich scent of food cooking.. but this was a bit overbearing.

- parking is a HUGE problem, as the sort of strip mall the restaurant is located in is very busy with all the ethnic type stores.

Overall, some of the best food from the Caribbean you’ll get outside Trinidad and Tobago (Indo Caribbean) and though the place can be very busy, orders are filled very fast by very friendly staff. By the traffic that goes through this restaurant, you know the food must be good.

BTW, you can also purchase food in large quantities in the event you’re having  a large gathering at your home. I would suggest you call in your order to ensure they can fill it and to avoid having to wait.

View Larger Map

This year was a bit different however. It was a beautiful day and were it not for the wind it would be very mild. Unless you were standing in the shade of the buildings were it was a constantly cold. Unlike other years (I used to work downtown so I have some experience in past years) the crowd was relatively small and the number of floats in the parade were minimal. The floats which were included were very sparse, lacked any creativity and for most was just a marketing opportunity.

With no kids in hand we didn’t line the streets as the other parents, but we did get a great vantage point form the top of the Jackson Square mall (bonus – no screaming kids).

Here are some pics we took, as well as a link to our video channel on Youtube with an edited video of the entire parade. Hamilton Santa Claus Parade Video.

Overall it was a fun day for the kids who attended and you could easily see the joy on their faces as they anticipated the arrival of Santa. However it seems that the police on the motorbikes got a bigger reception than Santa did. Santa’s float was very lame (see the pic above) and didn’t seem to impress the kids who lined the streets for hours before – I know I wasn’t impressed! This was about the kids and for the kids and I truly hope they had a good time. Those cops on bike made my day also and it’s nice to see them so involved in the community.

Other highlights..

- antique fire trucks

- marching bands (where was the Canadian military?)

- Sherwood cheerleading team.

- loved seeing the aboriginal community involved.

Maybe the current economic climate had something to do with the overall feel of the parade and there probably wasn’t the normal support from the business community. So I urge all business in the area to try and give a little more support wherever you can, for next year’s event.

]]> http://ontarioalive.com/here-comes-santa-claus-hamilton/feed/ 0 http://ontarioalive.com/the-2009-ancaster-home-show/ http://ontarioalive.com/the-2009-ancaster-home-show/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:28:56 +0000 admin http://ontarioalive.com/?p=660 What do you do on a cool Saturday afternoon in the Fall? Take a drive out to Ancaster to check out the annual Ancaster Home Show. A few days back we received a coupon for free admission for a family of four to attend this year’s Fall home show, so we thought we’d check it out. We’ve got several updates to make to our home, including a new kitchen and a replacement roof, so this would be a good opportunity to research contractors and take a look at what’s leading the way as far as technology and designs for kitchens.

On your GPS – latitude, longitude: 43.189241, -80.040865

With the abundance of (free) parking there was when we arrived at about 4 pm (closes that day at 5 pm) I had a feeling that this would be a very small event and once inside that feeling was confirmed. I’m not sure how old this event is, but I think it’s fairly young. Which would probably explain why it’s a bit smaller than some of the other home shows we’ve been to.

To be quite honest, if we didn’t have a free coupon to get into this event I would be a bit upset if I had paid. If I were to make a guess I’d say there were about 40-50 displays and nothing really stood out except for the steam mop that Caron purchased. However I did connect with a school mate who was working with a display about kitchens, so that was a good connection to make. Now we have someone who’s willing to come in and give us a free consult on a new kitchen design for us. BTW, that consult is free to everyone who uses their services and not just for friends.

From memory here are some of the booths that were in display…

- Bathroom Fitter

- Pool, spa and gaming room.

- Steel roofing

- Knives (you won’t believe the prices

- A crafting booth

- Ladders

- Mortgage brokers

- Sun rooms

- The booth that sold the Smart Living Steam Mop

- Tile and Flooring

- Handyman / Contractors

There were a few more booths but they didn’t attract our attention and/or we didn’t make eye contact so we didn’t have to put up with the normal sales pitch. From the pics below you’ll get an idea how small the event was, the crowd flow and some of the vendors on display.

Final Thoughts.

A well set-up and run event that lacked more interactive booths, but for the price (free) it was not all that bad since I did connect with my friend who designs kitchens and Caron was amazed by the steam mop. This event can only grow since they seem to be working on marketing the event rather heavily  and it seems to be run by people who knows what they’re doing. When this event get’s bigger (yes, it will) parking may be an issue, unless there’s more parking at the rear of the build that we didn’t see (we didn’t look).

The highlight of the evening for me was the wildlife display they had of a beaver “Woody” and this was my first contact with a beaver in all my years in Canada…

Admission is $3 with free parking as mentioned above and the actual address for those of you not using a GPS device is New Ancaster Fairgrounds, 630 Trinity Rd at Hwy 2. I did a search on Google Maps for the address, using Ancaster as the city but it presented the address with Hamilton as the city instead, in the event you’re using Mapquest or Google maps.

BTW, this year’s event was/is October 16,17,18 so if you reading this today, you have till the end of the day to check it out.

I suppose any restaurant you visit at dinner time on a Friday night will be busy, so having to wait the extra half hour to be seated was not an issue. There were 5 of us in our party, so we had the wait a little longer to get a table big enough for us. When we were finally seated we soon realize that 2 tables for 2 pushed together and a chair added at the top would make for quite a challenge, as we settled in. It’s a good thing Kieana had to leave so we didn’t have to put up with such little space.

In all my years eating out I’ve never come across a more friendly and “genuinely having fun” staff. From the time you’re greeted at the door to the time they open the door for you and thank you for visiting, you’ll only encounter staff who gives the impression that they love what they’re doing. The person responsible for hiring and training the staff at the Lone Star Grill In Ancaster… you did your company proud. There are two staff members who really stood out this night who I will mention later in this review post.

The Interior.

As mentioned before this used to be The Outback restaurant only a few short few months ago, which Lone Star Texas Grill took over and re-transformed. Not sure how they achieved it, but it looks much bigger inside and very welcoming. Like a typical themed bar/restaurant you’ll find a lot of things hanging on the walls etc with the Texas and cowboy theme. Even the staff are dressed in jeans, plaid shirts and some even wore cowboy/girl boots. As we waited to be seated I looked up and noticed that even the light fixtures were replica chuck wagon wheels with light bulbs fixed into them.

There’s a huge bar area that’s very bright and full of activity, as people were either having a drink before dinner or just hanging out watching the various sports events on the many huge plasma screens over the bar.

The dining room seemed well spaced out until you had to actually sit at your table. As mentioned above it can get very crowded and I could never understand why restaurants insist on creating massive menus (size, not offerings). The very same menu could easily be printed and displayed in a small book-like form which would be so much easier to handle. The tables were already small, not to mention the typical stuff that the table already had on it… now try to open a massive size menu. Restaurant owners please consider the space people are working with when creating your menu. Yes, they do look very attractive in their massive size, but they’re not practical.

The food!

You’re greeted with a large basket of fresh made tortilla chips with a very tasty salsa as your drink order is taken and you’re given time to browse the menu. I believe this is refilled as required, since we were asked if we wanted more but we declined since we wanted to save room for dinner.

We placed our order, drinks refilled and waited for about 30 minutes or so for the food to arrive. Yes it was a bit long, but it was Friday night and though it was getting close to 9 pm the dining room was still packed. I had gone to their website earlier in the day to check out their menu so I pretty much knew what I wanted to try. Plus at the website you have the choice to join their mailing list (email) and get a coupon for a free starter. Which I did and it was emailed to me seconds later. I could order anything (1 per table though) off the starter menu that was under $11 I think.

With the coupon we ordered the “Wild Fire Wings” (A full pound of wings, regular or dusted, tossed in our Original BBQ or Texas Butter sauce, served with fries, carrot & celery sticks and ranch dressing.). We had ours done regular and tossed in Texas Butter sauce. The wings itself were a nice size and done perfectly, but that butter sauce was a mistake. There was a hint of butter, but everything was over-powered with a vinegar sort of linguring taste. Seems we never got fries with ours! Maybe this is the typical way bar wings are done and I’m sure it’s probably a hit with other customers, but as someone who’s enjoyed wings all over North America these could be improved on.

Indy ordered the “Little Cowboy Steak” off the kids menu (Grilled 7oz sirloin steak with cowboy seasonings served with steamed vegetables & Mexican rice or fries.). The steak itself was done to perfection and you could tell that decent beef was used. However the steamed vegetables were rather flat and lacked any sort of flavour according to Indy. The fries seemed to be fresh cut, but not sure if it’s because of the time we waited (probably sitting back in the kitchen) or the fact that the restaurant itself was a bit cold inside, the fries were cold and limp. A combination of filling up with the chips and salsa and the fact that the fries and vegetables were a turn-off, but Indy left most of what was served to her on her plate. Cost $9.99

Tehya is very similar to me and will try different things off the menu at the restaurants we visit. I don’t recall she’s ever ordered the same thing and any 2 restaurants we’ve ever been to. Rather than order off the actual dinner menu, she decided on a chili from the starter menu. She got the Texas Red Chili (Traditional Texas-style chili with beans and seasoned lean ground beef topped with Cheddar cheese, diced green onions and served with garlic toast.). This is a MUST try when you visit. Don’t think it’s going to be packed with a punch of spices and heat that will cause heart burn. No, this is well balanced and full of chili goodness. Yes, she insisted I try it and she came pretty close to losing her dinner to me. The toasted bread was wonderful when dipped into the warm chili and the cheese topping made everything all gooey and rich. This was the hit of the night! Cost – $7.99

Caron had the Ranchers Sirloin (8 oz.) (A juicy, boneless cut with great flavour and texture. All of our steaks are served with crispy onion rings, seasonal vegetables and choice of Chuck Wagon Side.) with the fries as her choice of side. Again the steak was done to perfection, but it was a bit dry and could really use some au jus. As with Indy’s order, the vegetables were boring and the fries cold as well. She claimed that she wasn’t really impressed. The free refills of coke helped it all go down Cost : $18.99

I ordered the Baja Tequila Shrimp (Skillet-seared shrimp tossed with peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, our own Ranchero sauce and flambéed with tequila. Served over Mexican rice and seasonal vegetables.) and was really hoping/expecting to be thrilled with promise of something exciting. I was disappointed from the very first bite I took. However I love shrimp and these were also done as I like, so I did picked away at the shrimp and some of the rice. Same story with the seasonal vegetables as with Indy and Caron. I didn’t even touch that part of my plate. I though that if I asked for some hot sauce it would help add some flair to the dish that was missing. Our server got me a couple hot sauce options (see pic below), but that didn’t help. Vinegar based hotsauce (like the wings) that should not be classified as hot sauce… maybe it should be called flavoured vinegar. After really trying to eat this, I gave up.

Our server asked me if everything was ok after seeing that I didn’t eat much off the plate and though I normally would complain and cause a fuss I decided to keep quiet this night. She again asked and I felt I should say something (I was not hoping or trying to get any sort of response), so I mentioned that it was very hard to eat and that besides the shrimp everything else was “blah”. She apologized, asked if I’d like to get something else, which I declined. Moments later she came back with her manager who again apologized to me, offered to buy my dinner and asked if they could get me something else. THIS IS WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE SHOULD BE ABOUT!  I didn’t have to complain.. they noticed that I didn’t eat my dinner and they took the necessary steps to find out why and gave me options. I again declined, but I did get a cup of coffee. BTW, it was one of the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had.

The manager explained that the dish I ordered was a usual hit in the restaurant and could not understand why it was a miss with me. She apologized again, which was very sincere and went a long way in making this customer feel better.

With the manager covering my meal and the coupon we had for the free starter, our bill came to just under $60 with a 15% tip for our server. Please note that this didn’t include any booze or dessert. (remember to go to their website for the free coupon)

Final thoughts…

I/We probably won’t be going back to the Lone Star Texas Grill anytime soon, but if we did it would be to try those amazing looking fajita platters I’d see making it’s way past our table to other guests. Looked and smelled amazing. To our server “Tequila” (Amber) you did an amazing job and I especially like the fact that you took my situation immediately to your manager (This after trying to resolve it first) . This shows that you care about your customers and you’re willing to make them happy before they leave with a negative view of your restaurant. “Dasiy” (Dana) you and your staff are a credit to Lone Star Grill and I love the professional and friendly way you took the time to make me happy. I didn’t ask or expect anything in return when I didn’t like my dinner, but you went the extra step to cover what I would have spent and you offered me something else off the menu. Thanks!

I will be emailing your head office to give them my positive thoughts about the two of you.

In case you’re reading this review and wondering why there are 2 names for each person I mentioned (Amber – Tequila and Dana – Daisy), it’s because each employee is given (probably chooses?) a fun name to work under. I did mention above that this staff were all having fun.

* Did you notice the portion size with Caron’s meal as compared to Indy’s? And check the price difference.. it’s cheaper to order off the kids menu?

Address | Contact | Time Opened

14 Martindale Cres.
Meadowlands Power Centre
Ancaster, ON, L9K1J9

T: 905-648-7147
F: 905-648-5348

Mon-Thurs 11:30am – 11:00pm
Fri-Sat 11:30am – Midnight
Sun 11:30am – 10:00pm

They have a neat tortilla making machine at the back of the restaurant within everyones view..super cool:

Be sure to leave your thoughts and questions in the “comment” area provided.

]]> http://ontarioalive.com/lone-star-texas-grill-ancaster-ontario/feed/ 0 http://ontarioalive.com/canada%e2%80%99s-largest-creepiest-and-most-sinister-event-%e2%80%93-halloween-haunt/ http://ontarioalive.com/canada%e2%80%99s-largest-creepiest-and-most-sinister-event-%e2%80%93-halloween-haunt/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:20:21 +0000 admin http://ontarioalive.com/?p=621 Halloween Haunt, originally known as “Fearfest”, is a haunted attraction at Canada’s Wonderland located in Vaughan, Ontario. It runs after the park’s regular operating hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings in October – up to, and including Halloween night. It is Canada’s largest haunted theme park featuring over 300 monsters, 10 walk-through “maze” attractions, 3 uniquely-themed atmospheric scare areas, and a live show. During its operation, the grounds are transformed via frightening decorative props, thematic music, eerie lighting to further create its scary atmosphere

Ticket Prices:

Halloween Haunt Admission E-Tickets are $29.99 each plus tax.

Halloween Haunt Season Passholer Admission E-Tickets are $24.99 each plus tax. A valid 2009 or 2010 Season Pass must be presented along with E-Ticket.

Contact Information:

By mail, send your letter to:

Canada’s Wonderland
9580 Jane Street
Vaughan, Ontario  L6A 1S6

Phone:
Guest Inquiries     (905) 832-8131
Group Sales     (905) 832-7400
Press/Media Inquiries     (905) 832-7000 x8000
Employment Opportunities     (905) 832-7401

Directions / Map
View Larger Map

List of sinister events, include…

Fangs – Show (debuted 2009) “Comedy meets vampires in this edgy unveiling of the undead…”

Club Blood – Maze (debuted 2009) “At the hottest new nightclub in town, they line up to get in, but no one makes it out alive. Because inside this devilish dance hall, vampires staff the bar and the DJ booth in an effort to lure the most edible into their isolated lair. The most delicious dancers are invited to the VIP lounge, where away from the throbbing heartbeat of the music, the vampires slowly suck the life from their victims.”

A Midsummer Nights Scream- Maze (debuted 2009) “The mysterious and mythical creatures who once peacefully inhabited the forest are gone. Fallen victim to massacring humans scared at living so close to these immortals, the burnt and destroyed forest was devoid of almost all life. Only a few fearsome fairies remain, swearing terrifying revenge on any who dare to enter these woods.”

Kingdom of Carnage – Maze (debuted 2008) “Castle Carnage had a dark and twisted reputation for using medieval torture methods on their prisoners; but what could the starving peasants do to save those captured, and where were the chivalrous knights to resettle order? Bertilak de Hautdesert gave up hope on being rescued, and rallied the prisoners to overthrow the cruel tyrannical nobility. The torture which they had long been subjected to has now come full circle on their royal oppressors in a scene of carnage that makes Countess Bathory’s castle look like a holiday retreat. Let the brave of heart and noble of spirit beware: chivalry is dead. ”

Red Beard’s Rage – Maze (debuted 2008) “The legendary pirate known as Red Beard is said to have led his crew into a massacre when they set to the sea for a preemptive strike against the Spaniards; but neither he or his ship was ever found. A single surviving manuscript details how his mistress, a sea witch who was later burnt at the stake, cast a spell to keep Red Beard and his crew from fully crossing into death. His ship has continued to haunt the stormy seas for centuries. Now it has set up dock and Red Beard and his crew await new victims to help them fulfill their bloodlust. ”

Clowns at Midnight – Maze (debuted 2007) “In 1857 the circus top tent caught on fire. The spectators escaped unharmed, but the performers were left behind to choke on the heavy smoke and burn in the infernal heat. The audience claimed they thought it was part of the show, but the angry spirits of the clowns and circus freaks do not believe such a claim, and know that the spectators simply did not believe the freaks were worth the effort to save. Every night, the circus freaks appear to perform their act in an attempt to lure in fresh blood until they have gathered enough to return to this world for good.”

The Asylum – Maze (debuted 2007) “In 1923 Miles Gravestone was admitted to the asylum after surviving the curse of Slaughter Mill. No one believed his story, and most believed that it was he who gruesomely murdered his camping friends. The doctors forced electroshock therapy while the nurses cruelly sedated him with rusty needles. Pushed to his psychological brink, his sorrow and fear exploded in a rage of fury and he gathered all the other inmates to form a revolt. The inmates have taken over the asylum entirely, and those doctors and nurses who survived such actions are just as deranged as their former patients.”

Miner’s Revenge – Maze (debuted 2007) “It was a dark and foul night when the mine collapsed. Few escaped, and most were trapped alive. They spent their last days waiting….expecting to be rescued. But they never were, and no rescue attempt was ever made. To this date, no one in town can forget that fatal night, especially not those miners left behind, and now they are hungry for revenge. Over 50 years too late, the exhumation has finally begun. The question is, will fear hold you back, or will you go digging for trouble?”

Mother Noose – maze (debuted 2008) “When the Brothers Grimm set out to tell stories from the countryside, they never imagined the dark horrors and unhappy endings they would encounter. Tales of massacre, evil creatures and ferocious beasts are not the fairy tales we grew up with. Mother Noose recreates these haunted stories for anyone brave enough to see just how dark the dark ages really were.”

Bloodshed – Maze (debuted 2005) “When the headless horseman realized his head was not in the possession of the humans, he ravaged the Van Tassels’ barn, tearing through the helpless workers and animals that got in his way. The dilapidated barn is now haunted by rabid animals out for revenge against all things human, and the corpses of deceased farm hands roam about in loathsome madness.”

Cornstalkers – Maze (debuted 2005) “With the Van Tassel family and their farm hands all dead, the fields of the Van Tassel Farmstead have become overgrown with two centuries of colonial debris and corn. The evil which occurred on the farmstead that night has sunk into the once lifeless bodies of scarecrows, which now consider these fields theirs, and will stalk and scare any crows, animals or humans who dare set foot onto their soil. ”

Important: Guest costumes are not permitted. Halloween Haunt is not recommended for children under the age of 13.

Here’s a short video clip of Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland: