As part of the Niagara Region, Niagara-on-the-Lake is rich with history and character and its known for its potpourri of world-class wineries, restaurants, shops , theatre and hospitality unmatched anywhere.
Tourists flock here for the Shaw Festival Theatre, play golf at Canada's oldest golf course or to sample the many VQA wines at Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, Peller and Hillebrand or to simply take in the quaint shops lining the streets of Old Town.
Niagara-on-the-Lake has gone through several name changes throughout history, starting with Butlersburg in honour of Colonel John Butler. It later became Newark in 1781 as British loyalists settled here after fleeing the United States following the American Revolution.
It was in 1792 when the town was renamed Niagara and was the first capital of what was then Upper Canada. It was here where the first provincial parliament met.
The town was finally named Niagara-on-the-Lake in the 1880's.
But the town's deep history was nearly short lived when during the War of 1812 it was burnt to the ground by American soldiers before they fled to Fort Niagara on the other side of the Niagara River.
Through determination, the residents rebuilt the town and today it is a mecca for tourists who want to experience Canada's most picturesque town.