Stratford For All Seasons: Secrets & Surprises. Phyllis Hinz

Our goal with Stratford For All Seasons: Secrets & Surprises is to share magical and little-known stories about Stratford so you will investigate the city and its abundant offerings for yourself.

Many of the 500,000 annual visitors who attend the Stratford Festival, as well as many Stratfordites, are not aware of the fun facts and history that make Stratford unique.

This book is about the things that make us say, “Really?”

Stratford For All Seasons: Secrets & Surprises is arranged as follows:

“DO IT” Events you can participate in or attend

“SEE IT” Things you can walk up to and appreciate

“KNOW IT” Fascinating and historical information

FOREWORD

I was born and raised in Stratford, and I have spent my whole life exploring all the wonderful things this city has to offer.

We are known for our world-class Stratford Festival, our beautiful parks system, vibrant downtown core, thriving businesses and industries, and spirit of innovation. That and a young man named Justin Bieber.

But there are sights and sounds and stories that you’ll only discover if you peek behind the curtain and catch a glimpse of some of the less obvious things that make this city dramatically different.

Stratford for All Seasons is an ideal guidebook for that process of discovery.

For visitors and newcomers, it contains plenty of fun and fascinating facts, as well as helpful information about things to do, to see, and to know about our dynamic city.

There are Stratford ties to famous inventor Thomas Edison, hockey hero Wayne Gretzky, broadcasting icons Peter Mansbridge and Lloyd Robertson, music legend Richard Manuel, and pioneering doctors Jenny Trout and Norman Bethune, and they’re all captured here. So are the backstories on the city’s Bridge to Nowhere, its roots as a railway town, and the historic fight to save our landmark City Hall building.

Even lifelong residents will likely find a few secrets and surprises in these pages.

I’m still discovering new and exciting things about the City of Stratford, and I encourage you to do the same.

Sincerely,

Dan Mathieson, Mayor

CHOCOLATE, BACON, AND BREWS

If you enjoy bacon, beer, and chocolate, you are going to love the Bacon & Ale Trail and the Chocolate Trail. No hiking required.

On the Bacon & Ale Trail, you’ll meet an assortment of brewers, bakers, artisans, and food vendors, all offering pork or craft beer products. Perth County is Ontario’s largest pork-producing area, so don’t be surprised to find bacon-inspired soups, bacon-infused spreads and dressings, bacon butter tarts, even bacon-flavoured jellybeans. Craft breweries not only add their beers and porters to the lineup, they also influence other offerings along the trail, like craft beer toffee caramels and beer soap.

Stratford has a reputation for good chocolate. The Chocolate Trail has about twenty-five stops that take you to confectioners and bakers, cafes and shops, pubs, and a distillery. The selection of chocolate-related items is immense. You’ll find the expected, chocolate bars, hot chocolate, ice cream and brownies, and the unexpected, aged dark chocolate balsamic vinegar, chocolate honey, chocolate tea, chocolate candles, and a chocolate pecker pop. You’ll have the opportunity to sip a mocha made with fair trade cocoa and steamed milk or a craft porter with notes of malt and chocolate.

These self-guided trails enable you to enjoy them at your leisure. Passes are available to purchase at the Stratford Tourism Alliance, 47 Downie Street, and they are valid for a week.

SEASON:

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

LOCATION:

Downtown Stratford and surrounding area

WEBSITE:

www.visitstratford.ca/stratford-bacon-and-ale-trail

www.visitstratford.ca/stratford-chocolate-trail

HIGHLIGHT:

Opportunity to sample locally produced bacon, craft beer, and chocolate

SEASON:

Summer, Fall

LOCATION: