By: Sasha Thomas, Halton Youth Initiative Volunteer
November 28, 2022
If someone who has never been to Burlington wanted to know what Burlington is like, what would you tell them? You can think about volunteering, the environment, or even go with something more general, such as what it is like to be young in Burlington. Sasha shares her thoughts.
Through Conservation Halton, Burlingtonians have access to nature conservation parks like Rattlesnake Point, Crawford Lake, Hilton Falls and Mount Nemo where they can take hikes through the parks’ trails, learn about local species or simply bask in its beauty! Burlington’s Royal Botanical Garden is yet another fantastic natural resource available to the public. Being the largest botanical garden in all of Canada, the RBG boasts the most lucious and vivacious flora and fauna in the entire city, with seasonal exhibits and events to interest people of all ages. The Garden’s grounds also act as extension to certain local trails which allows hikers to start their day at RBG, explore the trails, then return back to the grounds for an afternoon amongst the plants. In addition, the 400 million year old Niagara Escarpment that traverses through the United States into Ontario is accessible through Burlington. Bruce Trail offers a unique hiking experience at it passes by the highly popular Webster’s Falls and offers numerous offshoot trails of varying lengths, enjoyable for beginners to more experienced hikers.
Photo by Nik Cvetkovic
Not only are green spaces accessible through hiking trails and the , but nature is deeply woven into all urban community spaces here in Burlington. Facing Brant Street (essentially our “Main Street”), you see the bustling downtown Burlington area, laden with dozens of shops and restaurants boasting every type of cuisine you could desire. But turn 360 degrees and you are met by the sight of shimmering Lake Ontario, stretching as far as the eye can see and the vast expanse of the Spencer Smith Park lawn. Typically, you’ll find people picnicking on the lawn, soaking in the sun, strolling all the Brant Street Pier or cooling off at the Brant Street Beach. In the summer, the city comes to life as Spencer Smith Park hosts the annual Sound of Music Festival, Ribfest, Burlington Food Truck Festival and so much more. All of these events bring the community together for good food, live music and fun times!