-- P. Wright, Mississauga
A: Head for the hills. The Gatineau Hills to be exact -- near the historic steam train town of Wakefield, Que., about 25 minutes northeast of Ottawa. The 182-hectare Captiva Farms offers year-round horseback riding for all skill levels on 20-km of scenic trails that range from beginner to advanced. These take riders past bucolic meadows, open fields, ponds and creeks. Novices can take a 30-minute riding lesson before setting off. See captivafarms.com.
Q: I'm and amateur photographer, and -- after watching the Bridges of Madison County -- I am interested in photographing covered bridges. Are there any nearby?
-- E. Hanson, Mississauga
A: Dale Travis, a covered-bridge and old-barn buff, has compiled a handy list of covered bridges in Ontario that you can view online at dalejtravis.com/cblist/cbon.htm. The majority of the bridges on the list are new, with the exception of Waterloo's famed "Kissing Bridge." Constructed in the 1800s, it's near the Grand River just north of Township Road 62 (Riverside Dr.) in the village of West Montrose. For details, visit the Township of Woolwich's website woolwich.ca and click on "tourism" followed by "things to do."
In Quebec's Outaouais region, Wakefield has a beautifully restored covered bridge. For details, visit outaouaistourism.com. And south of the border, New Hampshire has 54 covered bridges. For maps and brochures, contact the New Hampshire Tourism Office at visitnh.gov.
Q: I would like to take advantage of some Black Friday sales while I'm on a business trip to Orlando, Fla. It's been years since I've been there and I am wondering if you can recommend any outlet malls?
-- B. Nolen, Toronto
A: Considered the kick-off to the Christmas-shopping season, the day after American Thanksgiving -- or Black Friday -- is the country's busiest shopping day of the year. When the clock strikes midnight, marking the end to Thanksgiving Thursday, many stores will open their doors. This year's shopping frenzy will take place Nov. 25 and retails outlets are expected to offer three-day holiday weekend sales.
Premium Outlets (premiumoutlets.com) has two good malls in the Orlando area. One is at 4951 International Dr., minutes from Universal Orlando Resort. The other is at 8200 Vineland Ave., near Walt Disney World.
I have visted the International Dr., mall, which has 180 stores and is favoured by seekers of high-end labels. A shopper could spend hours browsing in boutiques like Cole Haan, DKNY and Kate Spade.
A few weeks before the big sale, a list of special offers will be posted online at premiumoutlets.com/sales. And the centres will also open early on Saturday and Sunday to maximize shopping hours. In addition, many area hotels are offering Shop & Stay packages. For details, visit premiumoutlets.com/travel, click on the centre you are travelling to and then on "Where to Stay, What to Do" for more information.
To make it easy for tourists to get around without a car, Orlando runs a trolley service along International Dr., that costs $1.25 US per ride. See iridetrolley.com.
Q: Is it true that passengers who fly with Austrian Airlines can use their boarding passes for discounts.
-- J. Floyd, Mississauga
A: Yes. The Austrian Airlines boarding pass is quickly gaining a reputation as being the "most valuable boarding pass in the world."
It offers a lot of discounts for things like museum admissions, and purchases in participating shops, hotels, restaurants and coffee houses throughout Vienna. You can download a list of current offers from the Austrian Airlines website. Last time I checked, more than 25 establishments were offering discounts or free admissions to places including the Sigmund Freud Museum, Madame Tussauds Museum, The House of Music, The Mozart Haus, the Esterhazy winery in Trausdorf, and more. At Galerie Ernst Hilger, you can enjoy a free coffee and receive a free book from the Hilger shop until December 2011. For details, go to austrian.com.
