With friends visiting from Vancouver, we visited the St Jacobs Farmers Market and then on to The…read moreVillage of St Jacobs. It's a very charming town with picture-perfect scenery, some great little shops, and the occasional Menonnite buggy going down the street. Our exploration of the area was cut a little short due to rainy weather but there's no denying the charm. It's worth stopping by.

St. Jacobs Country is famous for St. Jacob farmer's markets and lot of stuff is sold and produced…read moreby Mennonites as the area is home to a Mennonite community. If you planning a day trip it should incorporate St Jacob's Farmer's Market followed by St. Jacobs Antique Market and St Jacobs Factory Outlet Mall. Your day trip is not complete till you see the town as well. St Jacob's Farmer's Market: Make sure you do this first as fresh produce could run out sometime.The market is divided into 3 parts... A flee market, tuesday market and open flour local produce. The flee market is covered and has lot of leather stores and much more. Where as the Tuesday market section has Cheese, Meat, Baked goods and much more. Whereas the open market has Fresh Vegetables. Fruits, Baked Produces, Juice... The Market has a Outlet mall and an Antiques store near by. Which are good to take a break and enjoy some air conditioning in the summer. The Antique store is quite awesome if you are into fun old signs, coins and trucks. St. Jacobs Antique Market: Antique market as they had quite a large selection of awesome things but everything was very expensive! You can expect everything from furniture, art, china, militaria, coins, jewellery, mini vehicles, etc. If you love watching American Pickers, well you will love this place as this is the aftermath of buying it cheap, cleaning it up and selling at a very high price. They also have bulk shop just like bulk barn attached to it. Over all if you are checking the market out make sure you check out the Antique store as well. Jacobs Factory Outlet Mall: Its not what you would expect from a outlet mall but it does provide a good break from the heat if you been up and running around in the summer at the St. Jacob Market. The outlet mall itself is very clean and located in a old Barn looking like building. There are not much high brand stores...well there aren't much stores at all. The washrooms are clean and you can get cold water from the water fountain. There is not much choice on the food either but the small Lego toy building zone is fun and they have bunch of good stuff built as well. The Town: Not far from the Market area has quite a few decent stores to check out. You can enjoy the ice cream from Chocolates 'N More or buy some fresh bread or sip a cup of cappuccino from the Stone Crock Bakery. Parking is free and make sure you check out the expensive wide variety of Canadian pottery including pottery made on location at Conestoga River Pottery shop. All in all a decent day trip.

I was a regular at Block 3 when I lived in Waterloo. Well, if I'm honest, I was there all the time…read moreand they should have charged me rent. You might think beer was my primary motivation, and in the beginning it was. Block 3 is a small batch craft brewery that delivers on tasty beer. They generally have ten to twelve beers on tap ranging from lagers, ales, sours and sometimes a stout. They are all delicious in their own right although drinking barrel aged fruited sours is an acquired taste in my book, but trust me try them and you may learn to love them. But why else should you go? There is limited food (it's a brewery not a restaurant), no TV's to watch the game, a steady stream of classic rock playing in the background, kids running around and a few dogs to greet you on the way in. To make matters worse the cell reception is awful, my wife always had a hard time reaching me. Hmm, maybe that's not all bad... What kind of place is this, anyway? It's a modern twist on an old fashioned FAMILY oriented brewery, that's what! There are plenty of board games to play, the local regulars are always happy to share some stories, and the staff are the coolest people around. They have a great Mug Club and if you are lucky you get your own hand-thrown pottery mug with your name on it! Very cool... As I mentioned in one of my check-ins, Block 3 is a benchmark craft brewery experience. I can't recommend this place highly enough,

Great addition to the area. Walk in and go downstairs…read more Nice selections, plus games available.

Super cute location where you can find some fun snacks and canned goods along with your baked goods…read moreand pastries. I love that they had a lot of good gluten free options too, so it's a friendly location for those with celiac. Good stop on the way to St. Jacobs. And the whole little main street is kinda cute!

We came in for a morning coffee and pastry. It was busy when we arrived. The girls at the counter…read morewere very friendly and quick to serve. They poured our coffees into mugs and then we went over to another counter to fix them up with cream and sugar. Most of the tables were taken so we all sat at the window counter. The bakery has lots of freshly made baked goods from breads to cookies to pies and cakes. There are also savory dishes too. It can be a bit pricey but this place is located in a very touristy area. The seasonal baked goods looked so good and fresh. The apple fritter we got was big and very dense with a few apples in it. They were all out of the rhubarb squares we live so much. When you look into the back you can see all the girls working in their bonnets and cotton dresses. Very cute. Parking is an issue on busy days.

It's always a treat to visit the Farmer's Market in St Jacobs. They have so much to offer, whether…read moreit's fresh produce, clothing, antiques, and much more. There are many vendors selling food and they're all busy! After wandering around the market for a while, it was time to get some lunch. With tons of choices, and everything looking good, we took a little while to decide. We ended up with a chicken pita, roast beef pita, and a roast beef sandwich. We also had a couple different types of freshly made potato chips. It was all good. Of course, we had to have some apple fritters, perhaps the most popular food item at the market. The lineup went out the door, even though it was drizzling a bit. It was worth the effort. They were hot, freshly made, and delicious! There is so much to see, do, buy, and photograph at St. Jacobs Farmers' Market. The produce market alone offers so many great photo opportunities of picture perfect fruits, vegetables, flowers, and more. There is an abundance of great subjects, with most of them being very delicious We explored the market a bit more after lunch, picking up some fresh fruits before heading to our next destination. Check tomorrow's post to see what else the market has to offer.

First time here. It was fun!! So much to see and eat. Love the local mom and pop shops homemade…read morefresh. What more can you ask for. Definitely come early. Get a good parking spot. Bring a cooler. And can get ice from Walmart across the street. Need to come when it's not 40°c

Alex catered a birthday party that I attended and what a fantastic experience that was! Amazing…read moreItalian comfort food. I got to try the deep fried gnocchi and a sausage panzerotto, both of which were delicious! The gnocchi in particular were a group favourite -- lightly battered and well-spiced with some cheese sprinkled on top. And the accompanying marinara sauce was to die for! Alex provides great service -- his friendly and attentive demeanour really added to the whole experience!

The Farm Pantry is a gourmet food and kitchen gadget store located in St Jacobs…read more The store itself is pretty cute and fun to browse around. You will find local and imported gourmet jams, condiments and tea/coffee. They also carries a good selection of local produced maple syrup. Not a bad idea to pick some up if you want a little sweet souvenir. FYI, you can even order all those Maple Syrup products online for delivery: Maple butter, candy and more!

They have a huge range of maple syrup day all different prices to meet any budget. They also carry…read morea lot of kitchen items and gadgets but at a much higher cost then the box stores in the burbs. If you stop by here on the weekend the place will be full with people and will have a huge line of people waiting to pay and walking around the store. Not sure why as like I said the prices are much much higher for home wares here.

Definitely worth a visit. Grabbed an iced mocha, muffin, and a morning ice cream of course. All…read moregood stuff. They're are 2 patios, one overlooking the river, one by the silos. Both are very cool. It was a popular spot on a quiet day so it seems consistently good. Recommended!

EcoCafe has done an incredible job creating a safe but also stunning space for its patrons. When…read moreyou order it is like you are buying movie theatre tickets through plexiglass and a speaker. You go down the hall and around the corner and see that the cafe has been completely walled but you can see it's stunning original space through the window. They have sliding drawers where you can pick up your coffee with zero human contact. Warning though! Their coffee is STRONG!!! I got a mocha and it was absolutely delicious but I did not sleep that night, hours and hours later. Yes, I am super sensitive to caffeine but even for me that was quite unbelievable. We took out hot beverages and walked the Health Valley Trail which was wonderful! Personal note: there are no garbages along the trail so hold onto your coffee!!! Littering is WRONG!!!