Attractions

The City of St. Catharines is home to an array of attractions brimming with opportunities to experience the city's rich heritage, vibrant culture and extraordinary natural beauty.

Commune with nature

Travel Niagara's wine route that winds past lush vineyards and orchards.  Enjoy a picnic at Happy Rolph's Bird Sanctuary on the shores of Lake Ontario. Happy Rolph's boasts one of Canada's most exotic collections of flowering rhododendrons. It's also home to a petting farm that has chickens, pigs, horses, rabbits, sheep and goats. The pond inlet offers food and shelter for hundreds of ducks, geese and native birds.

The 9/11 Walkway, a memorial to the 27 Canadians killed in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre, cuts through the park and is lined with 27 deciduous trees planted in memory of those who died. This accessible trail also connects to the Waterfront Trail, which runs from Niagara to the Quebec border along the lakeshore.

Enjoy a historic waterfront

Visit our quaint, historic harbourfront village of Port Dalhousie on the south shores of Lake Ontario and the terminus of the first three Welland Canals. For  over 100 years, Port Dalhousie has been home to the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, beckoning rowers from all over the world to compete for glory on Martindale Pond. Take a stroll along Port Dalhousie's quaint streets to window shop, people watch and enjoy the refurbished historic buildings, which eclectic boutiques, and mouth-watering casual/fine dining restaurants.

Walk along the pier and take in the two lighthouses built in the late 1800's. An original antique Looff carousel in Port's Lakeside Park offers rides at the nostalgic price of five cents. Port Dalhousie is also home the smallest jailhouse in Ontario.

Take in our triumphs

One of the world's greatest engineering triumphs, the Welland Canal, also cuts a watery swath through St. Catharines. Explore the fascinating story of the Welland Canals in the St. Catharines Museum. See the ships climb the Niagara Escarpment from the elevated observation platform at the museum and enjoy a video presentation of 'Welland Canals - Past and Present.' The St. Catharines Museum at the Welland Canal Centre at Lock 3 truly is the best place to view the ships on the canal.

A dynamic Downtown

Downtown St. Catharines is one of Niagara's most unique destinations with more than 120 shops, boutiques and 50 culinary establishments. It also features one of the oldest farmers markets in Ontario. Two hundred years of history has created a unique city of many heritage sites making a Downtown St. Catharines historic walking tour a must.

A trip through time

History lovers can also take a trip through time at Morningstar Mill, a 130-year-old operational grist mill that sits atop the Niagara Escarpment at DeCew Falls, while nature lovers can go for a hike on the nearby Bruce Trail that weaves its way through St. Catharines and Shorthills Provincial Park.

To learn more about the wonderful attractions that St. Catharines, the Garden City, boasts, please click on the appropriate link in the navigation bar to the left.