St. Catharines is at the center of Ontario’s wine and fruit-growing region. This fact is pretty obvious once you visit the outdoor Farmer’s Market near City Hall. The market sells an abundance of local produce. It is a great place for visitors to take a break from their sight-seeing, although St. Catharines is known to draw visitors more for its many festivals than its sights.[1]
Attractions
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal, which spans 42 kilometers (26 miles), connects Lake Erie with Lake Ontario through a series of eight locks. The canal cuts through to Port Colburne from Port Weller on the Lake Erie side, giving ocean ships passage to the Great Lakes. The original canal was constructed in St. Catharines. Today, you can see parts of the first three canals at Port Dalhousie; these sections were built in 1829, 1845, and 1887. Some of the 19th century structures, warehouses, and locks still stand. The current Welland Canal was built in 1933. Visitors should go to Lock 3 at the Welland Canal Viewing Complex where you can observe ocean vessels navigate the locks.[2]
Tivoli Miniature World
The Tivoli Miniature World provides an architectural sightseeing tour of the world. Located near Vineland Station just off Prudhomme Boulevard and the Victoria Avenue exit off QEW, the Tivoli Miniature World offers the world’s most famous buildings such as the Eiffel Tower and St. Peter’s Basilica in detailed, scaled-down miniatures – approximately 1/50th actual size.[3]
Festivals
St. Catharines hosts a couple of big festivals each year. For more than 100 years, it has hosted the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, which attracts some of the world’s top-class rowers. The event takes place in early August and is the second largest annual regatta in the world. Late September is also a great time to visit. The city becomes a bit of a party town, hosting the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival. This ten day event involves vineyard tours, dances, concerts, parades, athletic contests, and a lot of eating and drinking.[4]
References:
Carroll, Donald. Insider’s Guide Canada. Edison: Hunter Publishing, Inc, 1996. ISBN: 1556507100.
[1] Carroll, 209
[2] Id.
[3] Id. at 209-10
[4] Id. at 210
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