Trip Ideas Things to Do in Niagara Beyond the Falls: St. Catharines, Port Dalhousie and Lincoln

Beyond the falls, the Niagara region’s quieter side sits a short drive west in St. Catharines and Lincoln. Watch ships pass through Lock 3 of the Welland Canal, ride a hand-carved carousel in Port Dalhousie, walk to the waterfalls at Ball’s Falls, browse Jordan Village, pick fruit in Vineland and stay the night in wine country.

What is there to do in Niagara?

The falls take a few hours. Most of the other things to do in Niagara are spread across the towns west of the river. St. Catharines and Lincoln have canal ships, a lakeside carousel, waterfalls, farms and wineries, all a short drive apart.

• Canal heritage: watch ships at Lock 3 from the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre (opens in a new tab).
• Port Dalhousie: ride the antique carousel at Lakeside Park. The shops and restaurants are close by.
• Waterfalls and trails: Ball’s Falls Conservation Area (opens in a new tab) in Lincoln.
• Village time: shops, a gallery and a museum in Jordan Village (opens in a new tab).
• Farms and wine: pick-your-own fruit around Vineland and tasting rooms on the Beamsville Bench (opens in a new tab).
• Food: Downtown St. Catharines (opens in a new tab), the St. Catharines Farmers Market (opens in a new tab) and the restaurants in our MICHELIN Guide roundup (opens in a new tab).

In summer, check our summer events guide for St. Catharines and the Benchlands (opens in a new tab) to see what’s on.

What else is there to do around Niagara Falls?

Go to Lock 3 of the Welland Canal in St. Catharines and watch ships pass through. The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre (opens in a new tab) is at 1932 Welland Canals Pkwy. (opens in a new tab) in St. Catharines.

What to know before you go

• The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, and until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in July and August (opens in a new tab).
• It closes on Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day (opens in a new tab).
• The viewing platform is on the third floor (opens in a new tab). Take the elevator off the main lobby or the outdoor stairs.
• The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway Corporation sets ship times, which usually go on the schedule no more than 24 hours ahead, and a ship takes about 20 minutes to pass through the lock (opens in a new tab). Check the schedule the morning you go, because times can change without notice.
• There are no ships from the first week of January to mid-March, when the canal closes for winter maintenance (opens in a new tab).

The city suggests planning a few hours (opens in a new tab) for the exhibits, the park and playground, and a ship from the platform. The building also houses the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame (opens in a new tab).

What to do around Niagara Falls, Canada?

Port Dalhousie: Lakeside Park Carousel

The carousel at 1 Lakeport Rd. is an original Charles I.D. Looff carousel, hand-carved between 1898 and 1905, with 68 animals to ride (opens in a new tab). It came from an amusement park in Scarborough, now part of Toronto. Port Dalhousie’s park once had 58 attractions, and more than a quarter million people a year crossed the lake by steamship on weekends (opens in a new tab).

There’s a large public lot nearby, with paid parking from June to October (opens in a new tab). Washrooms, a gift shop, the park, shops and restaurants are all close. The city’s page doesn’t list fares or season dates, so check before you go.

Lincoln: Ball’s Falls Conservation Area

Ball’s Falls (opens in a new tab) is at 3292 Sixth Avenue, Lincoln (opens in a new tab). The park has two waterfalls and a 19th-century village with a working gristmill, a lime kiln, a church and a blacksmith shop (opens in a new tab).

The NPCA lists day-use fees of $15.00 per vehicle and driver, plus $5.00 per extra adult passenger, to a maximum of $30.00 per car (opens in a new tab). Seniors and students pay less. You can reserve a day pass online, and the Centre for Conservation and accessible washrooms are open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily (opens in a new tab).

Jordan Village and Jordan Harbour

From Ball’s Falls, carry on to Jordan. A local hotel’s things-to-do list (opens in a new tab) covers the basics. It suggests boutique shopping in Jordan Village (opens in a new tab), the Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre (opens in a new tab) and the Jordan Art Gallery (opens in a new tab). It also lists paddling on Jordan Harbour (opens in a new tab) and the beach at Charles Daley Park.

Which Niagara sites are best if I want to avoid big tour buses and crowded attraction zones?

We don’t have crowd counts for these places. None of them are in the attraction zone beside the falls, though, and at each one you can control your timing or book ahead.

• Lock 3: Ships usually go on the schedule no more than 24 hours ahead (opens in a new tab), so check it the day you go and arrive for a ship. In July and August the museum stays open until 8 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday (opens in a new tab), which gives you an evening option.
• Ball’s Falls: Reserve a day pass online (opens in a new tab) before you drive out. The NPCA lists a $170 rate for buses of more than 20 (opens in a new tab), so groups do come. In fall and winter, entry through the automatic gate is $9.00 (opens in a new tab).
• Jordan Harbour: canoe, kayak or paddleboard on Jordan Harbour (opens in a new tab) and see the area from the water.

If you stay the night in St. Catharines or Lincoln instead of driving in from the falls, you’ll be close to all of these when you set out in the morning.

What’s the best way to discover off-the-beaten-path experiences in Niagara wine country?

Stay the night. A day trip from the falls leaves time for one winery. With a bed in Jordan, Vineland or Beamsville, you can fit in a farm, a tasting room, dinner and a walk the next morning.

Taste

Start with Vineland Estates Winery (opens in a new tab), then work through our guide to the icons of the Beamsville Bench (opens in a new tab).

Pick

A pick-your-own directory lists Cherry Avenue Farms at 4303 Cherry Avenue in Lincoln, with cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, pears and plums (opens in a new tab). Call ahead, since what’s ready depends on the week.

Eat

Shop the St. Catharines Farmers Market (opens in a new tab), then book dinner from our MICHELIN Guide roundup (opens in a new tab).

Stay

• Jordan: Twenty Valley Loft in Jordan (opens in a new tab), Jordan Station Casita (opens in a new tab), Zen Jordan (opens in a new tab), Exceptional Private Home in Jordan Village (opens in a new tab) and Jordan House (opens in a new tab)
• Vineland: Vineland Guesthouse (opens in a new tab) and Vineland Retreat (opens in a new tab)
• Beamsville: Lovely 1 Bedroom Apartment in Beamsville (opens in a new tab) and Be Our Guest Beamsville (opens in a new tab)
• Elsewhere in Lincoln: The Lincoln House (opens in a new tab)
• St. Catharines hotels: Hampton Inn St. Catharines Niagara (opens in a new tab), Holiday Inn & Suites St. Catharines Parkway Conference Centre (opens in a new tab), Staybridge Suites St. Catharines (opens in a new tab) and Best Western St. Catharines Hotel and Conference Centre (opens in a new tab)

A two-day route

1. Day 1: Lock 3 in the morning, Port Dalhousie and the carousel in the afternoon, dinner in downtown St. Catharines.
2. Day 2: Ball’s Falls in the morning, Jordan Village after lunch, then a tasting on the Bench. Sleep in Jordan, Vineland or Beamsville.

FAQs