For children, the easiest way to learn anything would be through the medium of an exploration. As they look and interact with the various exhibits in a museum, the mind works at figuring out tiny riddles and assimilating different kinds of information. Knowing this, the St. Catharines Museum in Niagara Falls has made it a mission to make their museum as appealing and innovative as possible for all the guests that pass through their gates, be they kids or adults.

St. Catharines Museum is less than 20 minutes away from Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is located at the Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3 along with the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum. It is open all round the year and the hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The admission prices for adults are $4.25, for seniors $4.00, for students $3.25 and for children $2.50. If you go with your family, you can get a 15% discount and if you require a video presentation you need to shell out $1.00 more per person.

At the museum you will learn about history behind the Four Welland Canals and how a city grew around them. The video presentation, available in French and English, takes you through the past and present of the Welland Canals. In the Community Heritage Gallery there are select stories related to the history of St. Catharines and among the exhibits you will find the 1912 made in St. Catharines REO automobile.  Not to miss is the award-winning, exhibit “Follow the North Star”, which narrates the legacy of the African Canadians living in Niagara and the history of the Underground Railroad.

There is also a snack bar that serves light bites, ice creams, and coffee to revitalize you so that you can continue your journey through the museum. On your way out, pop into the museum’s gift shop “Merritt’s Mercantile” where you can find unique souvenirs, publications, educational items, and children’s gifts for you to take home as a keepsake of your informative and interesting trip to St. Catharine Museum. Not that you would need anything to remind you of the time you spent here. The experience of being here is something you won’t be able to forget in a hurry.

The Niagara Falls have captured the imagination of millions of tourists and fascinated the brave spirit of adventurers. Nobody could ever guess that the falls, which had been primarily devoted to commercial purposes, would become one of the top tourist attractions in the world. And once you are here, there’s a lot more that you can do than simply gape open mouthed at these truly awesome waterfalls. Though you aren’t to blame if you took your time doing that!

To begin with, you can take a journey behind the falls and see the water tumbling down from 13 storeys above at the speed of 65 kmph. The trip lasts from half an hour to forty five minutes and it’s especially stunning in winters as the mist of the falls freezes into breath taking formations on surrounding trees and buildings.

Then, you have to be a part of the time honored tourist attraction at the Niagara Falls – the Maid of the Mist. The mist boat cruises began in 1846, and since then, the trips into the whirlpools lying beneath the falls have excited young and old alike. If you don’t enjoy being too close to the water, there’s always the Whirlpool Aero car that will transport you right above the Niagara Falls from where you can view the mesmerizing whirlpool rapids of the Niagara River.

Still craving for more? Then, hang around till evening, where, just as dusk falls, the Niagara comes alive in a kaleidoscope of colors. You get to see the glory of the falls even in the dark, as the illuminations lasts till midnight. However, between January and April, the lighting lasts only till 10 pm.

If you’ve had your fill of the falls (which is not going to happen fast), you can head to the Butterfly Conservatory, just ten minutes away from the Niagara Falls. It’s nothing less than magic to see 2,000 colorful butterflies let loose in a pristine tropical setting. A self guided tour, it will begin with a short video presentation that gives you information about the conservatory. On your tour of the conservatory, you can stop at the emergence window and watch the rare sight of butterflies abandoning their pupae and standing on the threshold of their first flight.