Sights in Niagara Peninsula
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Butterfly Conservatory
Inside the botanical gardens, the conservatory has more than 50 species of butterflies (some as big as birds) flitting around 130 species of flowers and plants. This is also a breeding facility where you can see young butterflies released.
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Queenston Heights Park
In Queenston village, a snoozy historic throwback north of the falls near the Lewiston Bridge to the US, is Queenston Heights Park, a national historic site. Here, the commanding Brock Monument honors Major General Sir Isaac Brock, ‘Savior of Upper Canada.’ The tower stairwell was closed for repairs during research, but might open by the time you visit. Self-guided walking tours of the hillside recount the 1812 Battle of Queenston Heights, a British victory that helped Canada resist becoming part of the USA.
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Fort George
On the town’s southeastern fringe, restored Fort George dates from 1797. The fort saw some bloody battles during the War of 1812, changing hands between the British and US forces a couple of times. Within the spiked battlements are officers’ quarters, a working kitchen, a powder magazine and storage houses. Ghost tours, skills demonstrations, retro tank displays and battle re-enactments occur throughout the summer. Parking costs $6, but this is reimbursed with your ticket.
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Niagara Glen Nature Reserve
About 8km north of the falls is this exceptional reserve, where you can get a sense of what the area was like pre-Europeans. There are 4km of walking trails winding down into a gorge, past huge boulders, cold caves, wildflowers and woods. The Niagara Parks Commission offers guided nature walks daily during the summer season for a nominal fee. Bring something to drink – the water in the Niagara River is far from clean.
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Daredevil Gallery
The most engaging thing around here is the Daredevil Gallery attached to IMAX Niagara. Scratch your head in amazement at the battered collection of barrels and padded bubbles in which people have ridden over the falls (not all of them successfully). There’s also a history of falls ‘funambulism’ (tightrope walking) here.
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Floral Showhouse
Around 1km south of Horseshoe Falls, the showhouse offers year-round floral displays and some warm respite on a chilly day. Opposite, lodged on rocks in the rapids, the Old Scow is a rusty steel barge that’s been waiting to be washed over the falls since 1918 – a teetering symbol of Western imperialism, perhaps?
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Laura Secord Homestead
The demure Laura Secord Homestead celebrates a Canadian heroine who lived here during the War of 1812. She’s famous for booting it nearly 30km to warn the British soldiers of impending attack by the USA – even though she was a US citizen. The rose garden out front was planted by Laura herself.
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Niagara Historical Society Museum
The Niagara Historical Society Museum, south of Simcoe Park, has a vast collection relating to the town’s past, ranging from First Nations artifacts to Loyalist and War of 1812 collectibles (including the prized hat of Major General Sir Isaac Brock).
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Ten Thousand Buddhas Sarira Stupa
If the tourist bustle is messing with your yang, find tranquility at the totally out-of-context Buddhist temple Ten Thousand Buddhas Sarira Stupa. Visitors are welcome to wander the serene complex and view the various sculptures, bells and artworks.
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Niagara Apothecary
A functional pharmacy until 1964, the Victorian-era apothecary is now a museum fitted with great old cabinets, remedies, jars and old posters advertising snake-oil cures (‘Merchant’s Gargling Oil: a liniment for man and beast!’).
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Konica Minolta Tower
Leering over the falls, the Minolta Tower is a bodacious vantage point, with indoor and outdoor observation galleries. On a clear day the view extends from Toronto to Buffalo, New York. There’s a restaurant and hotel here, too.
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Bird Kingdom
The jungly Bird Kingdom claims to be the world’s largest indoor aviary, with 400 species of free-flying tropical birds from around the globe. You can also buddy-up with a boa constrictor in the Reptile Encounter Zone.
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Mackenzie Printery & Newspaper Museum
This ivy-covered museum was where the esteemed William Lyon Mackenzieonce edited the hell-raising Colonial Advocate. Enthusiastic young staff conduct tours every half-hour.
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Skylon Tower
The Skylon Tower is a 158m spire with yellow elevators crawling like bugs up the exterior. The views are real eye-poppers, and the revolving restaurant is worth a spin or two.
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RiverBrink Gallery
This gallery houses the Samuel E Weir Collection of Canadian art, which includes early landscapes of the Niagara Peninsula and works by the Group of Seven.
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Botanical Gardens
Almost opposite Niagara Glen are the neatly pruned botanical gardens with 40 hectares of herbs, vegetables and trees – a quiet spot to chill.
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Lincoln & Welland Regimental Museum
The Lincoln & Welland Regimental Museum has wonderfully aged displays of Canadian military regalia.
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Tussaud's Wax Works
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Ripley's Believe It or Not
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Guinness World of Records Museum
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