You’ll get a close-up look at ships from around the world from the elevated viewing platform at Lock 3 at Welland Canals. When you go inside the center, watch the 15 minute video presentation “Welland Canals: Past and Present.”

The museum offers exhibits and education programs to help you better understand the canal system as well as about the history of the area. The Welland Canal connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, which is 100m (327ft) higher than Lake Ontario. Some 8m (27ft) deep, the canal enables large ocean vessels to navigate the Great Lakes.

Each year, more than a thousand oceangoing vessels travel through the seven locks that make up the 42km (26mi) long canal. The average transit time for any vessel is 12 hours.

The Welland (Ontario) Canal Memorial monument was built in 2002 to commemorate the hard working people who came to the Niagara Peninsula to build the Welland Canal. Some of the workers from around the world lost their lives digging with picks and shovels.

The bronze boy at the back of the fountain overlooks the canal and memorial pathway. See donor names on the 3 plaques and in bricks used in the pathway. 1932 Welland Canals Parkway (formerly Government Road), St. Catharines, ON.