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This is a good location to watch ships being raised or lowered in Lock 7. A short walk leads to the head of Lock 7 for a very close look.
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The Welland Canals Centre houses a tourist information centre, gift shop, the St. Catharines Museum and the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The raised observation deck (elevator available) allows visitors to see the process as ships are raised or lowered in Lock 3. Ships pass through the locks from late March to the end of December. There is a picnic area and children's playground just north of the building.
The Welland Canal runs along the east side of the city. From late March to Christmas, ships travel between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario bypassing Niagara Falls using the series of locks that constitute the canal. Visitors can see the ships at several locations. The best locations are the Welland Canals Centre at Lock 3, and the Lock 7 Viewing Complex in Thorold. Sections of the canal are drained between New Year's and mid-March for maintenance.
The Niagara Escarpment straddles the city's southern border, and the Bruce Trail takes hikers along its ridge east toward Niagara Falls, south toward Thorold and the Welland Canal, or west to Lincoln through the Morningstar Mill and Decew Falls area.