Suggested Tour Tips & Routes
1) Plan your Doors Open Niagara visit ahead of time. Refer to
www.doorsopenniagara.com for detailed site information and maps. Use
this information to identify the sites that interest you. Regional maps and
additional travel information are available from the Ontario and New York
State Visitor Information Centers in the binational regioan, and will also be
available at our Hub sites on the Doors Open weekend.
2) You don't have to be a heritage expert to enjoy a Doors Open adventure. Select sites that interest you most. Doors Open Niagara allows you to tour stunning sites that may not normally be open to the public - FREE OF CHARGE!
3) Check the dates and times your chosen sites will be open. Most sites are open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. both days - BUT THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS.
4) Allow yourself enough time to visit each site properly and to travel between your chosen sites. Look for sites clustered together to save you drive and parking time. Rural and more remote sites need extra drive time. If you have special needs or are traveling with children, factor these into your schedule.
5) Plan to visit no more than 8 to 10 sites a day - more than that and you won't be able to take in the programs/special events taking place at each location and fully enjoy the experience. Most sites take approximately 30 minutes to tour, and you might have to wait at some of the more popular locations.
6) Various sites offer guided tours, special lectures or exhibits. Check the website regularly for updates, and specific times for program components you are interested in attending.
7) Enjoy other places of interest in the communities you are visiting. Stop for lunch, take in a concert, do some early Christmas shopping, take a canal boat ride.
8) Consider making this a Doors Open overnight or weekend getaway - check our listing of accommodations and contact them directly for information and bookings.
9) Immerse yourself in the experience - ask questions, pick up information on the various sites, consider participating in our 3rd Annual Art of Architecture Photo Contest. Our volunteers are only too happy to assist and have been specially trained to help make the most of your visit.
10) HAVE FUN! Get to know these heritage and architectural treasures. Many of them offer special events and programs year round - a perfect reason to return to the sites and our amazing Binational Region again and again!
Suggested Tour Routes
Visitors and volunteers from our previous Binational Doors Open Niagara weekends have come up with the following day tours that allow you to visit individual counties as well as cross-border communities within the binational region:
1) West NiagaraVineyard Tour - starting from the Grimsby Hub Site, tour the other Grimsby sites, then follow scenic Regional Rd 81 to Jordan, where you can tour the heritage sites as well as the other retail shops in the quaint village and end your day in St. Catharines.
2) West Niagara Agricultural Tour – Following your tour in Grimsby, follow Mountain Road up the Niagara Escarpment to Smithville where you can visit two historic churches and the train station. Take Hwys 27 and 24 into Wainfleet to Marshville Heritage Village where you can experience 100 years of Niagara’s history through the nine diverse sites.
3) Welland Canal Corridor Tour – starting from the St. Catharines Hub Site, tour various St. Catharines landmarks, including old Port Dalhousie, then travel south on Hwy 406 to Welland to view a combination of new and old architecture that is part of the revitalization of the historic downtown core. From Welland, continue on along the 406 and Hwy 58 into Port Colborne, the canal’s southern terminus into Lake Erie, where examples of marine, design and industrial innovations are showcased.
4) Niagara River Corridor Tour – take Regional Rd 55 into the old town where you can park and tour several of the sites located in the downtown core. Continue south along the Parkway, drop into the renowned Inniskillin Winery for a tour and tasting, then continue along the beautiful Niagara Parkway through Queenston to the Sir Adam Beck “Hall of Memory”. Continue your drive into Niagara Falls where you’ll learn about War of 1812 history, the Underground Railroad, visit Laura Secord’s church and the beautiful former Loretto Academy overlooking the Falls.
5) Niagara County USA– from the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center in Niagara Falls, take a tour of the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, follow the Robert Moses Parkway to the Castellani Art Museum for the Underground Railroad exhibit, to Youngstown to visit the Town of Porter Historical Society Museum at the Red Brick School House in Youngstown. Follow Hwy 18 along Lake Ontario to Hwy 78, then south to Murphy Orchards in Burt, ending your tour in Lockport.
6) Erie Canal Corridor Tour – from Niagara Falls NY, take Hwy 31 to the Erie Canal Discovery Center in Lockport. Continue along the 31, which runs parallel to the Erie Canal, to Medina, where you can learn about that community and it’s canal, military and Underground Railroad history. From Medina, you can travel south to the Rich-Twinn Octagon House in Akron and end your day in Clarence at the historic Asa Ransom House, now a 9 room inn with dining facilities.
7) Buffalo and Erie County – With almost 30 sites in the City of Buffalo alone this year, there are endless options available for our visitors. You can travel North from Rockwell Hall into Niagara County, or west to Amherst, Clarence and Akron. From the East End Hubs of Broadway Market and Central Terminal, you can travel to the Southtowns to experience the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora as well as the Warren Hull House and Presbyterian Church in Lancaster.
Please feel free to start your Doors Open adventure at any of our sites. These suggestions have been made to assist with your trip planning and mapping of your route. The concierges at our Hub sites, volunteers at each site, as well as staff at the various Visitor Centers throughout the binational region are available throughout the weekend to provide any additional assistance you may require.
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