National Symbols

The United States flag is one of the most recognizable symbols of the United States. Whether it’s a full-sized flag, a miniature desk flag, or an item adorned with the flag design, this is a patriotic souvenir that embodies the spirit of the USA. In contrast, the Canadian Maple Leaf, prominently featured on the national flag, is a symbol of Canada and is often found on various souvenirs like pins, patches, and clothing.

Artwork

In the USA, local artwork often reflects the country’s diverse culture and history. From Native American crafts to modern art pieces from bustling cities like New York and Los Angeles, American artwork is as varied as its landscape. On the other hand, Canadian artwork is deeply influenced by its indigenous roots and natural beauty. Inuit sculptures, Group of Seven paintings, and locally made handicrafts are popular Canadian art souvenirs.

Sports Memorabilia

The USA is home to globally recognized sports teams, making sports memorabilia like baseball caps and jerseys popular gifts. Canada, known for its love of hockey, offers a range of hockey-related souvenirs, from team jerseys to pucks and sticks.

Local Crafts

Local crafts make for unique and personal souvenirs. In the USA, this could be Amish quilts from Pennsylvania or glass ornaments from West Virginia. In Canada, local crafts could include hand-knit Cowichan sweaters from British Columbia or soapstone carvings from the Arctic region.

Books

Books about the local history, culture, or landscape make for great souvenirs. In the USA, this could be a book about the Civil War, a guide to the national parks, or a cookbook of American recipes. In Canada, popular books could include works by Canadian authors, books about the Canadian wilderness, or a French-English dictionary for those interested in the country’s bilingual culture.

Nature-Inspired Gifts

The USA and Canada are both known for their stunning natural landscapes. In the USA, you can find souvenirs inspired by its diverse ecosystems, such as ornaments shaped like California redwoods or jewelry made from Alaskan gold nuggets. In Canada, nature-inspired gifts could include items made from Canadian diamonds or souvenirs featuring the country’s iconic wildlife, like the grizzly bear or the beaver.

Historical Memorabilia

Both the USA and Canada have rich histories that are reflected in their souvenirs. In the USA, historical memorabilia could include replicas of the Liberty Bell, copies of the Declaration of Independence, or souvenirs from historic sites like the Gettysburg battlefield. In Canada, you might find replicas of the country’s oldest coins, models of the iconic CN Tower, or souvenirs from historic sites like the Fortress of Louisbourg.

To Wrap Up

Whether you’re exploring the star-spangled banner country or the land of the maple leaf, the USA and Canada offer a wealth of unique and memorable souvenirs. From local artwork and national symbols to nature-inspired gifts and historical memorabilia, these keepsakes capture the spirit and culture of each country. So, as you pack your suitcase after your North American adventure, make sure it’s filled with mementos that will help you cherish those memories for years to come. Safe travels!

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The small city of Welland Ontario is located almost smack dab in the centre of the Niagara Region in southern Ontario. While not a tourist destination in its own right it is very close to many interesting communities that draw visitors from around the globe.

A little over an hour away from the City of Toronto it is also within easy traveling distance of Hamilton, Niagara Falls, St. Catherines, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Port Colbourne and Buffalo. New York. Centered on the Welland Canal from which it derives its name, its history and development is almost entirely due to this supremely important body of water that ties Lake Erie to Lake Ontario thus bypassing the spectacular cataract at Niagara Falls.

With a population of approximately 51,000 the “Rose City” is also known as the place “where rails and water meet” as its development was in part spurred by where the railway crossed the canal and the Welland River which bisects the city in two.

How to get to Welland Ontario:

By Car:

From Eastern Ontario:
Take Highway 401 West
Take Highway 427 South to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) Hamilton
Take the Queen Elizabeth Way West towards Hamilton/Niagara
Just before St. Catherines take Highway 406 towards Welland
Turn right on East Main Street into downtown Welland

From Western Ontario:
Take Highway 401 East towards Toronto
Near Woodstock take Highway 403 towards Hamilton
Continue on Highway 403 past Hamilton to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) towards Niagara Falls
Just before St. Catherines take Highway 406 towards Welland
Turn right on East Main Street into downtown Welland

From Northern Ontario:
Navigate to Highway 400 South
Highway 400 ends at Highway 401
Take Highway 401 West
Take Highway 427 South to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) Hamilton
Take the Queen Elizabeth Way West towards Hamilton/Niagara
Just before St. Catherines take Highway 406 towards Welland
Turn right on East Main Street into downtown Welland

By Public Transport
By Bus. Welland Ontario is easily reached by bus services.

Ontario’s commuter bus service Go Transit travels to the City of St. Catherines. From there it is possible to take the city’s local bus service to a connection with Welland’s local bus service.

By Rail:

Passenger rail service is no longer offered to Welland Ontario. It is however possible to take a vial rail passenger train to the City of St. Catherines and then transfer to the local bus service for a connection into Welland.

By Air:

While Welland does have a small airport it does not offer any passenger services. The city is so close to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport (approximately 90 minutes) by car and it is the main entryway into the province for international and far afield domestic visitors alike, a car rental or other public transport option as listed above is the easiest way of reaching the city.

Welland recreational canal United Empire Loyalists first settled the area in 1788 as they embarked on a new life after fleeing from the recently formed United States. The Original inhabitants settled east of the present day city in the small hamlet of Cooks Mills. It was here that one of the final battles of the War of 1812 took place as the American invaders fought an inconclusive skirmish then retreated across the border never to return.

After the war the British realized that they would have to improve communications to the western portions of their colony and began construction of the Welland Canal. The first Welland Canal was completed in 1833 and the shantytown that sprung up to house the workers employed on the project was called Aqueduct after a wooden aqueduct built to carry the canal over the river.

Industry began to spring up in the area and the population continued to grow. The town was renamed Merrittville after one of the founders of the Welland Canal project. In 1858 the community officially changed its name to Welland and in 1917 it became a city. The city continued to grow which initiated the Welland By-Pass project in 1973 that has resulted in creating the Welland Recreational Waterway the city’s main tourist draw today.

Welland Canal Recreational Waterway

With the building of the new canal route no longer do the ships traversing the Welland Canal pass through the center of town causing extreme traffic jams. The resulting abandoned canal has subsequently been turned into a recreational paradise.

Motorboats were banned as they posed a threat to other recreational activities such as: Canoeing, Kayaking, Rowing, Paddleboats, Fishing, Swimming (though not really adviseable).

The Welland Canal Parkway Trail is a paved hiking, biking and recreational trail that follows alongside both banks of the entire length of the old canal from St. Catherines on Lake Ontario to Port Colbourne on Lake Erie and passes right through downtown Welland Ontario.

In downtown Welland Ontario itself between the recreational waterway and the Welland River is 3-kilometre (1.8 mile) long Merritt Island, which has been turned into a community park. Rentals of equipment for the above-mentioned activities are available and the park has become a favorite amongst locals for picnicking and barbequing in the summer months. There is also a memorial dedicated to the workers that built this important waterway that significantly contributed to the growth of Ontario and Canada as a whole. Each fall the park also hosts the Niagara Food Festival.

The waterway has also become a magnet for festivals and special events. One of the premier events held annually since 2002 that draws participants and spectators from far and wide is the Welland Dragon Boat Festival.

There is also a recently built amphitheatre along the waterways western shore that used to host a summertime outdoor concert series named IlluminAqua where floating stages are used for various performances as the artists perform between firepods. As of this date the concert series has been suspended due to lack of government sponsored funding.

City of Murals

One particularly unique aspect of Welland Ontario is the preponderance of remarkable murals of varying sizes that have sprung up on the exterior walls of buildings throughout the city. The city is quickly becoming known as a large open-air gallery as city fathers encourage artists from across Canada to beautify the urban landscape with colorful murals depicting themes of significant historical importance to the region.

At present 27 of these larger than life murals have been commissioned with one being 3-storeys high and 25 metres (80 feet) long. Most are concentrated in the downtown area and are easily within walking distance of each other.

While not a tourist mecca like some other nearby communities Welland Ontario does provide some places of interest for those in the area. You can probably combine it with activities and visits to nearby attractions to make a complete day of it. Most visitors to downtown will be a little disconcerted by the number of dilapidated and closed up buildings but the city is definitely on the upswing.

It is a historic community and its ties with the Welland Canal make it a significant community in the-annuls of Canadian history. This is depicted in the Welland Museum located in the cities downtown in the historic Carnegie Building.

Depending upon the time of year you visit there are also a couple of significant events hosted by the city.

The Welland Rose Festival, which commemorates Welland’s heritage as the “Rose City”, has traditionally kicked off the summer for over 50 years and occurs every June.

The Niagara Regional Exhibition traditionally marks the end of the summer and is the regions largest fall fair.

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Golden horseshoe vineyards. The Golden Horseshoe area of Southwest Ontario. While hard to believe for most international visitors the region is at the heart of Canada`s wine and fruit growing regions. Endless rows of vineyards and orchards abound amidst the urban sprawl in one of the country`s most heavily populated areas.

While heavily populated and industrialized this large region is still mainly rural. Drive 5 minutes outside the City of Hamilton and your smack dab in the middle of rows upon rows of fruit bearing orchards. In recent years these are being replaced by vineyards as the wines these locally grown grapes produce are now recognized as being amongst the best in the world.

The Golden Horseshoe

The Golden Horseshoe was a term coined in the 1950`s for the area of Southern Ontario stretching from the city of Oshawa in the east to the Town of Fort Erie in the southwest.

For the purposes of these pages I will exclude anything east of Oakville as this is the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and deserves pages in its own right and is included in my Central Ontario section, additionally I have included Fort Erie in the Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island section of my Southwestern Ontario pages.

For the purposes of these pages The Golden Horseshoe area stretches from Oakville in the east to Niagara Falls in the southwest and encompasses the area up to the City of Brantford in the west.

This region of Ontario is along with Toronto, Canada`s most heavily populated and rapidly growing areas and is the industrial economic heart of the country, it includes major population centres such as: Hamilton, St.Catherines, Oakville, Burlington, Niagara Falls.

Most people visiting Ontario Canada for the first time do actually include a visit to the Golden Horseshoe region on their itinerary as a trip to Niagara Falls is invariably on their must see lists but there is much, much more to see and do in this region in addition to “The Falls”.

Some of the many attractions in the region include:

The area stretching from Niagara Falls to Hamilton is one of Canada`s major wine producing regions whose products can be found on tables around the world.

The Niagara Escarpment, a United Nations World Biosphere – runs through the region stretching all the way north to the Bruce Peninsula and the well-traveled Bruce Trail is a hiking destination of international renown.

The beautiful picturesque town of Niagara-on-the-Lake draws visitors by the busload all summer long.

The Welland Canal which connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario

Royal Botanical Gardens

Getting to the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario Canada:

By Car:

As this is part of the most densely populated area of Canada getting around is relatively easy yet congested.

The main transportation corridor to the heart of the region is along the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) highway. It runs along the shore of Lake Ontario stretching from downtown Toronto to Fort Erie. Please note that this is probably the most traveled and congested highway in the country. During rush hours (especially in the Toronto area, expect LONG travel times.

Overall, the region is very accessible by car and the roads and highways are probably the best in the country. If you are planning on venturing g anywhere in the province beyond Toronto and Niagara Falls than this sis the mode of transportation that I would recommend.

By Air:

Almost all of the larger communities in the region are serviced by airports yet because the region is so close to Canada`s busiest airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, all international flights are serviced there.

The only other airport of any significance is the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton and it is more of a cargo airport and since it is located less than an hour by road from Toronto anyway, really makes no sense to transfer to.

In conclusion, air travel to the region is really not an option once visitors arrive at Toronto`s Pearson Airport. Car or public transportation is the way to go from there.

By Public Transport:

By Rail:

Via Rail offers a direct once per day Toronto to Niagara Falls return route. For those wishing to visit only “The Falls” this makes for a great way explore the city on a day trip.

The local commuter rail line GO Transit has daily service from Toronto to Hamilton with many stops in between. Weekend service extends to Niagara Falls during the summer months with a stop in St. Catharines along the way.

By Bus:

Go Transit also provides bus service into the region year round and covers the entire corridor from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Visit the website above for more information as to schedules and rates.

The other major bus companies that service most larger Golden Horseshoe communities are Greyhound and Coach Canada.

golden horseshoe grapes For most visitors to Ontario Canada the Golden Horseshoe region other than Niagara Falls is not even on their radar. This shouldn’t be the case as in all actuality a visit between Toronto, Niagara Falls and the Golden Horseshoe region`s attractions would be enough to fill most 2-week itineraries.

A very popular activity that has increased dramatically in recent years is the advent of winery tours. There are many tour operators offering group tours to many of the major and micro wine producers that have sprung up all over the Niagara Peninsula in recent years. These tasting tours will usually visit 3 or more wineries in a day and often schedule lunch and dinner stops in very picturesque settings amongst the rows upon rows of vines. It really is a great way to spend a hot summer day!

The Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario really shouldn’t be overlooked as a vacation destination, for a complete list of all major attractions in the region visit my Golden Horseshoe pages below.

Golden Horseshoe Attractions

Hamilton Ontario

The City of Hamilton Ontario and its environs are well worth spending a day or two on your itinerary.

African Lion Safari Ontario

Located just outside Hamilton this unique wildlife park is sure to be a highlight of any visit to Ontario. Located halfway between Toronto and Niagara Falls it is well worth a full day of your itinerary.

Welland Ontario

At the center of the Niagara Peninsula the City of Welland bears the name of the canal from which it developed. Nicknamed the “Rose City” this small city makes for a great stopover.

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