Although the Welland Canals Centre and St. Catharines Museum may seem small, there is a lot of history inside.
Upon entering the museum, we first learned by posted signs that the museum allows yarn bombing. What is yarn bombing you ask? We had the same question. Yarn bombing is a non-permanent type of graffiti or street art that employs colourful displays of either wrapped, knitted or crocheted yarn or fibre rather than paint or chalk. There were lots of objects throughout the museum wrapped in yarn.
We had so much fun in the interactive Sport vs. Science exhibit. This is a temporary exhibit that is on loan from the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science until January 15, 2014. We had the opportunity to try on some skating medals and feel what its like to stand on a podium. We tried our best to find our balance on both a see-saw and balance beam. I must admit everyone showed great balancing skills! We even tried our hand at North America's oldest sport, lacrosse. This interactive display was located in the large lacrosse hall of fame exhibit. It was fun to carry and try to throw the ball using a lacrosse stick,
There was a lot of interesting local artifacts and pictures that are especially neat if you grew up in this area. We saw a picture that showed the original street cars on St. Paul Street, an old sign and a picture of the train station in Merritton, the underground rail road, the old zipper factory, our connection to the war of 1812 and much much more.
Did you know that several war ships were named after local communities?
These included the frigate H.M.C.S. ST. CATHARINES and the corvette H.M.C.S. MERRITTONIA. (This name was a variation of the town name of Merritton that was altered at the request of the Town Council at the time.) The naming of ships for Canadian towns promoted a sense of pride in that part of the war effort.
In addition to the small scale model of lock 3, we also saw a display of the different types of cargo that the boats carry and learned what they are used for. There was even a wheel house where the kids could steer the ship. The smoke stacks were fun to hide in too!
There is a bridge on the 3rd floor the leads out to the ships viewing platform, but being such a cold day we did not attempt to go outside. There is a room inside where you can watch the boats as well. During our visit, at least two boats did pass through the lock.
In the warmer months, you can enjoy additional history and displays that are located outside as well. The museum is conveniently located beside the canal walking path and there are picnic tables where you can enjoy a snack and also a playground where the kids can burn off some energy!
Discovery Field Trips are one of our 20+ events that we have each month. A momstown Niagara membership is only $45/year for the whole family and includes great events like these all year long. Your membership will also include a one year subscription to Today's Parent! Sign up for a free trial membership on our website:http://niagara.momstown.ca/user/register.
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