Niagara Falls History Museum

ONE OF THE BEST, MOST AFFORDABLE AND ENJOYABLE VISITS FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES

Visitors to the Museum in the heart of Niagara Falls will experience history first-hand during their visit. While here try on a replica uniform from the War of 1812, feel the heft of a musket, build a bridge to span the Niagara Gorge or walk the tightrope like the daredevils from the past.

The Museum is housed within the old Stamford Township Hall built in 1874. The Lundy's Lane Historical Society was given the building in 1971, becoming the Lundy's Lane Historical Museum. On January 1st, 2010, the City of Niagara Falls took direct operation of the museum and it became Niagara Falls History Museum. Housing a vast collection of Niagara Falls history, the Museum provides a showcase for the unique past of the famous city. The Museum's recent $12M renovation and expansion creates a dynamic space to examine and explore our diverse history. It re-opened to the public on July 21, 2012. The renovation and expansion were designed by Toronto architecture firm Moriyama and Teshima, and now features three remarkable galleries telling the most compelling Niagara Falls stories with engaging hands-on exhibitions. The Museum is located within steps of the Drummond Hill Cemetery, the focal point of the Battle of Lundy's Lane, considered the "bloodiest battle" of the War of 1812. The starting point for any trip to this battlefield will be a visit to the Museum.  
Check out our reviews on TripAdvisor.

GALLERIES

GALE FAMILY WAR OF 1812 GALLERY

This gallery interprets the War of 1812 with a primary focus on the Battle of Lundy's Lane and houses one of Canada's best 1812 collections. This space is designed with audio-visual ambiance of war and hands-on activities such as trying on a military coatee, handling a musket and feeling the weight of a cannon ball. The collection includes uniforms, weaponry, equipment, relics, buttons and archival records relating specifically to the Battle of Lundy's Lane and to the War of 1812.

COMMUNITY GALLERY

The community gallery provides visitors with the opportunity to learn more about various aspects of Niagara Falls as a community.  The people, the culture, geology, social life, industry and daredevils who attempted to conquer the falls are among the highlighted topics in this gallery. We have a geology interactive which at the touch of buttons illuminates rocks extracted from different parts of the falls. A bridge building interactive allows visitors the opportunity to build bridges across the falls. And for the brave at heart, we have a ‘tight-rope walk' going across the falls.

THE ONTARIO POWER GENERATION (OPG) TEMPORARY EXHIBITION GALLERY

Our temporary gallery houses travelling exhibitions from other museums on a short-term basis, providing us with the opportunity of hosting 3 to 4 different exhibits every year. Our visitors are exposed to exhibits which otherwise may not have been easily accessible, and our regular or repeat visitors have something new to see on each visit. Past exhibitions in this gallery include: “Electricity” from the Ben Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, USA; “Art-of-Fact” from the Niagara Artists Centre, St. Catharines,  Ontario; the award winning "Motels: Honeymoon Suite or By-the-Week, Motel Culture in Niagara"; “Fakes and Forgeries” from the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario and “Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Italian Canadian Experiences During World War II” from Columbus Centre, Toronto, Ontario.
Check out our current exhibitions.

THE THEATRE

When our theatre is not booked for school groups, rentals or other functions, visitors can sit down and explore a wide variety of films that we curate based on themes in our galleries or on the history of Niagara Falls.

Hours & Admission Rates

Services:

Guided Tours: We offer guided tours to groups, which must be booked in advance.

Accessibility: The Museum is  accessible by wheelchair with ramps at both front and back entrances. For more on our accessibility check out the report on our facility by Accessible Niagara.

Washrooms: There is a family washroom on the main floor which is wheelchair accessible and more washrooms downstairs in the basement.

Parking: There is parking off of Sylvia place to the South of the Museum.  As well, on street parking on Ferry and many side roads around the Museum.  There are three city lots in the area.  Check our map for details.

Gift Shop: The Museum gift shop carries many souvenirs and gift items including books, jewelry, toys, candies, clothing and much more. We also offer 15% discount to all our members.

Current Bus Routes: 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 107, 110 & Red Line stop within steps of the Museum at the Main and Ferry Transfer point 

The Niagara Falls History Museum stop is #206 on the Red Line for the WEGO 

RENTAL SPACE FOR MEETINGS AND EVENTS:

The Sherman Zavitz Theatre, with modern audio-visual equipment and a sitting capacity of up to 70 people, is adaptable for different types of sitting arrangements.

Exquisite lobby for cocktail meetings

Open courtyard with raised stage for outdoor events and performances

Check out rates and details

Location

5810 Ferry Street

Niagara Falls, Ontario
Canada L2G 1S9 

Phone 905-358-5082
Fax 905-358-0920

The Niagara Falls History Museum is located within a 15-minute walk from the famous landmark of Niagara Falls. When on Ferry Street, turn down Sylvia Place to access our large parking lot behind the Museum. The Museum is located on the WEGO Red Line and is close to the intersection of Main and Ferry, steps from the Battle of Lundy's Lane National Historic Site.

Visiting from Toronto and Buffalo
Take the QEW towards Niagara Falls. Take the 420 when you get to Niagara Falls and exit at Stanley Avenue.  Turn right at Stanley and then right on Ferry Street.  The Museum is on your left just past Sylvia Place.

After your visit to the Museum, don't forget to pick up the walking tour of the Lundy's Lane Battlefield, just minutes from the front doors of the Museum.