Upper Canada Village

Building the St. Lawrence Seaway and its power dam in the 1950s meant flooding a stretch of the river and with it ten communities, about six and a half thousand people displaced, in what became known as the Lost Villages. Some buildings were moved and reassembled here to create Upper Canada Village, set in 1866, with about forty structures. It works as a functioning settlement rather than a display: a water-powered sawmill and flour mill run, a woollen mill spins and weaves, a tinsmith and a blacksmith work, bread is baked in the bakery and the farm is worked with oxen and horses.

What you actually see

• The working mills - water-powered sawmill, flour mill and woollen mill.
• The Lost Villages story - buildings saved before the 1958 flooding.
• The working farm - oxen, horses and period agriculture.
• The trades - tinsmith, blacksmith, baker and cabinetmaker at work.

When to go

May to October for full operation; the village runs a large Christmas lights event in winter with the historic buildings otherwise closed. Weekdays outside school trips are calmer.

Honest expectations

Closed for most of the winter apart from the lights event. The site is large and involves considerable walking, though a wagon and a small train help. Buildings staffed varies by day.

Nearby

Ottawa lies north; Kingston is west.