It has been quite a few months since we visited Old Fort Niagara during our travels exploring Niagara USA and the Lake Erie area last September but with the nice weather coming our way I wanted to share some pictures from our visit. Old Fort Niagara is the perfect spot for little tots to run free and roam around but it’s also a historical site that older kids would appreciate.
Our visit here was a very quick one that saw us park our car and wander over into the visitors centre where Little Monkey was fascinated by the original War of 1812 flag. I had to answer plenty of questions on what it was (No it’s not a bed-sheet. No I don’t know how many stars are on it but we can count together (15!)) and why it was there. We spent about fifteen minutes here before we wandered outdoors where she was able to run around. SHE LOVED being able to run around to her heart’s content. The hubs was baby wearing Baby Boy who was not yet walking at that point. The main areas are stroller friendly but if you want to climb and explore each of the individual ‘houses’ baby wearing is best. That said if you’re balancing a nap time this is a great spot to enjoy the sunshine outdoors on the green green grass and parents can take turns exploring the higher levels of spots like the French Castle.
Old For Niagara is pretty much open all year round (except a handful of holidays) and kids under 5 enter for free. While you could spend about three hours looking around we were in and out in an hour as it wasn’t a busy day there at all. History buffs will be truly amazed by this spot where the empires battled it out for ‘possession’ of North America. There were a couple tour guides roaming the fort, all dressed in period clothing of course! Inside the fort we toured original buildings where Native American, French, British and American soldiers lived and worked from the 18th to the 20th centuries. You get to see and experience exactly how folks lived in the Niagara Frontier during the 18th and early 19th centuries. You can touch, poke around and evens sniff the items that have been well maintained through the years. There’s a very colonial feel to this space that it’s easy to forget the hustle and bustle of the main Niagara Falls area.
We totally lucked out by witnessing a musket and artillery firing demonstration just as we were about to leave the fort. The young chap enacting the demonstration was just the right mix of funny and educational as most of these tours tend to be. On a nice day you can see Canada from here and it’s definitely picture worthy. We visited on a windy fall day and we could make out the skyline in the far distance!
Twenty mins from Niagara Falls U.S.A, Old Fort Niagara is a good spot to tire out the little ones before you continue on your road trip. With older kids the fort is a perfect way to show them the stuff they’ve been reading in their history books. There’s plenty on offer in the Lake Erie and Niagara Falls area in New York and here’s a link to some of our other articles if you’re looking to explore the area with young kids. For those looking to see beyond the falls there’s plenty on offer in the Niagara USA side.
