Museum Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Sunday: 10am - 5pm
Thursday: 10am - 9pm

This is The Last Month to Experience Our New Niagara Falls History Walks

WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY @ 11:00am & 2:00pm

Begin your walking tour at the Niagara Falls History Museum, taking a short stroll to the Drummond Hill Cemetery, a Nationally recognized heritage site. The guided tour will explore graves and monuments connected to the War of 1812, the Underground Railroad, a Niagara Falls daredevil, and Canadian heroine, Laura Secord. 

Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1937, the Drummond Hill Cemetery stands on the hallowed ground of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, the bloodiest battle of the War of 1812.

Before returning to the Niagara Falls History Museum, the 90-minute experience is wrapped up with a guided tour of the Battle Ground Hotel Museum. Built in 1831, and restored to 1855, you’ll uncover stories of early Niagara tourism and 19^th century tavern life.  

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Hosted by Lee Beaupre, Join us on August 25 for Trivia Night: 90s Edition

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 @ 7:00pm

Annual Community Art Project Continues August 3, 17, & 31 -- Led By Local Artist, Rachelle Wunderink

EVERY OTHER THURSDAY @ 6:00pm - 8:00pm

The annual Community Art Project is back this summer at the Niagara Falls History Museum, led by local artist Rachelle Wunderink. Niagara Falls residents are invited to participate in free community art workshops at the Museum in July, August and September. The project, titled 'It Takes a Village', will be an amorphous city made up of individually collaged houses that will be installed throughout the Niagara Falls History Museum entrance for the Niagara Falls Night of Art on September 21. The project is inspired by individuals who struggled in the isolation of their homes throughout the pandemic. This art installation reflects the resilience of Niagara Falls Residents, representing the strength in our community. Community participants are invited to come and collage their own house selecting images that serve as a home comfort, or a memory. Take advantage of this awesome opportunity to connect with others and collaborate on an art installation!

Click here for more information and a full schedule

Live Music in the Museum Courtyard on Select Thursday Nights in August

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3 & 17 @ 6:00pm

As part of the Courtyard Concert Series taking place all across the province, we will be hosting Nathaniel Gold & Aaron Berger (photographed above) on August 3 and Jeff Hardy on August 17 in the museum courtyard. 

Thursday Nights in August are Date Night! Free Admission Plus Alcoholic Drinks for Sale

EVERY THURSDAY IN  AUGUST @ 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Drop by the Museum every Thursday evening for Date Night. The Museum is FREE from 5-9pm, with local craft beer and wine available for purchase. Impress your date with some fancy-pants artefacts, and don’t forget to blabber on about local history. Or maybe not… 

Galleries + Beer/Wine = LOVE, obviously. 

Last Chance to Visit Our Summer Sites

OPEN WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY @ 10:00am - 5:00pm

Our seasonal museum sites, the Battle Ground Hotel Museum and the Willoughby Historical Museum, are now open for the summer season. They are both open Wednesday - Sunday from 10am - 5pm. Admission is by donation.

A short walk from the main museum, you are able to learn more about the War of 1812, including commemoration of the war and early Ontario tourism, in a historic 19th century tavern at the Battle Ground Hotel Museum.

Afterwards, travel along the Niagara Parkway to our humble one-room schoolhouse museum, the Willoughby Historical Museum, to learn about the rural history of Niagara Falls and the history of early education in the area. 

Come Check Out Our Newest Temporary Exhibit: human NATURE

SATURDAY, APRIL 22 - SUNDAY, JANUARY 7

Scientific evidence shows us that Human-made climate change threatens life on this planet. To ensure a viable habitat for present and future generations, sustainable ways of living must be quickly adopted. The artefact collections of the Niagara Falls Museums illustrate times of balance and times of imbalance for humans. These objects help us to think of our place on Earth as just one of many species and the impact that we have. Forging a new way together using Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Science, we can create a hopeful vision for a sustainable future.

Highlights include:

Nature photography by Mark Zelinski

Nature Mandala Sit Spot by Victoria Brecht

Prophecy Beadwork Art by Samuel Thomas, Cayuga Nation

Four Wampum Agreement Reproductions by Ken Maracle, Cayuga Nation

Personal Messages about Climate Crisis from the DearTomorrow Project

Historical objects

Calling All Knitters, Crocheters, and Textile Artists to Help Yarn Bomb the Exchange

Niagara Falls Culture is inviting knitters, crocheters, and textile workers from Niagara and around the world to celebrate this exciting launch of our Art, History and Market hub, by participating in a Yarn Bomb that will encircle this Culture District!

For more information on locations, dates, and a chance to win, click here

Niagara Artists Centre Showcasing 2 Unique Experiences as Part of the Mighty Niagara Film Festival

AUGUST 16 & AUGUST 18 @ 9:00pm

"Niagara Falls + To Play a Daredevil's Advocate" on Wednesday, August 16 is a free PBC nature series on the big screen combined with a captivating 6-minute video performance focusing on Annie Edson Taylor. For more information on this event, click here.

"Showdown in Silvertown | The Sadies" on Friday, August 18, has The Sadies performing songs from their "Western Canon" to short films remixed from classic spaghetti westerns by Niagara filmmakers. For more information on this event, click here.

New Books Available in Our Gift Shop

We are happy to share that we have two new books from Joan Nicks available to purchase in our gift shop. These books are the result of years of research on movie theatres and motels in and around Niagara Falls.

You can get the two books together plus a set of postcards for $60 here at the Niagara Falls History Museum. On their own, Lost Movie Theatres is $30 and Disappearing Motels is $35.

For more information on these books, click here

Interested in Museum Membership?   

Discounted Museum Programmes & Events

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The Burning of the Caroline

Above: Depiction of the Caroline on fire, going over Niagara Falls. Image courtesy of the Niagara Falls Public Library

During the Rebellion of 1837, William Lyon Mackenzie and his followers, after losing at Montgomery's Tavern to Colonel FitzGibbon (who had won a victory over invading Americans at the Battle of Beaverdams during the War of 1812), narrowly escaped capture. They fled to the United States and regrouped on Navy Island in the Niagara River. Mackenzie's supporters on the Island numbered between 200 and 300 men, most of whom were Americans. To counteract this rebel threat, Colonel McNab and 2,500 Canadian militia took up a position on the Canadian mainland opposite Navy Island, where they encountered sporadic firing from across the river which was only 2000 feet wide at that point ...

Click here for more information on the Burning of the Caroline.