Tourism Snapshot: Old Town Niagara-on-the-Lake

As a part of a new series, I will be providing a market snapshot of the numerous tourism districts located within the Niagara Region. Each district offers a variety of tourist, commercial and hospitality properties.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is one Niagara's most popular tourism destinations. The small town's major tourism centre, Old Town is located in South Niagara, where Lake Ontario and the Niagara River meet. Old Town Niagara-on-the-Lake's main tourist hub is located along Queen Street, but the areas loose boundary encompasses, Front Street to the North, the Niagara Parkway to the East, Centre Street to the South and Simcoe Street to the West.

Old Town is as known as the prettiest town in Canada, as it is for it's rich history. The town's attractions revolve around shopping, history, theatre and wine and culinary.  

History of Niagara-on-the-Lake

NOTL was originally known as Butlersburg and later as Newark, when British loyalists fled America and set up a military base in the town. The town was also the first capital of Upper Canada (Ontario) and later became a central part of the War of 1812 as the site of Fort George. 

The town first became a tourist destination with the construction of railways in the 1860s-90s. At the beginning of the century the hotel and restaurant landscape started to take shape as new forms of transportation, like Steamship, made it easier for tourists to visit. Historians mark the founding of the Shaw Festival as a major boost for the town's ability to attract tourists. 

Major Old Town Tourist Attractions

• Shaw Festival 
• Fort George 
• Shopping 
• Whirpool Jetboat Tours 
• Wine and culinary

Old Town Commercial and Hospitality Properties  

There are a number of commercial and hospitality properties in Old Town. 

Retail 

Hotel/Inns 

Restaurants