Upper Canada Village, Living history museum in South Dundas, Canada
Upper Canada Village is an outdoor history museum in South Dundas, Ontario, recreating a working rural settlement from the early 1800s. The site sits along the Saint Lawrence River and brings together homes, farms, mills, and workshops, all maintained as functioning units rather than empty displays.
The museum was established in 1961 to save buildings from communities that were flooded when the Saint Lawrence Seaway was built. Structures were dismantled, transported, and rebuilt at this new location before the rising water made that impossible.
Daily skills and work techniques from the 1800s are demonstrated throughout the site, from baking bread to working at the forge. You can watch how people managed their everyday tasks and what abilities were essential for survival back then.
The site is large and best explored on foot, so wearing comfortable shoes makes a real difference to the visit. Opening times and activities change with the seasons, so checking ahead before arriving helps with planning.
Some of the buildings on the site come from villages that no longer exist anywhere else, having been completely submerged. Walking through the grounds means visiting places that have otherwise disappeared from the map entirely.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
