Keeping the house, the kids and the hubby without breaking the bank, the earth, the people I love, or myself.

Morning Star Mills, St. Catharines, Ontario

Want to get away from the tourist driven areas of Niagara Falls but want to enjoy the beauty of nature and waterfalls along with a slice of history? Go to Morningstar Mills where you can not only step back in time to see a working flour mill, blacksmith, and a home from the period, but you can also hike along the escarpment and even down into a gorge to view the lovely DeCew Falls or swim in the pools along the stream. What a great day out with the family!


As always, click on any picture to see more detail. Then use your browsers "Back" button to return to this page.


It's a real, working grist mill from the 1800's -- you can even take your corn or wheat to them to be stone ground:

This is the home of the original owners:
If you visit when the mill and home are open to tourists (free) you'll see period furniture in the home and all the workings of the mill. Also there's a blacksmith shop and a real blacksmith inside! We were so fascinated by everything we saw today that we didn't snap any photos inside! Oh well, you'll have to go and discover them all for yourself.

Once you're done with the mill, smithie, and house, continue walking past the mill along the escarpment. There is a gentle path all along the escarpment for those who would like to take in the natural beauty without risking a fall or heart attack.


I'm not falling behind! I'm taking pictures!



When hiking, one should always remember to wear their hiking shoes. Like these:

(They are cute!)

A view from the top of escarpment looking down into the gorge (see the stream?):

For those who are more adventurous and don't have visions of rescue teams attempting to haul them up 200 feet of gorge, you can head down the quick way:



He's nine and he's going down:
(Yes, she removed those shoes before climbing down this thing. No, I did not brave it.)

And what will they find at the bottom?


The lower falls:

A really cool swimming hole where the water is calmed:

And there's a rope swing too:

Yes, I think he's part monkey, too.

The older kids explored farther upstream:

Me, well, I took pictures of all the really cool stuff everywhere:

The top of DeCew Falls:



Some critter's home:

Funky fungus that looks like coral:
A patch of jewel weed:
Jewel weed is often found growing near poison ivy. The leaves and stems are a natural cure for poison ivy rash. Good to know!

The jewel weed flowers are lovely:

Another funky fungus shaped like a vessel of some sort:
Ky discovers a fallen bird's nest:

Purple frilly flowers:

Funky caterpillar:

Top of Decew Falls and the lower falls in the distance:

Tiny, pink, perfect flowers:
Hubby takes artistic shots (many of the photos are his):

And it's always pleasant to find a berry patch full of ripe black berries (my favourite!)

My daughter and I picking berries for everyone:

This is one of our favourite places in the Niagara Region. It's always free. No cost for parking, either! (What is it -- a second mortgage now to park by THE Niagara Falls?) The mill does not operate all the time, but follow the link at the top of this post for more information. The next weekend the mill will be operating is October 11 and 12 this year. We love hiking the trail and swimming in the swimming hole. It's a great day out!

Enjoy!

5 comments:

Gill - That British Woman 6:00 PM  

It is $18 to park by the Falls..............I refused to pay that!!!

That seems like a great day you had, somewhere I would love to visit. Great photos........

Gill

by the way had to console poor Patrick and tell him he wasn't hit with an ugly stick!!! LOL

Angry In Oman 3:28 PM  

Wow gorgeous pictures. I'm from the St. Catharines area originally so it's wierd I've never been to this place or heard of it.

Thanks :)

CannedAm 5:28 PM  

You're welcome, angry in oman. You ever come home, you'll have to visit.

Awwww, sorry, Gill. It's what I tell my daughter all the time to get her ire up. OOOOOOOEEEEEE does she get MAD! LOL :) Now, from the neck down he's alright ;)

I'm only teasing. LOL!!

Anonymous,  8:22 AM  

This is a spectacular spot. Two items: If you are going down into the gorge, wear appropriate footwear. Flipflops are dangerous here!
Also, this lovely spot is marred with litter. If you can, please bring a small bag and pick up a bit of trash while you are visiting. Thank you

Anonymous,  3:22 PM  

I love how you describe nature...its how I see it too...purple puffy flowery things, etc. :-)

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About This Blog

Saving money. Saving graces. Raising children, husbands and, sometimes, cats. Laughing. Living. Thinking. Doing. Life in the Niagara Region of Ontario.

About Me

I am a happily married woman with four children and various cats and kittens (fosters). I love to read and my favourite authors are George RR Martin, Thomas Hardy, Raymond Carver, PD James, Kurt Vonnegut, J. K. Rowling, and Margaret Atwood. I know there are only three women in that list (and none of them American), so if you'd like to suggest some I'm willing to give them a shot! And yes, I am an American living in Canada. (Hence the nick -- CannedAm.) I like it here. There are things about the states that I miss, but my love is here and this country has things to offer that my own does not. Things that make my quality of life much better than it ever was in Ohio. Guess I'm stuck here. Though there's a nice spot in the Appalachian hills where I'd love to spend my retirement.

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