Photo: St Catharines Tourist Attraction Welland Canal Ontario

A great tourist attraction to see while in St Catharines, Ontario, Canada is how the ships make use of the Welland Canal at Lock 3.

An attraction which brings out many tourists while visiting St Catharines in Ontario, Canada, is the Welland Canal System which is used everyday in the spring until winter arrives. On an yearly average, there are 3,000 ocean and lake vessels which use the Welland Canal to move between Lake Erie and Lake Superior in Ontario.At the St Catharines Museum, the main attraction is at Lock 3 where there is a viewing platform where tourists can watch ships from all over the world use the locks. As the large ship enters the lock, the bow gets its fair amount of abuse until the ship inches itself forward to reach the correct position.The locks are put into place and the water level rises or lowers, depending on which way the ships are entering the lock. Lock 3 can be completely drained and the other door is opened for the ship to continue in just under ten minutes.Along the Welland Canal, there are eight lift locks as the south end at Lake Erie is 326. ... continue below the picture...

... 5 feet higher than the north end at Lake Ontario. A few accidents have happened in the past while ships are using the Welland Canal but they are very few and far between.Eleven hours are needed for a ship to complete the entire length of the Welland Canal but the only place to see this process in action is at Lock 3 at the St Catharines Museum. During the winter, the Welland Canal is closed as the water conditions can be treacherous with the ice and frigid temperatures making it very difficult for any ship. As spring arrives, the canal is safe again and this tourist attraction is opened for the public to view ships at Lock 3 along the Welland Canal.Large bulk carrier ship entering Lock 3 of the Welland Canals System with visitors looking on at the St Catharines Museum, Welland Canals Centre, Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada.