Cornwall (Ontario)

Cornwall is on the St. Lawrence Seaway, opposite Massena and Rooseveltown, New York. The 1958 seaway eliminated rapids upstream at Long Sault, opening a path for large ocean-going vessels from the Great Lakes at the expense of inundating and destroying several small villages (such as Aultsville and Moulinette). Some historic buildings which were displaced from the Lost Villages are now at Morrisburg (Upper Canada Village) or Long Sault (Ault Park); islands along what is now the Long Sault Parkway were once part of the Canadian mainland. Long Sault and Ingleside are planned communities to house displaced villagers.
Cornwall-Massena is the home of a large hydroelectric generating station (with visitor's centre) and large ships may be viewed transiting the Seaway locks. Much of the city's industrial base is now gone, as is the pollution associated with Cornwall-Massena in the 1970s.

By car

Cornwall is on Highway 401 (exit 789), about one hour west of Montreal and two hours east of Kingston. As Ontario's easternmost city, Cornwall appears as a control city on highway signage for over a 160 km (100 miles) from Kingston (exit 611) eastward.
From Montréal, Autoroute 20 west becomes Ontario 401.
From Ottawa-Hull, take the Trans-Canada Highway 417 to Casselman, then turn south on Ontario 138.

By train

VIA Rail serves Cornwall from Montreal and Toronto. The railway station is located at 1650 Station Rd.

By bus

Megabus (Coach Canada) serves Cornwall from Montreal and Toronto.

By plane

The closest major airport is Montréal-Trudeau YUL, from which direct onward connections are available by rail from the Dorval commuter train station. Ottawa also has a major airport, but Ottawa-Cartier (YOW) is no closer than Montréal and lacks Dorval's relatively easy air-to-rail connection.
There is a tiny airport in Massena with a few federally-subsidised US flights daily to Albany.

By seaway

Cruising on small craft is an option on the St. Lawrence Seaway, but there is a minimum length at the locks (about 20 ft, which excludes some small boats which can be carried by auto trailers) and the huge "Seaway Max" ships are given priority - one of these leviathans fills an entire Seaway lock with only inches to spare.
As the Seaway is fresh water and the Cornwall-Massena border is 45°N (halfway to the North Pole), shipping through the locks is inherently seasonal, typically ending in December and re-opening near the end of March.

• Long Sault Marina

  phone: +1 613-534-2113
  address: Hwy 2, Long Sault
  Marina and boat launch, restaurant and patio with seafood, Montréal smoked meat.

By horse

• Whispering Meadows

  phone: +1 613-534-5643
  address: 16061 County Rd 36, Long Sault
  Horse riding lessons ($25-40), boarding, horses for sale.

• Cornwall Transit

  phone: +1 613-930-2636
  address: 863 Second Street West
  Local city bus on a half-dozen routes.

• Choice Taxi

  phone: +1 613-938-8899

• Tip Top/Veterans Taxi

  phone: +1 613-932-2727, +1 613-932-7311

• Historic Cornwall Jail

  phone: +1 613-938-4748
  address: 11 Water St. W.
  A working jail from 1833-2002, now a prison museum.

• Inverarden House

  address: 3332 Montreal Rd.
  Former museum (closed since 2000). Parks Canada owns this national historic site, the Regency architecture retirement home of John McDonald of the North West Company, but has not reopened it to the public.

• Lost Villages Museum

  address: Ault Park, Fran Laflamme Drive, Long Sault
  Ten restored and relocated heritage buildings from The Lost Villages and surrounding townships, including former Moulinette rail station.

• TAG: The Art Gallery of Cornwall

  phone: +1 613-938-7387
  address: 168 Pitt St.

• United Counties Museum

  phone: +1 613-936-0842
  address: Wood House, 160 Water St. W.
  Local history museum in relocated 1840s house, archives, classroom and exhibit space.

• Cornwall & Seaway Valley Recreational PathA 75-km path mostly follows the St. Lawrence River through Cornwall and nearby communities. There are a number of small museums, historic sites and picnic areas along the trail.

• Cornwall Motor Speedway

  phone: +1 613-938-3945
  address: 16981 Cornwall Centre Rd, Long Sault
  Quarter-mile dirt racetrack.

• McMaze Farm

  phone: +1 613-932-7630
  address: Cedar Fox Farm, 17049 Willy Allan Road, St. Andrews West
  Horse-drawn wagon ride, rubber duck races, corn mazes, two-storey tube slide, pumpkin patches, John Deere peddle tractors, hay bale stacks, swings and outdoor BBQ.

• Native North American Travelling College

  phone: +1 613-932-9452
  address: 1 Ronathahon:ni Lane, Akwesasne Territory, Cornwall
  Mohawk and Native American cultural centre.

• Cornwall Square

  address: 1 Water Street East
  Downtown shopping complex near Lamoureux Park waterfront.

• Long Sault Farmers Market

  address: in front of Long Sault Plaza
  Local produce in season.

• Eight Zero Zero

  phone: +1 613-936-0322
  address: 800 Cumberland St.
  Steakhouse, fish, pasta, cocktail bar, fine dining.

• Harv's Diner

  phone: +1 613-938-8250
  address: 619 Pitt St

• The Loose Caboose

  phone: +1 613-932-9991
  address: 35 Marlborough St. N
  Fast food, hot dogs, burgers.

• Philos Greek Restaurant

  phone: +1 613-933-3344
  address: 1613 Pitt St.

• Schnitzels

  phone: +1 613-938-8844
  address: 158 Pitt St
  European restaurant, café and pub.

• Truffles Burger Bar

  phone: +1 613-933-9112
  address: 155 Pitt St
  Bistro, commonly-owned with Table 21 steak house and oyster bar

Ontario's drinking age, at 19, is high by Montréal standards (Québec is 18) but almost looks reasonable next to Massena (USA is 21).

• Bill's Sports Bar and Deli

  phone: +1 613-938-0182
  address: 441 13th St W

• Glengarrian Pub and Restaurant

  phone: +1 613-933-6426
  address: 841 Sydney St

• Lola's Pub and Grub

  phone: +1 613-936-9898
  address: 616 Pitt St.

Hotels

• Parkway Inn & Conference Centre

  phone: +1 613-932-0451
  address: 1515 Vincent Massey Dr.
• Super 8, HoJo and Ramada are all on Brookdale Ave (Hwy 138) near the 401.

Motels

• Comfort Inn

  phone: +1 613-937-0111
  address: 1625 Vincent Massey Drive

• Monte Carlo

  phone: +1 613-932-2760
  address: 1700 Montreal Rd
  Riverside motel with kitchenettes, boat docking, fishing, golf.

Bed and breakfast

• Chesley's Inn

  phone: +1 613-936-1111
  address: 40 First St. W.
  Ontario's oldest operating inn (1814), three rooms, B&B.

Camping

• Long Sault Parkway

  address: On Hwy 2, between Morrisburg and Cornwall, 401 exits 770 and 778
  Provincial park on 11 islands created by Seaway flooding. Campgrounds on Mille Roches, Woodlands, McLaren; beach and picnic areas on Mille Roches and Woodlands.

• Bibliothèque Cornwall Public Library

  phone: +1 613-932-4796
  address: 45 Second St. E.
  Bilingual (English/French) public library with free Internet access.

Open Wi-Fi is also available at ONroute (401 westbound rest stop at the provincial border) and McDonald's (hamburger stand with two Cornwall locations).

Dunvegan

• Glengarry Pioneer Museum

  phone: +1 613-527-5230
  address: 1645 County Road 30, RR #1 Dunvegan

Martintown

• Martintown Grist Mill

  address: Dundas Street (CR 18 & 20), Martintown
  Four-storey 1846 stone mill building on the banks of the Raisin River; farmers' market on summer Sundays.

St. Andrews

• Raisin River Heritage Centre

  phone: +1 613-534-2463
  address: County Road 18, St. Andrews
  Cornwall Township Historical Society museum in former 1906 convent.

Williamstown

• Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame

  phone: +1 613-347-9996
  address: 19687 William St, Williamstown

• Nor'Westers and Loyalist Museum

  phone: +1 613-347-3547
  address: 19651 John St. Williamstown
  Seasonal (Victoria Day-Thanksgiving).

• Morrisburg is home to Upper Canada Village, a pioneer village living museum which preserves various historic buildings displaced by Seaway flooding in the 1950s, and a park commemorating the Battle of Cryslers Farm in the War of 1812.