Discover Lincoln

Lincoln offers a range of ways to plan your stay, including nature and trails, local history and cultural learning. Ball’s Falls combines interactive exhibits with a historic industrial site and trails along Twenty Mile Creek. Cave Springs showcases the Niagara Escarpment landscape. The Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre shares local history and culture; Sho’aríshon Park honours the history and ongoing presence of Indigenous peoples. Each place has a different focus to help you plan your time in Lincoln around your interests.

Nature and history at Ball’s Falls

The Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation features permanent and changing galleries with interactive exhibits. They explore nature, conservation and culture in the context of the region’s history, the Niagara Escarpment and the watershed. Ball’s Falls preserves the atmosphere of an industrial site from the early to mid-19th century. The site includes the Ball family’s original home, a working grist mill, a lime kiln, a church, a blacksmith shop and a carriage shed. You can encounter local themes in both the exhibits and the historic buildings.

Along the banks of Twenty Mile Creek, you can hike or walk the Cataract Trail; there is also easy access to the Bruce Trail. Trail conditions may change seasonally. Ball’s Falls is a place where you can combine a visit to the galleries with time in the landscape and a look at the historic complex.

Landscape and trails at Cave Springs

Cave Springs offers striking views over Lake Ontario and the former shoreline of Lake Iroquois. The landscape also illustrates the talus slopes and cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment. The grounds include a 200-metre accessible trail and an interpretive courtyard. Cave Springs has a dedicated entrance from Cave Spring Road, parking for cars and bicycles, and access to the Bruce Trail and the Margaret Reed Side Trail. Check local conditions before you arrive.

The two nature destinations therefore have different focuses: at Ball’s Falls, the galleries and historic industrial complex are also central, while Cave Springs is associated with views and the geological formations of the Escarpment. The trails and access points described for each offer practical guidance for planning around your interests; they should not be taken as a statement about conditions on the day of your visit.

Museum and Twenty Valley Trail

The Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre in Jordan Village is dedicated to the community’s cultural life and shares local history and culture. It has three exhibition areas. The collection includes early Ontario ceramics, distinctive textiles, a painting by Group of Seven artist A.J. Casson, and a collection of Fraktur folk art. The grounds offer views of Twenty Mile Creek; the museum grounds connect directly to the Twenty Valley Trail.

The Twenty Valley Trail is a side trail of the Bruce Trail. It runs through the Ellis Property, an Ontario Heritage Trust protected nature reserve, and connects the Niagara Escarpment to the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail. The museum grounds’ direct connection should be distinguished from the trail’s wider connection. The route and conditions may change; check them before setting out.

Sho’aríshon Park and the Neutral Nation

Sho’aríshon Park is a memorial site of the Neutral Nation Legacy Site and is of cultural and archaeological significance. This includes its proximity to a 17th-century Neutral burial site. The park was created in close collaboration with Indigenous partners to honour and reflect the history, culture and ongoing presence of Indigenous peoples on this land. It places particular emphasis on the Neutral Nation, the first known inhabitants of what is now Lincoln.

The park provides space for cultural learning, gatherings, ceremonies, reflection and relationship-building. Its focus therefore differs from the exhibits at the Lincoln Museum and the nature and trail themes at Ball’s Falls and Cave Springs: Sho’aríshon Park centres Indigenous history, culture and present-day life.

Discover more destinations: Fort Erie, St. Catharines, Grimsby, Jordan Station, St Anns, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne

Return to the regional travel overview: Niagara Regional Municipality.