Cornwall (Ontario) travel guide

Cornwall is a city of about 48,000 people (2018) on the St. Lawrence River in Eastern Ontario.

Understand

Lamoureux Park Walkway (Photo: Michel Rathwell from Cornwall, Canada, CC BY 2.0)

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.

Get in

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

• Cornwall station, 1650 Station Rd (From Highway 401 exit McConnell, south on McConnell, west on Tollgate to Pitt St., south on Pitt, east on Balmoral, north on Station Rd.). This is an unstaffed station - 48-hours notice (call the tollfree number) is required for wheelchair lift access. Train operators:
  VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates many intercity trains across Canada. Operates the following route daily to Cornwall:
  Between Montreal and Toronto including stops in Dorval, Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, and Oshawa. Operates multiple times daily.
• Travellers from Ottawa can reach Cornwall by connecting through Kingston. It is possible to shorten the trip by transferring at Brockville instead; however Via does not guarantee this connection and both legs have to be booked separately.

By bus

• Megabus Cornwall bus stop, 3250 Brookdale Ave (immediately north of Highway 401). Megabus (Coach Canada) serves Cornwall from Montreal and Toronto. The Cornwall intercity bus stop is located at the Irving 24 Service Center on Brookdale Ave.
• 417 Bus Line. Commuter bus service from Ottawa. Tickets must be purchased in cash from the bus driver.

By plane

The closest major airport is Montréal-Trudeau YULIATA, from which direct onward connections are available by rail from the Dorval commuter train station. Ottawa also has a major airport, but Ottawa-Cartier (YOWIATA) 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.

• Cornwall Regional Airport (YCC IATA), 19403 Airport Road, 19403 Airport Road, ☏ +1 613-930-6625, cyccmanager@gmail.com. Cornwall Regional Airport does not have scheduled service - it can only handle general aviation with a maximum of 15 passengers. However, it is an airport of entry and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency on a call-out basis.

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, Hwy 2, Long Sault (on shore of Rob's Bay), ☏ +1 613-534-2113. May-November: 8AM-7PM. Marina and boat launch, restaurant and patio with seafood, Montréal smoked meat.

Get around

• Cornwall Transit (TheBus), 863 Second Street West, ☏ +1 613-930-2636. Local city bus on a half-dozen routes.
• Choice Taxi, ☏ +1 613-938-8899.
• Tip Top/Veterans Taxi, ☏ +1 613-932-2727, +1 613-932-7311.

See

Cornwall Jail. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200 (Photo: Carrot top25, CC BY-SA 3.0)

• Historic Cornwall Jail, 11 Water St. W, ☏ +1 613-935-4891, toll-free: +1 844-814-5245. A working jail from 1833-2002, now a prison museum. Tours (maximum 15 people) every hour on the hour. "Escape Room" events are available for groups. $10, seniors/students $8, children 5-11 $5.
• Inverarden House, 3332 Montreal Rd. Closed to the public. 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, Ault Park, 16361 Fran Laflamme Dr, Long Sault. June-September 10AM-5PM. Ten restored and relocated heritage buildings from The Lost Villages and surrounding townships, including former Moulinette rail station. By donation.
• Cornwall Community Museum & Archives (United Counties Museum), Wood House, 160 Water St. W, ☏ +1 613-936-0842. Local history museum in relocated 1840s house, archives, classroom and exhibit space. Free, year-round.
• Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre, 2500B Second Street West, ☏ +1 613-932-4563. Has exhibits on both the history of the area and the hydroelectric generation process. Free.

Do

• Cornwall & Seaway Valley Recreational Path. A 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, 16981 Cornwall Centre Rd, Long Sault, ☏ +1 613-938-3945, fax: +1 613-938-2004, claudette@cornwallspeedway.com. Quarter-mile dirt racetrack.
• Native North American Travelling College, 1 Ronathahon:ni Lane, Akwesasne Territory, Cornwall, ☏ +1 613-932-9452. Mohawk and Native American cultural centre.
• Whispering Meadows (Horse Riding), 16061 County Rd 36, Long Sault, ☏ +1 613-534-5643. Horse riding lessons ($25-40), boarding, horses for sale.

Buy

• Cornwall Square, 1 Water Street East, ☏ +1 613-938-2118, info@cornwallsquare.com. Downtown shopping complex near Lamoureux Park waterfront.
• Long Sault Farmers Market, in front of Long Sault Plaza. June-early Oct: Fri 2PM-6PM. Local produce in season.

Eat

• Eight Zero Zero, 903 Brookdale Ave, ☏ +1 613-936-0322. Steakhouse, fish, pasta, cocktail bar, fine dining.
• Spinners Diner, 619 Pitt St, ☏ +1 613-938-7311, gina@spinners.ca.
• The Loose Caboose, 35 Marlborough St. N, ☏ +1 613-932-9991. Fast food, hot dogs, burgers.
• Philos Greek Cuisine and Pizzeria, 1613 Pitt St, ☏ +1 613-933-3344.
• Schnitzels, 158 Pitt St, ☏ +1 613-938-8844. Mon-Wed 11:30AM-9PM (pub 11PM), Thu-Sat 11:30AM-10PM (pub 1AM), Sun closed. European restaurant, café and pub.
• Truffles Burger Bar, 155 Pitt St, ☏ +1 613-933-9112, gilgen@ymail.com. Bistro, commonly-owned with Table 21 steak house and oyster bar.

Drink

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, 441 Thirteenth St W, ☏ +1 613-938-0182.
• The Glengarrian Pub & Restaurant, 841 Sydney St, ☏ +1 613-933-6426.
• Lola's Pub and Grub, 616 Pitt St, ☏ +1 613-936-9898.

Sleep

Hotels

• Best Western Parkway Inn & Conference Centre, 1515 Vincent Massey Dr (at Brookdale Ave), ☏ +1 613-932-0451, toll-free: +1-800-874-2595, fax: +1 613-938-5479. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: Noon. Chain hotel. Has an electric vehicle charging station.
• Ramada by Wyndham Cornwall, 805 Brookdale Ave, ☏ +1 613-933-8000, toll-free: +1 888-900-5762, info@cornwallramada.com.
• Super 8 by Wyndham Cornwall, 2694 Brookdale Ave. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM.

Motels

• Comfort Inn, 1625 Vincent Massey Drive, ☏ +1 613-937-0111, fax: +1 613-937-4051. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Chain hotel. 100% Smoke Free, no more than 2 pets per room (at extra charge).
• Monte Carlo Motel, 1700 Montreal Rd, ☏ +1 613-932-2760, toll-free: +1-877-436-1088, fax: +1 613-932-2760, montecarlomotel1700@yahoo.com. Riverside motel with kitchenettes, boat docking, fishing, golf.

Bed and breakfast

• Auberge Chesley's Inn, 40 First St. W, ☏ +1 613-936-1111, toll-free: +1-855-936-1112, prowse.robert@gmail.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Ontario's oldest operating inn (1814), three rooms, B&B. from $150.

Camping

• Long Sault Parkway, 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.

Connect

• Bibliothèque Cornwall Public Library, 45 Second St. E, ☏ +1 613-932-4796, fax: +1 613-932-2715, generalmail@library.cornwall.on.ca. Bilingual (English/French) public library with free Internet access.

Open Wi-Fi is also available at ONroute Highway 401 rest stops - the closest are at Bainsville (at the provincial border) and at Morrisburg - and McDonald's (hamburger stand with two Cornwall locations).

Nearby

Dunvegan

• Glengarry Pioneer Museum, 1645 County Road 30, RR #1 Dunvegan, ☏ +1 613-527-5230, info@glengarrypioneermuseum.ca. A regional history museum.
• Club de Golf et Country Club Summerlea (Golf), 1000, route de Lotbinière, ☏ +1 450-455-0921. Golf Club. Restaurant prioritizing local products.

Martintown

• Martintown Grist Mill, 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, County Road 18, St. Andrews, ☏ +1 613-534-2463. Jul-Aug: Sun 1PM-3PM. Cornwall Township Historical Society museum in former 1906 convent.

Williamstown

• Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame, 19687 William St, Williamstown, ☏ +1 613-347-9996. Jul-Aug: Wed-Sun 10AM – 4PM. Weekly ceilidhs every Tuesday 7PM in July.
• Nor'Westers and Loyalist Museum, 19651 John St. Williamstown, ☏ +1 613-347-3547, museum@bellnet.ca. Seasonal (Victoria Day-Thanksgiving).

Go next

• 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.

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