Hotels near Saint Catharines, Ontario

A little about Saint Catharines...

St. Catharines (2001 population 129,170; 2005 metropolitan population 396,900, 2006 estimated population 134,996) is the largest city in the Niagara Region in southern Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres (37.5 sq mi) of land. It lies 51 kilometres (32 mi) south of Toronto across Lake Ontario and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) inland from the international boundary with the United States of America along the Niagara River. It is the northern entrance of the Welland Canal.

St. Catharines is home to Brock University.
McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine is set to open a satellite campus in St. Catharines in 2007.
Ridley College, located near the city's downtown core in the Western Hill neighbourhood, is a distinguished co-educational boarding and day school.
A campus of the Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology is located near the city's east end.

Art galleries:
Rodman Hall runs a diverse program of exhibitions throughout the year, featuring the work of local, national and international artists.
The Niagara Artists' Centre (NAC) is a not-for-profit, charitably registered, collective formed by local community artists and dedicated to serving the working artists and art-enthusiasts of Niagara.

Festivals:
The Folk Arts Festival was first presented to the city by representatives from the ethno cultural communities of Niagara over 35 years ago.
The Garden City Anime Festival is a non-profit organization established in June 2004.
The Niagara Grape & Wine Festival is a non-profit organization that presents three popular wine festivals in St. Catharines and Niagara during the year. The Niagara Icewine Festival (Winter), the Niagara New Vintage Festival (Summer), and the Niagara Wine Festival (Fall), which is the largest of the festivals, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region each year. This event known by most locals simply as "Grape and Wine" attracts young and old varying from partiers to wine connoisseurs.
The SCENE Music Festival is one-day event held in various clubs and pubs downtown.

Museums:
The St. Catharines Museum is located at Lock 3 on the Welland Canal, off the Welland Canals Parkway.
Morningstar Mill and Mountain Mills Museum, perched atop the Niagara Escarpment, is one of Ontario's oldest mills on an original site, and is fully powered by water.
The Children's Discovery Centre, located in the former Niagara College Horticulture School, provides children and their families with an educational yet entertaining and stimulating place to visit using hands-on, interactive exhibits and outdoor activities.

Shopping:
The Pen Centre - city's largest mall
Fairview Mall
Smart!Centres (formerly First Pro Garden City) - city's first power centre
Lincoln Mall - demolished, replaced by Lincoln Value Centre
Downtown Farmers Market
Port Dalhousie Business District

St. Catharines carries the official nickname "The Garden City" due to its 1,000 acres (4 km²) of meticulously groomed parks, gardens and trails.