Things to Do in St. Catharines

At Peaks Indoor Rock Climbing, seasoned instructors introduce bipeds to the world of vertical crawling during lessons on more than 60 textured walls. During each session, tutors impart the basic techniques of climbing and belaying while also covering safety tips and the mental benefits of the sport’s myriad challenges. Membership packages grant access to rental harnesses for use of the facility's rugged walls, cracks, overhands, and climbing caves. In order to ensure everyone’s safety, introductory lessons are mandatory for all beginning climbers, whether or not they were raised by a trip of mountain goats.

The 12-foot-wide vertical wind tunnel at Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving & Interactive Center stretches 20 feet to the ceiling. Inside, it churns with currents of recirculating air—a system that allows its operators to control the wind conditions and temperature regardless of outside weather. Padded walls and floors, as well as trained instructors, keep those inside safe as they're borne aloft by currents of up to 120 miles per hour. Instructors prepare adventurers—who may be as young as 7 years old—for these turbulent conditions during preflight training sessions, during which they divulge flight physics, safety, and communication hand signals. They also encase their visitors in all necessary safety gear, such as helmets, pads, flight suits, and invisible force fields.

Instructor Linda Summers strives to instill within each of her students the important life lessons that yoga has taught her—to slow down, celebrate each day, and embrace the goodness in every living thing. Linda has been carving out a healthy lifestyle for two decades through her work as a personal trainer, Pilates instructor, and spin instructor, but it's been her decade of yoga practice that has truly shaped her outlook on life. Over the years, Linda has studied under many notable yogis, including Baron Baptiste and Twee Merrigan.

Now she shepherds aspiring yogis of all levels along the path of physical, mental, and spiritual discipline—which leads the traveller toward wisdom and away from the lies crooned by late-night infomercials—through small Vinyasa and Hatha yoga classes. During these classes, Linda teaches her students to marry controlled breath with a flow of athletic and remedial postures as she gently adjusts their forms. Her studio's earthy walls surround students in tranquility as she inspires them to feel the strength and vibrancy that yoga has taught her to realize within herself.

Under the guidance of recently appointed owners Eve McAllister and Steve Johnston, The Wine Place's award-winning experts continue to help customers craft more than 60 wine varieties. After adding yeast to your favourite red, white, or rosé culled from top wine-growing regions such as Australia, Chile, and Spain, personnel oversee the four- to six-week brewing process. Once brews have spilled out from cocoons, oenophiles return for bottling and labelling sessions. The Wine Place's stock of measured electric wine pumps, compressor corkers, and electric shrink-wrap machines ensure a stress-free experience for each eager imbiber. In addition to its standard labels, The Wine Place supplies personalized labels for weddings, birthdays, and cubicle-warming parties.

It is estimated that 3,500 snow leopards currently make their home in the wild, where they use their claws and predatory stealth to scale central-Asian cliffsides in search of wild goats and rabbits. These secretive cats rarely let out so much as a purr, preferring solitude to contact with humans and even each other. Nevertheless, humans have helped their dwindling population grow in recent years through conservation efforts at zoos and habitats throughout the world.

Safari Niagara counts itself among the world’s safest havens for these downy cats. In working with the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the animal park provides a home for snow leopards and more than 500 other species of mammals, reptiles, and birds. The park’s conservationists lead educational presentations on threatened species and aim to shape children into the world’s future caretakers through up-close interactions with the park’s most social residents. Alpacas, river otters, grey wolves, and falcons are among the many animals that prowl the 110-acre facility, which also hosts an amphitheater where guests can watch musicians shimmy and shake in their natural habitat.Safari Niagara

At Parkway Lanes, bowlers hurl balls down 40 lanes, reducing triangular formations to a pile of plastic rubble and tallying up victories with automatic scoring systems rather than sacks of beans. The lanes flare to life on Rock 'N Bowl nights, and a game room with pool tables buzzes with competition every night of the week. After games and between frames, athletes can replenish energy reserves with food and drinks doled out on site.