Tips for day trips to Morrisburg and Iroquois, Ontario

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Updated June 28, 2022.

Ever wonder where Ottawa’s Bank Street ends? Drive directly south on Bank Street for about an hour from Parliament Hill and you’ll reach Morrisburg, a small community on the St. Lawrence with an intriguing back story.

A bit of history

The eastern part of Morrisburg was one of many places purposely flooded during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project in the 1950s. You can learn more about it via a series of historical plaques along the river shore at Morrisburg Waterfront Park.

(Side note #1: About 25 minutes east of Morrisburg, at the Lost Villages Museum in Long Sault, you can delve deeply into the history of a number of communities that were partially or completely obliterated during the Seaway’s construction.)

Probably the area’s best-known historical attraction is Upper Canada Village (13740 County Road 2, Morrisburg), 11 kilometres east of Morrisburg, which recreates life in a small anglophone community in 1866. You can wander among more than 40 heritage buildings (some saved from the lost villages) and ask questions of the costumed interpreters, who will be milling, weaving, storekeeping and generally going about their Victorian business. There are gardens, working mills, a bakery, a print shop, a cheese factory, a blacksmith shop, a church, a school and many homes.

Make a game of it

In 2021, I had the chance to test-drive a new smartphone app developed by the Municipality of South Dundas (which includes Morrisburg, neighbouring Iroquois and several other communities). It’s called South Dundas Tourism Pursuit, and it’s available for Apple and Android devices.

Here’s how it works: After loading it on your phone, you can use it to discover destinations throughout South Dundas, including beaches, parks, orchards and shops. There were originally 19 sites; in 2022, five more were added.

When you reach the destination, you’ll see a sign with a QR code. Scan the QR code with your phone and you’ll see an entertaining paragraph or two about the site you’re visiting. The app will also record that you’ve visited that site and highlight the site’s badge in colour.

Once you’ve visited a certain number of sites, you get to play a little mini-game within the app. It seems like a great app for families to use during a day out, as it has a treasure hunt quality that I think kids (and even adults) will enjoy.

My one wee quibble is that the link to the map for each destination is tucked away in the top right-hand corner, where I didn’t see it at first—but that’s a very minor quibble.

On the bright side, I discovered all sorts of cool places I’d never been to before. In fact, I didn’t even make it to all of the destinations. It could be useful to plan two separate days out—one to discover the sites east of County Road 31 (AKA Bank Street) and one to discover the sites to the west.

Golfing in Morrisburg and Iroquois

I barely know a putter from a driver, but I do know there are two 18-hole golf courses in the Morrisburg/Iroquois area. About 12 kilometres west of Morrisburg, the Iroquois Golf Club (10912 Golf Club Road, Iroquois) is on the former site of the village of Iroquois, which was moved piece by piece about two kilometres from the river during the Seaway project. Today, the course offers views of the St. Lawrence and large ocean-going ships. The other 18-hole golf course in the area is the Upper Canada Golf Course (13745 County Road 2, Morrisburg), roughly 11 kilometres east of Morrisburg. It borders Aultsville Creek and is home to the Upper Canada Pub (which is open to non-players, as well).

Entertainment and festivals

Looking for a different kind of play? The Upper Canada Playhouse (12320 County Road 2, Morrisburg) is a professional theatre that presents crowd-pleasing musicals, comedies, concerts and holiday shows.

In addition, Upper Canada Village hosts annual events. Two of its hot tickets are Pumpkinferno, featuring displays of thousands of artificial carved, illuminated pumpkins (October), and Alight at Night, when the village’s buildings are strung with countless Christmas lights (December).

Other high points in the Morrisburg calendar include the Vintage Antiques and Collectibles Show and Sale (June) and Tubie Weekend, which culminates with a race of inflatable craft down the St. Lawrence River (late July/early August).

Shopping in Morrisburg

When the Seaway was flooded, Morrisburg’s expropriated downtown ended up largely underwater. As a result, Morrisburg Plaza (County Road 2 at County Road 31) now serves many of the functions of a traditional town shopping district, with stores, restaurants and services.

Antiques hunters will likely agree that Barnfull O’ Goodies (Morrisburg Plaza) lives up to its name. The stock ranges widely, from vintage jewellery to large pieces of furniture, creatively displayed.

If fashion shopping is more your style, drop into Biba (also in the plaza) for casual clothing, accessories and shoes for both women and men. (Side note #2: On a visit in 2021, I saw a store clerk treat a slightly confused elderly gentleman with the utmost respect and patience, while skilfully managing all the other customers, so this store gets extra brownie points in my book!)

On Sundays, the McHaffie Flea Market (5070 County Road 31, Morrisburg) offers the chance to browse for antiques and collectibles from varied vendors.

Hit the beach and watch boats

Both Morrisburg Beach and Iroquois Beach are small but pleasant stretches of sand along the St. Lawrence River, with washrooms, water fountains, change rooms, picnic tables and free parking. At Morrisburg Beach, there’s also a dog park across the road.

At both beaches, you might see big ocean-going ships that have just passed through the nearby Iroquois Lock and Iroquois Canal on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The large lock is another cool place to hang out for a while, especially if engineering and/or boats are your jam. There’s a seasonal snack bar and free parking.

Many local businesses (including The Docksyde—see the next section) post schedules showing which ships are expected to pass by that day. You can also use this interactive map to see which ships are likely to pass by during your visit.

Food and drink

For a quintessential summer experience, wander over to The Docksyde (1 Lakeshore Drive, Morrisburg), a seasonal snack bar at Morrisburg Beach run by the local Lions Club, for Nestlé ice cream and other beach treats.

At Stone Crop Acres winery (5242 Smiths Road, Morrisburg), you can tour the two-hectare (five-acre) vineyard—possibly accompanied by one of the owners’ dogs—before settling on the patio or in the tasting room to sample wines such as Frigio-Riesling and Frontenac Noir-Syrah. The winery frequently hosts concerts and other special events, too.

For bird lovers

A few minutes east of Upper Canada Village and beyond South Dundas, you’ll find the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary (5591 Morrison Road 2, Ingleside), an island preserve with an interpretive centre and trails for hiking, biking and cross-country skiing.

Note that the interpretive centre is also the registration centre for the associated campground, so don’t drive by it thinking it’s the wrong building! It’s on the left side of the access road. If you reach the entrance to the campground, you’ve gone too far.

If you go

Morrisburg is 79 kilometres southeast of Parliament Hill. Getting there couldn’t be easier—just drive south on Bank Street (County Road 31) until it ends. You could bike to Morrisburg, if you’re super keen, but you’ll likely be on busy roads for part of the way. There’s no public transit between Ottawa and Morrisburg.

Want to stay longer? Use the map below to find accommodations. Note that I’ll receive a small commission—at no additional cost to you—if you book a place to stay using the map.

For more visitor information, please see the websites of the Municipality of South Dundas and the South Eastern Ontario regional tourism organization.

Looking for more tips on day trips from Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or buy my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100km Getaway Guide, from which this post is adapted.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.