Ball's Falls Conservation Area Trail

Ball's Falls Conservation Area Trail

Reflections from Muskoka: MTM - Balls Falls in Niagara

Reflections from Muskoka: MTM - Balls Falls in Niagara

How the Settlers Lived....

I was flying by the historic buildings on site yesterday and thought I should tell you about them a bit more! These buildings are really ancient; many were actually built by the Ball family. Some were moved or reproduced to look like those from the past. The original Ball home is here! This is a large house that doubled for the family as a store and office. The Grist Mill was the first industry the Ball family built and the mill ground grain for flour. The original grinding stones are still inside and when you visit you can take a tour and see how the flour was made.

A carriage house displays transportation and agricultural vehicles, but there are more of these on display in the barn. Sometimes you can hear the church bell ringing when a wedding or church services is happening. On the site there is a small log cabin which is similar to the first home for the Ball family The blacksmith shop still operates with blacksmithing workshops and demonstrations held some Sundays, just call 905-562-5235 to sign up for the workshops. There is another large barn which now doubles as a place to hold events, especially those weddings, they always end with a great feast here. An old white house was originally a house for one of the many employees that worked for the Ball Family. It is now where a lot of children play in the Adventure Daycamp. Finally there are a few small buildings such as the fruit drying shed, lime kiln and bake oven which were necessary to the daily lives over a hundred years ago. All of these buildings can be toured with a guide who can share with you the exciting stories from the past, but if you like you can also just look through screen doors into most of them. Times for the tours are on the hour from 10am to 3pm. So why not come out and see these unique, old buildings and meet some of the engaging staff ready to chat about the past.

A Day of Adventure!

Calling all kids and parents! Have you heard of Ball’s Falls Conservation Area’s Adventure Camp? Well I flew down to check it out this week and let me tell you it is amazing! There is tons of stuff to do everyday! The camp counselors have fun activities planned and they do a great job engaging the children. Some of the exciting things they do are hikes, water games, scavenger hunts, crafts, experiments and games.

Each week they have a theme and do unique activities, such as Time travelers, Mad Eco-Scientists, Woodland Wonders, and Water Wizards.

If you are interested and are or have a child between the ages of 6-10, just call 905-562-5235, ext. 26 to register. Registration can be done for one day, a whole week, or more! The regular hours of camp are 9-3 with extended hours available 8-4:30. The cost is $30 a day or $100 for a 5 day session, extended hours are $5 additional per day. If more than one child comes a family discount applies! So join us for some summer fun at our Adventure Daycamp, you might even see me flying around!

You Wanted to Know!

Hello everyone, Boomer here, over the past few days flying around Ball's Falls Conservation Area I have observed people with some questions. So I thought I could help out by giving you some basics about Ball's Falls. Ball's Falls is located at 3292 Sixth Avenue in Jordan, Ontario the postal code is L0R 1S0, for those human GPS units, although I do not need that since I have a bird GPS built in! The phone number is 905-562-5235; hope you have an easier time dialing a phone than I do! The website link is here, I have done the hard work pecking it in http://www.npca.ca/conservation-areas/balls-falls/default.htm and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority's is http://www.npca.ca/ they are the wonderful team who manage Ball's Falls so you can check out that site for information on the many other conservation areas in the Niagara Peninsula. I like to fly to them all every year on my summer vacation.

Ball's Falls is open year round and the hours are 9am to 8pm until Labour Day when it closes at 4 p.m. At the top of the hill is the Centre for Conservation. Outside this beautiful building are wonderful nesting boxes for bluebirds like me. This is also the place where you park and start your visit. Inside is the admission desk and gift shop where you can pick up some extra supplies if you need. A good starting place for your visit is the exhibit gallery which about Balls' Falls with interactive exhibits. There is also a spot for rotating exhibits that changes every few months, here you can learn about different things. From the Centre for Conservation you can see the Heritage Buildings or have a tour on the hour from 9am to 3pm. If you arrive before a tour begins you can enjoy the display barn and look in the doors of some of the buildings. The tour guides are truly fantastic and have a lot of information about the Ball family and what life was like back then. These tours are included in the price of admission! After all of that you could hike on one of the many trails that surround the conservation area. Oh and don't forget to check out both waterfalls! There is a smaller one up a short trail and a bigger one below near the Heritage Buildings. The creek in between is a perfect place for a quick birdbath….if you're a bird that is! So you can see there are many things to do here at Ball's Falls and with picnic tables and washrooms available you could easily spend the day here with friends or family.

Remember to check for upcoming events through me, on the website http://www.npca.ca/events.htm or call 905-562-5235 since there are special events going on which you would not want to miss!